Twitter guidelines for curators

Thank you for hosting the @SalfordPsych Twitter account.  For one week, you will be representing the Psychology department by tweeting as @salfordpsych.  Our reputation and our twitter account are very important to us.  As such, there are a number of guidelines that you must follow when you are @salfordpsych.

What to tweet? Anything psychology related and that you think is of interest to our followers e.g. papers, articles, events, jobs, news.  However, we also want you to be you – followers are interested in what it is like to study/teach/research psychology and your personal take on psychology.    You can tweet personal and honest reflections e.g. ‘my train is delayed so running late again’, ‘reading Piaget whilst getting my hair done’, ‘I really enjoyed that lecture’, and ‘watching the game, come on United/City’. However, ensure your tweets are ethical and professional and in line with the University’s Academic Handbook and the British Psychological Society’s guidance on the use of Social Media.

Managing mentions: Twitter is not the place for queries about exam rooms and assignment marks. Nor is it the place for complaints.  If you receive any such mentions, politely direct the tweeter to official communication channels e.g. student representative, module leaders, personal tutors. You can also copy in a staff member in your response (e.g. @jomeredith82 @coen_sharon @catthompson1 @drlindadm @ukmediapsych).  If you are unsure what to reply, tweet one of the accounts listed above to ask them to respond.

Participant recruitment : If you receive any requests – either via Twitter or in person – to Tweet recruitment messages for student or staff research studies, please ensure that you ask the person whether or not they have ethical approval to recruit via social media. If you are unsure, then please direct them to Catherine Thompson or Sam Royle who will be able to advise further.

Following: Feel free to follow other accounts that you think are relevant to @salfordpsych.  You can follow back accounts that look relevant and genuine. Do not unfollow any existing followers.  If any accounts follow you that look like spam, do not follow back and report the account to Twitter.

Profile: you must not change any of the profile information related to the @salfordpsych account including the username, biographical details, web address, location, profile design (i.e. picture icons, background).

Password: The password will be provided at the start of the week. This password is changed weekly and is specific to each Twitter curator.  Under no circumstances should you change the email address associated with the account.

If you are unfamiliar with using Twitter, please make an appointment for an induction prior to your week as @salfordpsych.  If you are on Twitter, it would be great if you provide your username so that we can place it in the @salfordpsych bio for your week (optional).

If you have any questions, queries or concerns during your time as @salfordpsych, you will be assigned a Twitter mentor who will be on hand for support and advice.