Patient privacy

Social media in the clinical setting. A care giver with a patient, taking a selfie

Social Media Policies and Resources

UCLA Health Social Media Policy

All content and posts on UCLA Health's social media pages are bound by the following:

* UCLA Health reserves the right to block the content of any post that violates campus policy, including but not limited to:

  • the use of language to create a hostile and intimidating environment.
  • comments that contain personal attacks about the post author or other commenters.
  • comments that contain offensive language.
  • posts that request medical advice. Please consult your personal physician.
  • comments that contain personal information such as home addresses and personal phone numbers.
  • postings that promote products or services unrelated to UCLA Health.

We want to remind readers that while UCLA Health supports free speech, posts and comments by individuals do not reflect the opinions or policies of UCLA Health or the University.

Our social networks are intended to be a forum for civil discussion of topics related to UCLA Health and its entities, and we expect that remarks will be on-topic and respectful of the rights and opinions of others.

Social Media Resources

These resources and the quick start guide below were designed to help David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) staff members, faculty, students, trainees, and volunteers strategically set up and use DGSOM-branded social media accounts that align with school priorities, values, and policies.

If you have questions about the contents of this guide, or if you would like assistance in setting up or using your account, please contact the Dean's Office Digital Team.

What Are DGSOM-Branded Accounts?

The DGSOM-branded social media accounts work together to represent the DGSOM community and spotlight the school’s distinct, diverse voices. The accounts help users leverage the DGSOM’s name recognition and connections to reinforce a variety of mission-critical activities, including:

  • Communicating with current and prospective students, faculty, donors, staff, and more
  • Increasing awareness of DGSOM activities
  • Enhancing community relationships
  • Advancing knowledge of education and research initiatives
  • Engaging in work-related dialogue

Quick start guide

STEP ONE: Choose a content owner and a backup moderator.

Have an idea of who you'd like to be the content owners, and know that they should dedicate at least ¼ of their work hours to social media management.

Graphic of a laptop with a magnifying glass in color

Getting Social Infographic (PDF)

FOLLOW 5 BEST PRACTICES.

Best practices make (practically) perfect.

The internet boasts an endless supply of social media tips, tricks, rules, and advice. We encourage you to dive in and learn everything you can, but if you’re struggling to recall and incorporate all the information you read, one simple guiding principle will help you stay on track: Communicate through social media as you would communicate in person.

Keep these best practices in mind when you’re using your DGSOM-branded account:

  1. Communicate on social media as you would communicate in person.
  2. Provide your followers with thoughtful and relevant content.
  3. Respond to conversations and questions in real-time.
  4. Proofread; posts stay “published” online indefinitely. 
  5. Get permission before sharing others’ pictures or quotes.

 

A graphic of a group of people of differing races and genders with social media icons

SET SOCIAL MEDIA GOALS IN 5 EASY STEPS.

What will you do with your account?

Setting goals for your social media presence is as necessary as entering a destination into Google Maps; you need goals to get where you want to go. So before you take the next steps in getting social, ask yourself a simple question: What do you want to accomplish?

  1. Establish your core audience.
  2. Consider what your audience wants from a social media exchange.
  3. Compare what your audience wants with what you want to accomplish.
  4. Establish your promise, a summary statement of your social media strategy.
  5. Choose social channels suited to your audience and goals.
A graphic of a pie chart depicting the same information in the text beside the graphic around dividing your time across 5 strategic activities

DIVIDE YOUR TIME ACROSS 5 STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES.

Building your social media strategy.

How much time do you have? What assets do you have? Do you have staff or volunteers who can dedicate time to social media? Establishing your time constraints is key to your strategy; even the best strategy won’t lead anywhere if you don’t have time to implement it.

Even if you have only a few hours a week, you can still participate in social media. Below, we’ve listed 5 simple activities that make up a social strategy. We’ve also included what percent of your allotted social media time to spend on each.

  1. Creating and Posting Content (20%)
  2. Sharing (20%)
  3. Engaging (30%)
  4. Monitoring (20%)
  5. Planning (10%)
A graphic of a hand holding a phone with a social media account up

REMEMBER 5 TIPS FOR MAINTAINING A POLISHED PRESENCE.

You're almost there, now for the finishing touches.

  1. Complete all profile fields, including a concise, informative description.
  2. Select a polished, professional profile picture and cover/banner image.
  3. Create a “bank” of quality pictures to pair with your posts.
  4. Keep posts short, even shorter than the established limit.
  5. A URL goes at the end of a post, following a colon and a single space.