PURPOSE / SCOPE:
Social Media is constantly changing and an important part of communications. The ICOM Office of Communications & Marketing manages oversight of all ICOM affiliated/titled social media accounts including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This document outlines necessary guidelines and policies to maintain the awareness, brand, and online presence of ICOM, including:
- To provide guidelines and direction outlining how the use of social media represents ICOM, the employees and student-doctors, in a positive, productive manner that protects the mission and vision of the college and future students.
- All ICOM accounts and names on a social media platform/site is to bolster brand awareness; service the ICOM Office of Communications & Marketing and the ICOM Office of Admissions and Student Services; strengthen loyalty between the college and its constituent groups; and add relational value to the ICOM community by facilitating online, two-way communication.
- ICOM employees and student-doctors must act legally and responsibly in protecting privacy for each other, patients, families, and others associated with ICOM and recognize their responsibilities and legal requirements established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Federal Education Records Protection Act (FERPA), etc.
- ICOM employees and student-doctors must be thoughtful about how they present themselves in online networks. By virtue of self-identifying in such a network, employees and students must be aware of how they are viewed by the public, their peers, the student body, the faculty, future residency directors, future employers, and others who would be aware of their connection to the college or the student body.
- ICOM offers the support of the institution in defining appropriate social media outlets as a tool in communication, providing social computing guidelines for ICOM employees and student-doctors engaging in online discourse and identifying themselves with ICOM.
ICOM has established certain policies to ensure that official accounts in relation to the COM are in compliance with policies set forth by the COM and reflects its mission and vision.
DEFINITIONS:
- Social Media – Includes all methods of interaction online in all forms of user generated and distributed content, including but not limited to, blogs, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Vimeo), and wikis.
- Professional Use – Refers to using social media to advance a program or function of ICOM as part of an employee’s job responsibilities.
- Personal Use - Refers to employees using social media to advance themselves personally, although this may include some work-related activities such as networking or promoting an ICOM program or service.
POLICY:
As an educational organization, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) recognizes the importance of an open exchange between the institution and its many constituents. Likewise, ICOM recognizes social media as an important arena for encouraging interaction and collaboration.
When utilizing social media, whether for professional or personal use, ICOM employees are expected to follow the same behavioral standards online as they would in real life. The same laws, professional expectations, and guidelines for interacting with students, parents, alumni, staff, faculty, media and other district stakeholders apply online as in the real world. Employees are responsible for anything they post to social media sites.
1. Concerns and/or questions related to social media should be submitted via email to ICOM’s Director of Communications and Marketing at sdillon@idahocom.org.
ICOM reserves the right to consider how an employee or student doctor presents themselves in online networks as a part of deciding whether or not that person is of appropriate ethical behavior for the institution or whether or not the person represents a threat to any student, faculty and staff member, or administration member.
ICOM reserves the right to create any social media platform that appropriately enhances and supports the mission and vision of the College.
ICOM reserves the right to request to cancel and/or delete any ICOM-affiliated social media outlet not originally created by the ICOM Communications & Marketing and/or faculty, staff, and students that does not appropriately support the mission and vision of the College, or that was created without approval or an official request.
Social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Groups and Pages, are not considered the official voice of academic and administrative information. Faculty and staff, while included on such platforms, will not answer and/or reply to specific academic and administrative requests and/or questions. Email communication from an ICOM-created office is the ONLY official line of academic and administrative communication from the faculty, staff, and students between the faculty, staff and students.
Only enrolled ICOM student doctors will have access to ICOM-created Facebook Groups and Pages, along with faculty, administrative staff and ICOM alumni. All other requests will be denied.
Acceptable Use of Social Media
- Refrain from reporting, speculating, discussing, or giving any opinions on topics related to the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine or employees of the institution that could be considered sensitive, confidential or disparaging.
- ICOM logos and/or visual identity cannot be used for personal social media use without prior approval from the Office of Communications and Marketing.
- A personal social media account is not an appropriate place to distribute ICOM news, although employees are encouraged to share news posted to the ICOM website or social media pages. Employees with information and news to announce to the public or media should contact the Office of Communications & Marketing.
- ICOM does not routinely monitor personal online accounts, but will address issues that violate personnel, social media or other guidelines or school policies.
- When posting, be mindful of the copyright and intellectual property rights of others and of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine.
- Confidential information should never be posted online.
- Students’ addresses, telephone numbers and other confidential information should never be posted on social media sites.
Guidelines
This section is not intended for internet activities that do not associate or identify a student with ICOM, do not use ICOM email addresses, do not discuss an affiliation of any type with ICOM, and are purely about personal matters.
- ICOM will officially own any social media account and platform that specifically states and/or identifies Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, ICOM, as then the site becomes an automatic affiliate of the college.
- To create an official online social media account or platform, including but not limited to, Facebook Groups and Pages, Twitter and/or Instagram, an official request must be submitted via email to the ICOM Office of Communications and Marketing. The office will create and own said request.
- There can be no official ICOM-affiliated group, page, and/or site on Facebook, Twitter, the Web, YouTube, etc., unless they are developed by and authorized by ICOM Communications & Marketing (first).
- Any social media group, site(s) and/or page(s) existing without prior authorization as required above will be subject to review when discovered and may be amended and/or requested to be removed by ICOM Communications & Marketing.
- ICOM official sites on social media platforms may have branding content at the discretion and approval of the Office of Communications & Marketing.
- Such Web Communications (but not limited to) are:
- Snapchat
- iTunes
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Content on any social media platform is not meant to override nor replace official administrative communication from ICOM; the platforms only serve as additional tools for communication.
Conclusion
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine encourages interaction among users on ICOM social media sites but is not responsible for the content of others published on any un-official websites, pages, or affiliates.
Due to the public nature of these pages for comment by other users, the views expressed by guest “posters” do not reflect that of the College or original author. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own content (including privacy settings) shared via the web and the College is not liable for such content.
- Personnel from ICOM reserves the right, but is not obligated, to remove comments or posts that are racist, sexist, abusive, profane, violent, obscene or spam; that advocates illegal activity, include falsehoods, contain commercial solicitations, are wildly off- topic, or cannot be translated to English using free online tools; that libel, incite, threaten, or make ad hominem attacks on Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine students, employees, guests or others.
- Personnel from ICOM also reserves the right to remove comments or posts that are deemed negative or offensive by the page’s administrators. Violators will be banned and removed from the page.
Personnel from ICOM thank you in advance for your contributions to the school’s social media pages, and for your compliance and assistance in creating a safe and vibrant online community.
POLICY OWNER:
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
APPROVAL:
Effective: 8/2/21
Last Reviewed: 5/1/23
Review Requirement: 5 Years