This document provides an overview of developing a social media policy for a school. It discusses the importance of having a policy and outlines key elements to consider when creating one, including: gathering a team, reviewing existing policies, defining organizational values, determining who can post and with what guidelines, privacy issues, monitoring, and personal vs. professional use of social media. The goal is to provide a framework and resources to help schools thoughtfully develop a social media policy through a collaborative process.

1. Developing a Social Media Policy
DETROIT JEWISH EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
SOCIAL MEDIA ACADEMY
The Social Media Academy is generously
funded through a grant from
Produced by

2. Our Goals for Today
• To introduce the concept and importance of
a social media policy for your school
• To provide a framework and tangible
takeaways for hosting this conversation in
your school
Note: While we will explore important issues,
this is NOT the time to decide on particular
policies for your setting.

3. [It doesn't work to] “Just take our organization
and add some Internet.” -Clay Shirky

4. Strategy vs. Policy
How to Get There
vs.
How to Be on the Way

5. The Value of a Social Media Policy
Process
Product
...and iterate with the seasons

6. Elements of the Policy Workbook
• What does a SMP
mean to you?
• Organizational
Values in Social
Media
• Social Media Roles
• What Should You Say
Online
• Monitoring Policy
• Responding to
Negative Comments
• Responding to
Positive/Neutral
Comments
• Privacy and
Permissions
• Copyright and
Attribution
• Personal and
Professional

7. Gathering Your Team
Whose voices should be represented?
How? At what point in the process?
What do you want them to get out of
being involved?

8. Existing Policies & Permissions
How can/should they be integrated?
What are your existing policies?
Where is the overlap?

9. Voice, Vision, and Values Online
Your policy can be more than
a list of "Thou shalt nots..."

10. Translating Values Online
Value How can we embody this value online?
Curiosity/
Discovery

11. Translating Values Online
Value How can we embody this value online?
Curiosity/
Discovery
• Asking questions (demonstrating our own
curiosity)
• Showing the students' journeys of Jewish
discovery through pictures, videos, quotes, etc.
• Talking about the value of curiosity and discovery
in education
• Sharing photos and asking friends/followers to
"find" things in them (encouraging others to be
curious and discover)

12. Pause...Before You Post
• What three
questions should
you ask yourself
before posting?
• How can your
values, mission,
vision, or voice
guide those
questions?
Put a pause between
your fingers and the
keyboard.

13. Who Can Post?
• Who has
posting
permissions?
• Admin
permissions?
• What
guidelines do
they need to
follow?

14. • Names & Faces
What’s ok to post
and tag?
When and how
do you get
permission?

15. Responding - The Good, Bad, & Ugly
What are the implications for different kinds of
responses, no response, deleting, reporting?
How would this comment affect the community?

16. Inside & Out: Community Guidelines
Define the boundaries
of your sandbox...
What are the expectations for
"playing" in your space?

17. Monitoring
Who is listening? What are
expectations for responding?
Where is your
attention
directed?

18. Personal and/or Professional
Consider:
• Personal posts
• Personal time
• Personal spaces
• Professional posts
• Professional time
• Professional (official)
spaces
Where is the boundary?

19. Next Steps
Use the
Social Media
Policy
Workbook!
www.darimonline.org/smpw

20. Thank You!
Questions? Comments?
Examples