This page summarizes policy requirements and practical guidance for University of Houston employees who manage official UH social media profiles and who use personal social media accounts.

Official UH social media profiles

Legal and privacy requirements

• Follow all applicable laws and University policies (including faculty and staff handbooks and regulations). Content that violates these requirements, or that contains or leads to the release of private personal information, is prohibited and should be removed.
• Protect student records (FERPA). Do not engage in conversations or share any information about student records. Examples include names, admission status, GPA, Social Security number, PeopleSoft number and any other FERPA-protected information.
• Protect medical information (HIPAA). Do not share individually identifiable health information or any details that could reasonably identify someone’s health status or care.
• Follow NCAA regulations. Social media has changed communication and recruiting in collegiate sports. All UH employees are expected to comply with NCAA rules. Employees should also refrain from contacting prospective student-athletes on social media until after they have signed a National Letter of Intent.
• Do not use social media for sensitive transactions or private matters. Social networks are not secure channels for business transactions or matters involving personal information. The University will not ask for, and individuals should not send, credit card/payment information, classified information, privileged information, private information or information subject to nondisclosure agreements via social media.

Content, conduct and moderation

• Use UH accounts only for UH business. Do not engage in personal affairs under the guise of a UH entity’s social profile. Do not post personal updates to UH profiles.
• Follow employee standards of conduct. Employees must adhere to regular employee policies and expectations.
• Comment filtering: If a platform offers comment filters, disable them or set them to the lowest possible setting.
• Accuracy and tone: Think twice before posting. Double-check accuracy, spelling and grammar. Consider whether content could malign or polarize any person or group.
• Review performance regularly. Check metrics to understand what content your audience finds most useful.
• Cross-promote when appropriate. Use the Social Media Directory to find other official UH profiles.

Using social media for teaching

If you are a faculty member using social media to communicate with students, use it as a supplementary channel, not the primary method of communication.

Personal social media profiles of UH employees

Legal and privacy requirements

• Follow all applicable laws and University policies, including FERPA, HIPAA and NCAA regulations.
• Do not share confidential UH information, including any student information you have access to as an employee.
• FERPA: Do not post or discuss student records (names, admission status, GPA, Social Security number, PeopleSoft number, etc.). If students request help, direct them to a secure channel such as phone, email or “Get Help.”
  • Learn more about FERPA.
• HIPAA: Do not share individually identifiable health information.
  • See more about HIPAA.
• NCAA: Follow NCAA regulations when interacting and communicating on social media. Refrain from contacting prospective student-athletes on social media until after they have signed a National Letter of Intent.
• Avoid sensitive transactions on social media. Do not send or request payment information, classified information, privileged information, private information or information covered by nondisclosure agreements via social platforms.

Copyright and protecting your privacy

Respect copyright and intellectual property on personal accounts as well. Do not reproduce, modify or redistribute content you do not own, and do not remove watermarks or copyright identifiers.

Protect your own privacy online. Use privacy settings and share updates only with the audiences you intend.