Social media is a natural extension of traditional media, it can no longer be ignored! Social media or digital is a term used for web-based media that encourage social interactivity among its participants.
Social media allows individuals and organizations to provide information to others in their social networks and lets participants instantly respond and engage with an organization or brand. The most commonly used social media platforms for the UC Master Gardener Program are Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and YouTube.
Questions? Contact:
Barbra Braatan
Statewide Communications Specialist
bbraaten@ucanr.edu
(530) 203-8590
Social Media Plan
Develop a social media marketing plan and strategy that outlines the specific goals and objectives of their social media efforts.
Who is the audience they would like to reach? What objectives would you like to reach? More website or blog traffic? More attendees at event? Recruiting new volunteers? Download the presentation on developing a social media plan in the resources section below.
Resources:
Content
UC Master Gardener Program social media channels must be used for educational, informational and or communication purposes in support of the UC Master Gardener Program mission statement and initiatives.
Creating and finding content for social media channels can be challenging. Think about using your blog as the hub for your social media marketing plan. Develop an editorial calendar that outlines your publishing schedule for your blog, videos and social media. Having an editorial calendar creates a map for developing interesting content in a timely manner. It is also possible to cross-promote or repurpose materials across multiple platforms. For example, and blog post can also be shared in your newsletter, as well as on your Facebook and Twitter channels.
Content creators should be trusted members of the UC Master Gardener Program, who have been trained on how to respond to questions from the public. Experienced hotline volunteers, bloggers or communicators are examples of excellent candidates for content creators on social media channels.
Examples of appropriate content:
- Research-based gardening information or tips
- Seasonal home horticulture information
- Pest management
- National extension updates
- Highlight of successful training
- Educational
Examples of inappropriate content:
- Advertisements
- Spam
- Insensitive or offensive content
- Copyrighted material without crediting source
- Political posts
Accessibility
Accessibility for all, includes social media! The following information helps ensure that social media posts and content is accessible to people with disabilities. It is crucial to follow accessibility laws on our websites and social media channels. By taking a few extra steps while posting content online, you will help ensure equal access to the information! Here are some tips to make your social media content as compliant as possible so everyone can participate. Below is information shared from the UC Davis Communication Guide - Social Media Accessibility Best Practices.
- Alt Text for Images
Take the time to add alt text (image/video visual descriptions) to describe for the visually impaired. Alt text should be descriptive, but concise. Do not classify someone's race in alt text or provide commentary - keep it neutral and fact-based. - Avoid Posting Graphics with Text
Do not post fliers or images with text overlays, unless you can put all copy from the graphic into the body of the post, and edit the ALT text.
- Camelback hashtags
Capitalize each first letter of each word in a hashtag. For example, #UCMasterGardener vs #ucmastergardener
- Be aware of color contrast
Make sure there is a high contrast of colors to ensure legibility, particularly for those who live with color blindness. Use a color contrast analyzer tool, such as this Chrome plug-in, to help determine if your content complies with accessibility standards.
- Captions and transcripts
All videos should include captions. You must review and edit auto-generated captions on YouTube, Facebook, etc. While auto-generated captions are generally correct, they are not perfect and can include crucial errors in the information. Audio only content, i.e., podcasts, should include transcripts.
Accessibility Training
Community Netiquette
Establishing a community netiquette tells your audience what they can expect when they visit your digital channels. A netiquette defines what content is appropriate and why content may be removed from a page.
Sample Netiquette Language:
Disclaimer: All content, information and views expressed through this account belong to the individuals posting the content, and do not necessarily reflect the University of California’s official policies or positions. The university is not responsible for unanswered posts or inaccurate information posted by others.
Community Guidelines:
- Be respectful of the rights and opinions of others. Be willing to agree to disagree and move on
- Stay on topic
- Be transparent and honest
- Add value: Be part of the conversation, but don’t take it over
- Avoid hateful speech, personal attacks, flaming, profanity, vulgarity, pornography, nudity and abusive language
- Keep private contact information (e.g. home phone number, address) out of your posts.
If you are not abiding by these guidelines, then your comments may be hidden, deleted, banned or otherwise removed.
Social Media Policies and Guidelines
These guidelines are specific to the UC Master Gardener Program, rules and guidelines from individual social media channels should always be observed (ie: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and blogs).
- Administration: A program coordinator and/or UC ANR staff member must be added as an full access administrator on all social media channels.
- Roles and Responsibilities: All UC Master Gardener Program guidelines and UC policies must be followed.
- It is recommended that the program coordinator or UCCE staff regularly monitor content and maintenance of all sites.
- Create a general account for your social media channels, versus attaching program social accounts to one individual's personal email account.
- Upon request from county or statewide office, content should be removed immediately.
- Please notify the statewide office if your program would like to establish a new account on a new social media site or channel.
- Guidelines:
- Photographs should not contain the names of members unless previously approved. Do not post photographs that could be upsetting or has suggestive behavior.
- Do not post copyrighted material, this includes videos with copyrighted music.
- Represent the program with the correct name and proper UC Master Gardener logo.
UC ANR Resources:
- UC ANR Social Media Toolkit
- UC ANR Social Media Best Practices (Word)
- UC ANR Nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy (PDF)
Evaluation and Analysis
It is important to evaluate your social media content and reach, it is recommended that an analysis is done of your social channels quarterly, at a minimum. Examine the analytic tools available from the social media channels, for example, Facebook insights. Tracking which posts are popular with your audience will help with creating future successful content, or help re-define your objective, audience and/or resources if necessary.