Social media

It is useful to think about what you hope to achieve through your chosen social media platform: Who is your audience? What are you going to talk about? What stories do you want to share?

You can always use the current Imperial social media networks to get your messages out too. Check out the Social media directory to see if there are already existing channels with pre-established audiences you could engage with directly.

Be prepared

Have some content ready for the first few days/weeks - some photos, some posts, some events, notifications etc.

Think about who is going to run your channels too. Do you have expertise already within your team, or capacity? Some channels are more time-consuming to run than others, so make sure you are ready when you take the leap!

Your profile

Branding/logos/icons: With the new rebrand, we have an amazing resource where you can generate your own personalised Imperial logo. Log into our Brand portal and get creative!

Our brand team can also help if you get stuck - drop them a line brand@imperial.ac.uk.

What name will you use? In many cases this might be straightforward, your department name for example.

Depending on the purpose and the platform you may need to think carefully about your name and make sure it’s clear immediately for users.

Know your platform. What are you going to use? Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, BlueSky, TikTok...the face of social media continues to evolve and each platform can suit different purposes at different times.

Try it out yourself. If you have never used your chosen platform before and are going to be involved in or responsible for the management of your account, download it and give it a go first!

You do not need to ask for approval to represent Imperial on a social media platform. But do let us know what you’ve set up so we can add it to our directory. Contact Philippa.Skett@imperial.ac.uk. 

We’ll add you to the list of College social media networks and follow, like, add and join you! We will also add you to the Cross-College Social Media Group email list.

Security

When setting up your account, be sure to set a strong password, following ICT guidance. Store the password securely and change it every few months.

For additional security, consider setting up two-factor authentication and/or using password manager software, such as 1password, to store and generate secure passwords.

If you notice any suspicious activity on your account or think your account has been hacked, please consult the guidance in the 'Social media security' accordion further down this page.

Think about who you're posting as. If you already have personal social media accounts, you might want to create a new profile that you can use for Imperial-related content!

Make it clear if you are writing for Imperial, or writing personally.

Consider your style. Decide how formal/informal your voice needs to be. For example, you might want to use a conversational style, especially if you are planning to be slightly more informal.

Be prepared to answer questions and monitor comments. Don't neglect your followers if they have questions! If you want to answer something but not sure if you should do it publicly, you can always privately message via the platform or email.

Don’t ignore negative comments. If someone is complaining try to answer them positively if possible.

Make sure the information you post is accurate. You might not know everything about a topic so get your facts verified and don’t make things up because you don’t have time to check.

Don’t break copyright rules. Make sure you have permission to post other peoples content.

If you're posting any of Imperial’s images onto an external site, check that you have permission to do so (the images may only be licensed to be used on the Imperial domain).

Make your posts accessible and inclusive- Read this guidance on Accessibility for social media

Get rid of irrelevant spam. Use your discretion to remove advertisements, spam, and comments that are hateful, obscene, or defamatory.

If someone from an external media organisation contacts you about a post on your social media platform, please contact one of Imperial's media officers for some advice and guidance.

Social media can be tricky to navigate at times, but do not behave in a way that could bring Imperial into disrepute.

Don't invade on other people’s privacy. Do not post private information about other people.

Being rude or defamatory. Try to be courteous at all times . Don’t behave in a way that could bring the Imperial into disrepute.

Equally, comments from users that are offensive or libellous (e.g. swearing , defamatory, abusive, racist, illegal), are not acceptable and you should remove them straight away.

Don’t spam other social media sites with advertisements and marketing about Imperial. It can become irritating and you could lose your audience!

Please make sure that you have read and understood relevant policies. Below you'll find the policies that relate to the representation of the Imperial on social media networks:

• Collaboration policy
• Web based collaboration guidelines
• Blogging - terms and conditions of use
• Web and social media comments policy