Social media is reshaping our society, and it has significant benefits and potential risks. At UTMB Health, we have policies and guidelines 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 wish to create or already manage a UTMB-affiliated social media presence, UTMB has specific rules and requirements. Learn more at www.utmb.edu/social.
If you have a personal social media presence, what you post matters, and even on a personal account, can have consequences. We often see a spike in complaints and notifications around controversial topics and during times of unrest and social conflict.
Please remember:
- Always protect patient privacy and the university’s proprietary information.
- Adhere to a high standard of professionalism. Practice good online etiquette, be civil and respect laws (including copyright). Be a good online citizen and a positive presence.
- Use good judgement and think twice before you post; assume nothing is ever private and everything you post will be discoverable, forever. Avoid social media drama.
- Respect your commitment to work; be mindful and save non-work related social media for your personal time.
- Be transparent and honest; you can speak about the university but not on behalf of the university (unless you are among the handful of people with that assigned role).
- Remember that if you associate yourself with UTMB in your profile or pages, what you say, show and do reflects on the university (and may be shared with us by those displeased by your posts).
- If you run across something about UTMB that concerns you or raises questions, let us know.
To view UTMB's social media policies and guidelines, visit www.utmb.edu/social. Contact us with questions or for assistance at social@utmb.edu.