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Social Media

Social media platforms are powerful communication tools that have a significant impact on organizational and professional reputations. In most instances, the USAC Advancement & Engagement Department is responsible for USAC social media.

Official USAC social media sites:

Instagram logo TikTok logo YouTube logo LinkedIn logo Spotify logo

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Guidelines

Content

  • Use plain language: provide clear instructions, avoid undefined technical jargon, and spell out acronyms and abbreviations.
  • Use student- or staff-curated photos and videos whenever possible. Avoid stock content.
  • Accurately caption voice and vocals in video; do not paraphrase. Captions should be at least 95% accurate.
  • Employees are encouraged to only share graphics/content that have been made by the USAC A&E Department on their personal account.

Hashtags

  • Use consistent hashtags. Some of the commonly-used USAC hashtags are:
    • #studyabroadusac
    • #usacprogramtitle (i.e. #usacheredia)
    • #studentsbeyondborders
  • Place hashtags at the end of the posts. This improves the screen-reader experience.

Hyperlinks

  • Use link shorteners. Where descriptive links are not possible or convenient, a short URL is easier for screen readers to handle and helps reduce the character count for character-restricted platforms.
  • Place URLs at the end of posts

Social Media Policy and Tips

Social media use blurs the lines between personal voice and institutional voice. To help clarify how to best enhance and protect personal and professional reputations when participating in social media, USAC has adopted a Social Media Policy. Log in to your USAC Gateway account to view the official policy.

  • Be authentic
  • Proofread your posts
  • Engage with your network – like, share, repost
  • Share videos, blog posts and other content from official USAC sites
  • Act responsibly and ethically
  • Be respectful of other cultures, religions, values, political beliefs, etc.
  • Associate yourself with USAC when talking about work-related matters that are within your area of job responsibility
  • Brand your online profiles as personal and opinions as your own
  • Use privacy settings and a strong password
  • Prior to creating a new USAC-affiliated social media account, please contact marketing@usac.edu for additional guidelines and resources

Photography and Video Guidelines

USAC takes a student-focused approach, and our photography and videography should reflect this as well. Each image should portray the study abroad experience and place you in that environment. Our photography and videography is taken and provided by our students and staff abroad.

Photography Guidelines

  • Student-focused
  • Expressive
  • Authentic/real/candid
  • A mix of individual and group shots
  • Engaged/action shots
  • Educational/academic, including: courses, field studies, internships, and service-learning
  • A blend of perspectives ranging from close-up to mid-range and far away
  • Interaction with locals
  • Show gender and ethnic diversity
  • Always include captions with your photos, including: important landmarks, buildings, locations, activities, etc.

Videography Guidelines

  • Videos should not be longer than 5 minutes.
  • For social media, record video in a vertical frame. All other video can be taken in landscape mode.
  • The preferred aspect ratio is 9:16.
  • Include the opening and closing slides provided by USAC in your video.
  • Add title graphics to describe what the viewer is seeing; especially pertaining to field trips, field studies, service-learning, and immersion activities.
  • All video materials need to be captioned at 95% accuracy or better. Video with no spoken audio (background music only) is an exception and does not need to be captioned.
  • Pay attention to audio and be aware of background noise.
  • If using images and video, be cautious of how quickly you transition.
  • Make sure your subject is illuminated by a bright source of light from behind the camera.
  • Use a wide angle to record.
  • Avoid too much movement and zooming.
  • Feel free to experiment with different effects; time-lapse, slow-mo, etc.

Photography and Videography Restrictions

Do not include any of the following in USAC photos or videos:

  • Stock photography
  • Alcohol and/or drugs
  • Unsafe/dangerous activities, including: jumping off cliffs, sitting on cliff edges, rock climbing, skydiving, etc.
  • Mistreated or dangerous animals
  • Nudity
  • Blurry photos or videos
  • Music with copyright restrictions
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