Social Blog

QR codes add a dynamic element to printed materials, signs and display screens, so they are attractive for content creators. However, they should be used in limited situations. Because linking techniques can lead users to unsafe websites, following best practices is better for privacy and security.

We've updated our community standards for social media accounts affiliated with UTMB. The new standards better articulate the type of content, comments and posts appropriate for our sites, and outline what types of information are not appropriate. The new document is ready for sharing by those who manage UTMB's social properties.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed state agencies to block TikTok on all state-owned and state-operated devices. The order is intended to minimize information security risks to state agencies related to use of the social media platform.

Social media is reshaping our society, and it has significant benefits and potential risks. At UTMB Health, we have policies and rules governing social media use for department and program sites, as well as for personal accounts and pages on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and others. If you're on social media, you should be familiar with these guidelines...

We had a few instances recently of a site visitor posting a solicitation to several university FB pages. We were given the green light to hide the posts.

Hootsuite posted a great and helpful article by writer Paige Cooper on how Instagram "works" in 2019. She breaks it down into four easy to follow sections with actionable advice. It's a good read and worthwhile for any of us managing a UTMB Instagram presence. See it on the Hootsuite site...

We recently shared some information reminding the UTMB community about social media's benefits and risks, and UTMB's policies and guidelines governing social media use for department/program sites as well as personal pages. Remember: what you post matters, and even on a personal account, can have consequences. Please read more.

Christopher Smith Gonzalez, senior communication specialist at UTMB, shared his social media hacks, tips and best practices at noon on February 26 during a TechTalk Forum.

We hope you can join us for the August 28 session of TechTalk, where we'll provide tips, suggestions, policies and best practices for members of the UTMB community using and managing social media.

Many of us with admin permissions on Facebook pages have been getting notices these past few weeks about a new "Services" template designed for businesses that will be applied to our pages, unless we opt out. Here's how to do that.

Our next TechTalk—scheduled for July 24 at noon in Levin Hall South—will feature an overview of Select Survey and Poll Everywhere, two free-to-use applications that make it easy to get feedback from your customers and audiences.

Instagram's one of the three most popular social media channels at UTMB (the other two are Facebook and Twitter). There hasn't been a great way to link those Instagram accounts back to their home programs or departments. Until now. A Hubspot article published March 28 walks users through a newly added feature, the ability to add links and hashtags right in your account's bio.

Our social media manager, Tamara Sherrod, has accepted a new position. The vacant social media position has been placed on hold. Pep Valdes will continue to provide oversight and will handle most of the administrative duties associated with the position. Shannon Porter (with Internal Communications) will help orchestrate our social posts and user engagement.

The design for the UTMB Health social media badge has been updated.

Have a professional interest in social media (or marketing or web development or business or communication or…)? There’s an article by Wired you need to read.

In an effort to reduce content misrepresentation, Facebook has removed the ability for Pages to edit how a link appears prior to posting. Starting July 18, 2017, Page editors can longer alter link metadata (i.e. headline, description, and image).

We recently brought together institutional social media stakeholders for an informative, interactive session. The event served as an important step in our efforts to resurrect a grassroots coalition of UTMB social media developers and content/page managers.

If you've been managing a Facebook Page over the past few years, you've likely noticed a drop in how many of your fans have been viewing and interacting with your organic posts. This decline in organic Facebook reach came to a head in 2014, when marketers started picking up on (and complaining about) the situation in droves, prompting a response from Facebook's VP of Advertising Technology, Brian Boland.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of headlines. A good headline can entice and engage your audience to click, to read, and to share your content. In many cases headlines are the thing that is shared rather than the article. So you knew that. But do you know what makes an engaging headline?