Universities Best Practices Guide
Content
Best Practices for University Students
Facebook began in universities, and we’re still committed to helping college students make the most of their social networking experience. Whether you’re running for student senate, leading an arts initiative, trying to get a group off the ground, or just keeping in touch with your dorm, these tips will help you maximize your success through an effective Facebook presence.
University Press
Create a Facebook Page – Make it easy for students to get to university news on Facebook by creating a Page for your publication. When someone “likes” or comments on your page or post, it gets published directly to their profile and to their friends’ News Feeds. From there, it begins to spread virally throughout friend networks. This way, students find daily news updates right on their Facebook home page. EW – need emphasis] Engage with Readers – Post quality content and phrase your posts in such a way that they will encourage your users to share and comment. Use Questions to create polls and crowdsource opinions about hot topics on your campus. Be sure to take part in the conversation as well and maintain an active dialogue. Elaborate with Photo and Video – Bring your stories to life by adding Photos and Videos to your Page. Whether it’s a compilation of photos of the week or images from a breaking story, wellorganized visual media helps drive engagement. Encourage Discussion – Take advantage of the Discussions tab on your Page to connect with readers. Use it as an editorial board to encourage students to post about articles and opinions in your paper or use it to gauge popular opinion on campus issues. Plan an Event on Your Page – Newspapers can use Pages to create Events on Facebook. Invite students to events that the paper covers and help students be informed about what’s going on around campus. With Events, newspaper Pages can receive comments from students who attend and use their feedback as background for a story. Keep Your Staff Connected –Instead of clogging in-boxes with a mailing list, use a closed Group to always stay in touch with your staff. Members can easily pitch ideas, coordinate beats, and get instant and organized feedback. Post Photos and Video to remember all the fun behind the scenes. Incorporate Social Plug-ins – By installing Facebook Plug-ins onto your newspaper’s website, you can help direct readers to articles that will interest them more and encourage them to share those articles among their friends, thereby increasing both satisfaction and readership. Share Activity on Your Site – Let your web visitors see their friends interactions with your content by including the Activity Feed. The activity feed displays stories when visitors “like” or comment on your site’s content and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plug-in is filled with activity directly from the user’s friends. Foster a community of readers by letting visitors see the other students who are connected to your Page and to your content. Help Your Readers Share Content – Engage your visitors by installing a “like” button on your website and articles. When a user “likes” your website or article, it immediately shows up on their profile. Alternatively, you can also install the “recommend” button on articles if “liking” is not always appropriate. Stay up to Date on Facebook News – Want to always be reporting the latest innovations from Facebook? Make sure your paper is up to date on the most current Facebook news. Keep an eye on the official Facebook Page to learn about new features as soon as they launch.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Connect Students to Your Page with Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories – Facebook Ads are a cost effective way to promote your newspaper’s Page to students on your campus. Use Ads and sponsored stories to direct traffic to your Page and increase the number of student connections. You can also use ads to publicize Events, share offers, and recruit new staffers.
Track the Buzz on Facebook –Use Page Insights to monitor activity on your page. Stay on top of your key demographics and see which posts receive the most feedback. With this information in mind, you can run your Page in the most effective ways and appeal more stongly to your readers.
Community
Communicate with Your Dorm Mates – We all stop reading dorm e-mails after a while, and as a result we end up missing important information and great events. Use a closed Facebook Group to replace or supplement your dorm’s e-mail list. Rather than having to sift through an in-box to find out what’s happening, residents will be able to stay updated right from their Facebook News Feeds.W – need emphasis] Capture and Share Memories – Groups let you create collective photo albums so everyone can share and access photos from throughout the year. You can upload Video footage, too, for when you capture those “you had to have been there” moments. Schedule Events – By making an Event within a Group, you know exactly who will be on the RSVP list. Photos and links allow you to give more information and get people excited about what you’re planning. Attendance information also helps you plan your event more appropriately. Spread Awareness – Promote your club by creating a Facebook Page. Your status updates, events, and media will appear in the News Feeds of people who “like” you. If they “like” or comment on your content, that content then appears to their friend networks as well, helping your information spread virally across campus through friend networks. Manage Your Club –Create a Group for your members and managers to keep in touch with one another in real time. Keep internal topics and committees organized through comment threads and help steer conversations by tagging. Share visual ideas and memories through collective photo albums as well. Get People Involved – Use your Facebook presence to get students involved in your activity or cause. Encourage students to interact with your Page by updating regularly and prompting engagement through Discussions and Questions. Invite all of the users who “like” your page to Events and use the RSVP information to prepare in advance. Integrate with your Website – Connect your Facebook presence with your website by installing a “like” box on your website. The “like” box allows you to attract and gain “likes” for your Page directly from your website. From there, consider installing other plug-ins to show visitors their friends’ activity on your site as well. Recruit with Ads– Facebook Ads are a costeffective and wide-reaching way to advertise your group to the student population. You can limit the ad to your university’s network, plan it to fit exactly in your budget, and target to specific keywords that will help you find users who are most likely to be interested in your content.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Student Government
Create a Facebook Page – Establish a social presence through Pages to connect with the student body at your university. Use your Page to keep in touch with the rest of campus and make the student government body accessible to all students. Let students see exactly what’s happening around campus just by seeing student government updates directly in their News Feed. Keep them informed about campus initiatives, events, and speakers by publishing to your Page’s wall. W – need emphasis] Increase Transparency – Take advantage of the Discussion tab on your Page to post minutes from meetings. This helps increase transparency between the student population and the student government and provides a dynamic forum for continuing the discussion with commentary and questions. Organize Events – Engage students by publicizing town halls, meetings, and get-togethers with Facebook Events. RSVP information will let you have a better idea of how many people to expect so you can plan accordingly. You can also share other Events from throughout campus right on your wall to help expand their reach to your followers. Keep in Touch with Your Cabinet –Create a Group for co-workers and cabinet members to keep in touch with one another in real time without stuffing your in-boxes. Keep internal topics and committees organized through comment threads and collaborative Documents, and share updates through the wall. Capture and share memories from meetings and events as well through internal photo albums. Organize a Conversational Calendar – Create a schedule and a regular rhythm for your postings by establishing weekly features that encourage user participation. When users who “like” your page know to anticipate regular videos, questions, contests, or themed posts, they build a relationship with your page and engage with it more frequently. Use Applications to Customize Your Page –Tailor your Page with applications that help you connect with the student body in new ways. Consider adding a tab that offers descriptions of each representative along with their initiatives or integrating live feeds from town halls or senate hearings so students can connect remotely. S Connect Students to Your Page with Ads – Take advantage of Facebook’s cost effective Ads and Sponsored Stories system to make sure that all students are connected to your Page. Promote important events on campus and encourage students to vote during elections. Facebook makes it easy to target your audience so that you can easily connect with the campus community. Integrate with the “Like” Box – Make your student government website social by integrating social plug-ins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When students visit your website and “like” your site, they will become a fan of your Page and will be informed of all updates. The connection will then be reported in their News Feed as well as the News Feeds of their friends on Facebook, helping your updates spread virally throughout the student body. Create a Community with Activity Feed – Let your web visitors view who of their friends have “liked” your Page by including the activity feed. The activity feed displays stories both when visitors “like” content on your site and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plugin is filled with activity from the visitor’s friends. Foster your student community and voting base by letting your visitors see the other students that are connected to your Page.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Sports & Athletics
Create a Facebook Page –Make sure that all students at your school are informed about sporting events. Building a Page for sports at your school will make it easy for students to understand what’s happening in athletics. Let students know everything about their favorite teams by regularly posting to your Page. Post sports news, player bios, and game updates to give students all the facts they love. phasis] Stay in Touch with Your Team – Keep your team in sync with a Facebook Group. Groups provide a great space for keeping in touch collectively and sharing opinions, memories, and information. Add Photos and Video to collective albums to preserve and share those behind-the-scenes moments. Generate Excitement with Events –Create Events for all of your matches, especially home games. When students and fans RSVP to the game, it will show up in their friends’ News Feeds and information about the match will spread virally. RSVP information also helps people find friends and groups so fans can come together and show their support. Highlight Photo and Video – Athletics bring in some of the most exciting photography and film on university campuses, so be sure to share it with your fans. Upload well-organized albums of choice photos from games and post the footage of that winning score. Connect to Students with Ads –Advertise your Page on Facebook to increase your number of student connections and to promote athletic events. Facebook ads are a cost effective way to publicize ticket offers, game days, and team swag. Let Fans Engage in Real Time –Draw in your fans and visitors by installing Live Stream on your Page. Visitors can watch streaming footage of the match as it pans out and engage in commentary and discussion in real time. The Live Stream box also perfectly integrates onto your team’s website as well. S Create an Online Store – Help cultivate school and team pride for your sports community by incorporating a fan store into your Facebook Page. Allow students to buy their favorite fan gear right on your Page through an application. You can also bring the ticket office to your Facebook Page with a custom tailored application. Let your Page be a one-stop shop for fans before game day. Integrate the “Like” Box on Your Site –Make your University athletic site social by integrating Facebook plugins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When users visit your website and “like” your site, they will become a fan of your Page and will be informed of all updates directly in their News Feeds. When they “like” or comment on your updates in turn, that action will show up in their friends’ news feeds and helps your school’s athletic community grow. Foster your Fan Community – Let your web visitors view who of their friends have liked your Page by including the Activity Feed. The Activity Feed displays stories both when visitors “like” content on your site and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plugin is filled with activity from the visitor’s friends, so users can easily find information that interests them based on their friends’ tastes. Foster your community by letting your visitors see the other students connected to your Page.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Arts
Create a Facebook Page – Designate a single spot for all of your fans to follow your work by creating a Facebook Page. A Page lets your fans and followers track your updates and posts right from their home page News Feeds. When they “like” or comment on your content, it appears in their friends’ News Feeds as well, helping your content spread virally across friend networks and getting the word out about your arts group.mphasis] Showcase Your Work –Both visual and performance arts thrive only when your work is viewed and shared. Make full use of Photos and Videos to showcase student artwork and events. Encourage users to browse, comment, and share content to generate excitement and enliven your university arts community. Consider making trailers for your shows and posting highlights from past events as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Engage in New Ways – Give students a behindthe-scenes look into the artistic process by establishing a blogging presence through your Facebook Page. Either by posting Notes or by connecting with a blogging app, you can create a space for users to connect directly with student artists, faculty, professional visitors, and many others. Through consistent and creative posting, students get a deeper understanding of the artwork’s development and share that interest with their friends. Keep the Seats Filled –Create Events for all of your exhibitions, performances, recitals, and openings. Anyone can invite people to an Event, so channel your friend networks to help your guest lists grow. Connect Students to Your Page with Ads – Make sure everyone knows the latest information about upcoming openings and events. Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories are a cost-effective and wide-reaching way to advertise your group to the student population. You can limit the ad to your university’s network, plan it to fit exactly in your budget, and target to specific keywords that will help you find users who will be interested in your content. Connect with Your Website –Make your university’s arts websites social by integrating Facebook plugins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When fans visit your website and “like” your site, they become fans of your Page and receive all your page’s updates directly in their News Feed. When they “like” or comment on your updates in turn, that action will show up in their friends’ news feeds and help your updates spread through your university community.
Academics
Make Classes Social – Whether it’s a large lecture or a small discussion section, you can make a Facebook Group to keep your class connected. Educators can easily post office hours, class updates, and helpful questions to the Group’s wall to keep students informed. Not quite ready to be “friends” with your professor or TA yet? With open Groups, you can interact with people and collaborate without being friends on Facebook. hasis] Continue the Discussion –Keep the conversation going after class by posting a topic to the collective wall. Find out what other students are thinking about the material and don’t wait for class to start to begin brainstorming. Make use of the collaborative Documents feature to create class study guides right in the Group itself.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Facebook began in universities, and we’re still committed to helping college students make the most of their social networking experience. Whether you’re running for student senate, leading an arts initiative, trying to get a group off the ground, or just keeping in touch with your dorm, these tips will help you maximize your success through an effective Facebook presence.
University Press
Create a Facebook Page – Make it easy for students to get to university news on Facebook by creating a Page for your publication. When someone “likes” or comments on your page or post, it gets published directly to their profile and to their friends’ News Feeds. From there, it begins to spread virally throughout friend networks. This way, students find daily news updates right on their Facebook home page. EW – need emphasis] Engage with Readers – Post quality content and phrase your posts in such a way that they will encourage your users to share and comment. Use Questions to create polls and crowdsource opinions about hot topics on your campus. Be sure to take part in the conversation as well and maintain an active dialogue. Elaborate with Photo and Video – Bring your stories to life by adding Photos and Videos to your Page. Whether it’s a compilation of photos of the week or images from a breaking story, wellorganized visual media helps drive engagement. Encourage Discussion – Take advantage of the Discussions tab on your Page to connect with readers. Use it as an editorial board to encourage students to post about articles and opinions in your paper or use it to gauge popular opinion on campus issues. Plan an Event on Your Page – Newspapers can use Pages to create Events on Facebook. Invite students to events that the paper covers and help students be informed about what’s going on around campus. With Events, newspaper Pages can receive comments from students who attend and use their feedback as background for a story. Keep Your Staff Connected –Instead of clogging in-boxes with a mailing list, use a closed Group to always stay in touch with your staff. Members can easily pitch ideas, coordinate beats, and get instant and organized feedback. Post Photos and Video to remember all the fun behind the scenes. Incorporate Social Plug-ins – By installing Facebook Plug-ins onto your newspaper’s website, you can help direct readers to articles that will interest them more and encourage them to share those articles among their friends, thereby increasing both satisfaction and readership. Share Activity on Your Site – Let your web visitors see their friends interactions with your content by including the Activity Feed. The activity feed displays stories when visitors “like” or comment on your site’s content and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plug-in is filled with activity directly from the user’s friends. Foster a community of readers by letting visitors see the other students who are connected to your Page and to your content. Help Your Readers Share Content – Engage your visitors by installing a “like” button on your website and articles. When a user “likes” your website or article, it immediately shows up on their profile. Alternatively, you can also install the “recommend” button on articles if “liking” is not always appropriate. Stay up to Date on Facebook News – Want to always be reporting the latest innovations from Facebook? Make sure your paper is up to date on the most current Facebook news. Keep an eye on the official Facebook Page to learn about new features as soon as they launch.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Connect Students to Your Page with Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories – Facebook Ads are a cost effective way to promote your newspaper’s Page to students on your campus. Use Ads and sponsored stories to direct traffic to your Page and increase the number of student connections. You can also use ads to publicize Events, share offers, and recruit new staffers.
Track the Buzz on Facebook –Use Page Insights to monitor activity on your page. Stay on top of your key demographics and see which posts receive the most feedback. With this information in mind, you can run your Page in the most effective ways and appeal more stongly to your readers.
Community
Communicate with Your Dorm Mates – We all stop reading dorm e-mails after a while, and as a result we end up missing important information and great events. Use a closed Facebook Group to replace or supplement your dorm’s e-mail list. Rather than having to sift through an in-box to find out what’s happening, residents will be able to stay updated right from their Facebook News Feeds.W – need emphasis] Capture and Share Memories – Groups let you create collective photo albums so everyone can share and access photos from throughout the year. You can upload Video footage, too, for when you capture those “you had to have been there” moments. Schedule Events – By making an Event within a Group, you know exactly who will be on the RSVP list. Photos and links allow you to give more information and get people excited about what you’re planning. Attendance information also helps you plan your event more appropriately. Spread Awareness – Promote your club by creating a Facebook Page. Your status updates, events, and media will appear in the News Feeds of people who “like” you. If they “like” or comment on your content, that content then appears to their friend networks as well, helping your information spread virally across campus through friend networks. Manage Your Club –Create a Group for your members and managers to keep in touch with one another in real time. Keep internal topics and committees organized through comment threads and help steer conversations by tagging. Share visual ideas and memories through collective photo albums as well. Get People Involved – Use your Facebook presence to get students involved in your activity or cause. Encourage students to interact with your Page by updating regularly and prompting engagement through Discussions and Questions. Invite all of the users who “like” your page to Events and use the RSVP information to prepare in advance. Integrate with your Website – Connect your Facebook presence with your website by installing a “like” box on your website. The “like” box allows you to attract and gain “likes” for your Page directly from your website. From there, consider installing other plug-ins to show visitors their friends’ activity on your site as well. Recruit with Ads– Facebook Ads are a costeffective and wide-reaching way to advertise your group to the student population. You can limit the ad to your university’s network, plan it to fit exactly in your budget, and target to specific keywords that will help you find users who are most likely to be interested in your content.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Student Government
Create a Facebook Page – Establish a social presence through Pages to connect with the student body at your university. Use your Page to keep in touch with the rest of campus and make the student government body accessible to all students. Let students see exactly what’s happening around campus just by seeing student government updates directly in their News Feed. Keep them informed about campus initiatives, events, and speakers by publishing to your Page’s wall. W – need emphasis] Increase Transparency – Take advantage of the Discussion tab on your Page to post minutes from meetings. This helps increase transparency between the student population and the student government and provides a dynamic forum for continuing the discussion with commentary and questions. Organize Events – Engage students by publicizing town halls, meetings, and get-togethers with Facebook Events. RSVP information will let you have a better idea of how many people to expect so you can plan accordingly. You can also share other Events from throughout campus right on your wall to help expand their reach to your followers. Keep in Touch with Your Cabinet –Create a Group for co-workers and cabinet members to keep in touch with one another in real time without stuffing your in-boxes. Keep internal topics and committees organized through comment threads and collaborative Documents, and share updates through the wall. Capture and share memories from meetings and events as well through internal photo albums. Organize a Conversational Calendar – Create a schedule and a regular rhythm for your postings by establishing weekly features that encourage user participation. When users who “like” your page know to anticipate regular videos, questions, contests, or themed posts, they build a relationship with your page and engage with it more frequently. Use Applications to Customize Your Page –Tailor your Page with applications that help you connect with the student body in new ways. Consider adding a tab that offers descriptions of each representative along with their initiatives or integrating live feeds from town halls or senate hearings so students can connect remotely. S Connect Students to Your Page with Ads – Take advantage of Facebook’s cost effective Ads and Sponsored Stories system to make sure that all students are connected to your Page. Promote important events on campus and encourage students to vote during elections. Facebook makes it easy to target your audience so that you can easily connect with the campus community. Integrate with the “Like” Box – Make your student government website social by integrating social plug-ins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When students visit your website and “like” your site, they will become a fan of your Page and will be informed of all updates. The connection will then be reported in their News Feed as well as the News Feeds of their friends on Facebook, helping your updates spread virally throughout the student body. Create a Community with Activity Feed – Let your web visitors view who of their friends have “liked” your Page by including the activity feed. The activity feed displays stories both when visitors “like” content on your site and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plugin is filled with activity from the visitor’s friends. Foster your student community and voting base by letting your visitors see the other students that are connected to your Page.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Sports & Athletics
Create a Facebook Page –Make sure that all students at your school are informed about sporting events. Building a Page for sports at your school will make it easy for students to understand what’s happening in athletics. Let students know everything about their favorite teams by regularly posting to your Page. Post sports news, player bios, and game updates to give students all the facts they love. phasis] Stay in Touch with Your Team – Keep your team in sync with a Facebook Group. Groups provide a great space for keeping in touch collectively and sharing opinions, memories, and information. Add Photos and Video to collective albums to preserve and share those behind-the-scenes moments. Generate Excitement with Events –Create Events for all of your matches, especially home games. When students and fans RSVP to the game, it will show up in their friends’ News Feeds and information about the match will spread virally. RSVP information also helps people find friends and groups so fans can come together and show their support. Highlight Photo and Video – Athletics bring in some of the most exciting photography and film on university campuses, so be sure to share it with your fans. Upload well-organized albums of choice photos from games and post the footage of that winning score. Connect to Students with Ads –Advertise your Page on Facebook to increase your number of student connections and to promote athletic events. Facebook ads are a cost effective way to publicize ticket offers, game days, and team swag. Let Fans Engage in Real Time –Draw in your fans and visitors by installing Live Stream on your Page. Visitors can watch streaming footage of the match as it pans out and engage in commentary and discussion in real time. The Live Stream box also perfectly integrates onto your team’s website as well. S Create an Online Store – Help cultivate school and team pride for your sports community by incorporating a fan store into your Facebook Page. Allow students to buy their favorite fan gear right on your Page through an application. You can also bring the ticket office to your Facebook Page with a custom tailored application. Let your Page be a one-stop shop for fans before game day. Integrate the “Like” Box on Your Site –Make your University athletic site social by integrating Facebook plugins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When users visit your website and “like” your site, they will become a fan of your Page and will be informed of all updates directly in their News Feeds. When they “like” or comment on your updates in turn, that action will show up in their friends’ news feeds and helps your school’s athletic community grow. Foster your Fan Community – Let your web visitors view who of their friends have liked your Page by including the Activity Feed. The Activity Feed displays stories both when visitors “like” content on your site and when visitors share content from your site back to Facebook. The plugin is filled with activity from the visitor’s friends, so users can easily find information that interests them based on their friends’ tastes. Foster your community by letting your visitors see the other students connected to your Page.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
Arts
Create a Facebook Page – Designate a single spot for all of your fans to follow your work by creating a Facebook Page. A Page lets your fans and followers track your updates and posts right from their home page News Feeds. When they “like” or comment on your content, it appears in their friends’ News Feeds as well, helping your content spread virally across friend networks and getting the word out about your arts group.mphasis] Showcase Your Work –Both visual and performance arts thrive only when your work is viewed and shared. Make full use of Photos and Videos to showcase student artwork and events. Encourage users to browse, comment, and share content to generate excitement and enliven your university arts community. Consider making trailers for your shows and posting highlights from past events as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Engage in New Ways – Give students a behindthe-scenes look into the artistic process by establishing a blogging presence through your Facebook Page. Either by posting Notes or by connecting with a blogging app, you can create a space for users to connect directly with student artists, faculty, professional visitors, and many others. Through consistent and creative posting, students get a deeper understanding of the artwork’s development and share that interest with their friends. Keep the Seats Filled –Create Events for all of your exhibitions, performances, recitals, and openings. Anyone can invite people to an Event, so channel your friend networks to help your guest lists grow. Connect Students to Your Page with Ads – Make sure everyone knows the latest information about upcoming openings and events. Facebook Ads and Sponsored Stories are a cost-effective and wide-reaching way to advertise your group to the student population. You can limit the ad to your university’s network, plan it to fit exactly in your budget, and target to specific keywords that will help you find users who will be interested in your content. Connect with Your Website –Make your university’s arts websites social by integrating Facebook plugins. The “like” box allows you to connect your website directly with your Facebook Page. When fans visit your website and “like” your site, they become fans of your Page and receive all your page’s updates directly in their News Feed. When they “like” or comment on your updates in turn, that action will show up in their friends’ news feeds and help your updates spread through your university community.
Academics
Make Classes Social – Whether it’s a large lecture or a small discussion section, you can make a Facebook Group to keep your class connected. Educators can easily post office hours, class updates, and helpful questions to the Group’s wall to keep students informed. Not quite ready to be “friends” with your professor or TA yet? With open Groups, you can interact with people and collaborate without being friends on Facebook. hasis] Continue the Discussion –Keep the conversation going after class by posting a topic to the collective wall. Find out what other students are thinking about the material and don’t wait for class to start to begin brainstorming. Make use of the collaborative Documents feature to create class study guides right in the Group itself.
© 2011 Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
