Personal Accounts
By having a social media account that indicates you work at or attend Virginia Tech, or if you run an account for your unit, you may be perceived as being a spokesperson for Virginia Tech. It is essential that you do not speak for Virginia Tech, the institution, but that you merely represent your unit. In that role, you should consider yourself a spokesperson. To mitigate any potential issues, be mindful of the following:
- Stick to your area of professional expertise.
- Confirm information before posting/sharing to ensure it is correct. When in doubt, don’t post.
- Use good judgment when responding to comments. Review the Social Media Decision Tree (PDF) for reference.
- Questions/comments that are related to a news story or press release should be referred to @vtnews on Twitter and/or the Media Relations Director of University Relations.
- Keep personal accounts separate from your role at Virginia Tech when possible. If there is overlap, ensure your personal views are not viewed as official Commonwealth of Virginia communications.
- You may include a disclaimer in your About section (from Policy: 1.76 – Use of Electronic Communications and Social Media), such as: “The views expressed on this (website, blog, social media site) are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
- You may include a disclaimer in your About section (from Policy: 1.76 – Use of Electronic Communications and Social Media), such as: “The views expressed on this (website, blog, social media site) are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”