Setting up a Trinity social media account

Setting up a Trinity Twitter account

• Open Twitter from your computer, phone, or tablet
• Type your phone number or email address in the first text box provided on that page
• Type the password you want to use for Twitter in the second box
• Click or tap the Get Started button
• Type your display name in the new text box that shows up below your password
• Click or tap the Sign-Up button when finished

If you didn't do it already, you'll now be asked to enter your phone number, but you can use the Skip link at the bottom of that page if you want to avoid connecting your phone number to your Twitter account. You can do this at a later stage.

Choose a handle/username on the next page by typing one in the text box or clicking a suggested one based on your name and email address. You can always change it later if you want, or you can skip this step with the Skip link and fill in your username later.

Your account @name is what comes after the “@”. It’s unique to each account and appears in the profile URL and is tied to everything you do on Twitter. It can contain up to 15 characters and should be directly associated with the university.

Your display name appears right above your @name and can be changed at any time. A best practice is to have this be the name of your school/area. It can contain up to 50 characters.

In the 160 characters of the bio, you’ll be introducing the account, telling people about your department/area. Include a link to your website. Consider where this link should lead people- you can change this depending on what your current activities are.

Choose a profile photo that visually represents Trinity and fits well in a small, circular space — typically the university logo. This doesn’t just appear on your profile — it's the icon associated with every Tweet posted. Recommended dimensions are 400x400 pixels.

The header/cover photo showcases your department/area. It could represent an upcoming event, launch or campaign. Update it regularly to keep things fresh and interesting. Recommended dimensions are 1500x500 pixels.

Both photos should be clear, high-quality, and create visual consistency. Upload photos in JPG, or PNG formats.

Your pinned Tweet is what you want your followers to focus on, the latest news. You should check in each month to see if there is an opportunity to update this, and like your cover image, this can highlight your latest event, news or announcement.

To pin a Tweet, simply click the down arrow at the top-right corner of the Tweet and select “Pin to your profile”.

Setting up a Trinity Facebook page

A Facebook business page can only be created through a personal Facebook account. This should be discussed with your department/area in advance to ensure the administrators are happy to do this. It is important to know the information from your personal account will not be publicly visible on the business page.

Go to facebook.com/pages/create. Click the Get Started button for business/brand option.
For your page name, use your department/area name or the name people are likely to search for when trying to find your business. Choose Education category.

Once you choose your category, the box will expand to ask for a few further details, like your address and phone number. You can choose whether to make this information public, or to show only your city and state.

When you’re ready, click Continue. Note that doing so indicates your acceptance of Facebook’s Pages, Groups and Events Policies, so you might want to check those out before you proceed.

Upload your profile image first. This image accompanies your name in search results and when you interact with users. It also appears on the top left of your Facebook page.  As with Twitter using the university logo is recommended. The important thing is to help a potential follower or customer to recognize your page immediately. Facebook profile picture displays at 170 x 170 pixels on desktop and 128 x 128 pixels on mobile. It will be cropped to a circle, so it is important to use the right logo from the university Identity Guidelines, so it is not cropped incorrectly. Click Upload Profile Picture.

Now it’s time to choose the cover image, which is the most prominent image on your Facebook page. This image should capture the essence of your department/area and convey your subject/activity. It will display at 820 x 312 pixels on desktop or 640 x 360 pixels on mobile. The image must be at least 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall, but the recommended size to upload is 720 x 315 pixels. Once you’ve selected an appropriate image, click Upload a Cover Photo.

Your username, also called your vanity URL, is how you tell people where to find you on Facebook. This can be up to 50 characters long, but it doesn’t have to be that long. You want it to be easy to type and remember. Your department/area name along with Trinity association is a good recommendation e.g. Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin Sport

Click Create Page @Username in the left menu to set up your vanity URL. It is easier for people to find your page in search when it has a unique username and you will also be able to create a custom URL for people to link to e.g. @TrinityBusinessSchool, @TrinitySportDublin

Click Create Username when you’re done. A box will pop up showing you the links people can use to connect with your business on Facebook and Messenger.

Setting up a Trinity Instagram account

To create an Instagram account from mobile, download the Instagram app from the iPhone App Store or Google Play Store.

Tap Sign Up with Email or Phone Number (Android) or Create New Account (iPhone), then enter your email address or phone number (which will require a confirmation code) and tap Next. You can also tap Log-In with Facebook to sign up to Instagram through the Facebook account.

If you register with your email or phone number, create a username and password, fill out your profile info and then tap Next. If you register with Facebook, you'll be prompted to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out.

To create an Instagram account from a computer: Go to instagram.com. Click Sign up, enter your email address, create a username and password or click Log in with Facebook to sign up with your Facebook account.

If you register with an email, click Sign Up. Make sure you enter your email address correctly and choose an email address that only you can access. If you log out and forget your password, you'll need to be able to access your email to get back into your Instagram account.

If you register with Facebook, you'll be prompted to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out.

Setting up a Trinity LinkedIn page

Click the Work icon in the top right corner of your LinkedIn homepage.

Click Create a Company Page. You’ll also select this option to create a Page for a school.
Select the Page type you’d like to create from the following options:
Educational institution (high school or university/college)

Enter your Page identity, Institution details, and Profile details information.

Check the verification box to confirm you have the right to act on behalf of that company or school in the creation of the page. Click Create page.
If you receive a red error message, you may not meet the Page creation requirements or have reached the limit for Pages created.

Click Start building your page

As a LinkedIn Page Admin, the completion meter guides you to complete unfinished key sections of your Page to improve your department/area’s presence on LinkedIn. Consider the following information when using all components of the completion meter on your Page.

Meter - as Page sections are completed, the meter reflects your progress and will enter a hidden state when all sections are completed. If information is removed from a previously completed section, the meter will reappear.

Action cards - clearly identifies incomplete Page sections and are presented under the meter. Each card displays the section that’s missing, the benefit of completing the section, and a call-to-action button that takes you directly to the Page Edit module.

Action cards include:

• Industry
• Company size
• Website URL
• Description
• Logo
• Street Address
• Custom button
• Your first post
  

Who to Follow

• Trinity accounts - University, schools, colleagues, collaborators
• Sectoral partners, funding and research bodies, ​partners
• Media, relevant journals and publications
• Relevant global organisations and people in and around your area/subject

Trinity Senior Officer social media accounts

Trinity Communications provides support and advice for those with social media accounts representing their university position, such as college officers and heads of areas. These are generally twitter profiles.
These accounts are official university accounts and as such are owned by the university and not individuals. The account passes on with the position to the incoming officer.  For example:
@BursarTrinity   
 Bursar & Director of Strategic Innovation @tcddublin
@TCDdeanresearch
All the latest research news from the Office of the Dean of Research at Trinity College Dublin. The current Dean of Research is Prof. Linda Doyle
@TCDSeniorTutor  
 The Senior Tutor's Office co-ordinates the Tutorial Service and the Postgraduate Advisory Service. Here to offer support to students and staff of @tcddublin

These accounts are best used for content such as:

• Sharing updates from other university accounts
• Developments in your area
• Attending university related events / conferences

And not for posting about:

• Personal life activities
• Personal opinions
• Person information

Tips for staff using personal social media accounts for work-related activities

Many Trinity staff have their own personal social media accounts which are useful tools in professional circumstances. They can help you to build and maintain a solid professional network.

Here are some tips on how to effectively protect your private life. 

• DO ensure that you separate your personal and professional accounts
• DO (if you wish to) list the company as your employer in your social media bio
• DO express your own opinion. Just make sure it’s clear you’re not speaking on behalf of the company… “view/opinions expressed are my own”
• DO share posts, events, and stories from other Trinity accounts
• DO report harassment you’ve noticed or experienced 
• DON’T comment on legal matters relating to the university
• DON’T engage with other university stakeholders or other universities in an inappropriate way, such as students or colleagues
• DON’T engage with negative coverage or comments about the university
• DON’T engage informally with students on social media
• DON’T comment on student assignments on social media 

For your own personal safety consider the following:

Protect your private life - be selective with your personal information: Only enter information which is required to create an account or profile. You are often not obliged to fill in all the fields.

Be careful not to share your personal life. Anything that is shared online or on social networks no longer belongs to you once the information or photos have been uploaded. Follow the principle that anything that you put online could be shared. Would you be happy with this information being shared?

Remember: IF IN DOUBT – LEAVE IT OUT

Remember, anything you post online reflects on the university so ensure you always behave appropriately. In particular, libellous comments, racism, sexism and swearing and other offensive language should all be avoided.

See all Trinity policy links here. Remember it is difficult to delete something from the internet. Even if you do ‘delete' a post, chances are it can still be found, saved and shared. It's best to be fully aware of what you're posting and use common sense when deciding if to post it.

Cyber Safety

Trinity social media account security

It has been the case in the past that Trinity account details have been forgotten or lost. This can happen if a staff member happens to go on urgent leave due to illness or other reasons or when staff managing accounts have moved on from Trinity with no proper handover. 

This is one reason that Trinity Communications recommends at least two administrators for each Trinity social media account. It is also for these practical reasons we require that areas register social media administrators and login details for each account so that these issues can be prevented.

It’s a good idea to go over cyber security basics, especially since cyber-attacks and threats are not uncommon. It’s paramount that you protect login details for Trinity accounts.

Some cyber security tips

• Choose strong passwords - 8 characters are a great place to start when creating a strong password, but longer logins are better.
• Use a different password for every social account - reusing passwords across different accounts is bad practice. If someone uncovers your reused password for one account, they have the key to every other account you use that password for.
• Don’t use the same passwords for your work and personal accounts.
• Use two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication to login to social networks where possible.
• Only activate geolocation services on apps when necessary.
• Make sure your Internet connection is secure.
• Do not download or click on suspicious content