We encourage members of the WAC Clearinghouse publishing collaborative to share news about recent publications, events, resources, calls, and staff openings in ways that will advance the mission and awareness of the Clearinghouse. In most cases, doing so will be seen (and will be intended to be seen) as a personal post or announcement. In some cases, however, you may be acting in your capacity as a leader or representative of the Clearinghouse. In such cases, please be aware that the content and style of your communication will reflect on the Clearinghouse. With this in mind, we encourage you to review and follow the guidelines in this section.
We hope for a world in which society can benefit from and be enriched by social media. As you post materials that are associated with your work with the Clearinghouse, please consider the following questions:
Anything posted to the internet is the property of its creator unless those property rights have been relinquished. Therefore, before copying and pasting any content into your own social media posts or comments, you should be sure that the original poster has given permission for you to do so. The following are some strategies for avoiding infringing on someone else’s copyright ownership when using social media:
Because much of what is posted on the internet is public, it’s important to respect other people’s privacy when posting about them. Please be aware of the dangers of sharing private information about yourself or others on social media. Identity theft is a growing concern, so keeping personally identifying information private as much as possible is always a wise move. At its most basic, this means not sharing without permission anyone else’s
In addition, observing privacy boundaries applies to respecting what other people have told you in confidence. Respecting a person's privacy can go a long way in ensuring goodwill. If you have private information about another person, please keep that information to yourself unless that person has given you explicit permission to reveal it. The same principle applies to divulging private information about the inner workings of organizations you belong to, including the WAC Clearinghouse. Be careful not to give away without permission private information including but not limited to
When do I need approval to post a message on social media?
Contact the associate publisher for marketing and advancement to request to have messages posted to official WAC Clearinghouse social media accounts. Contact information can be found at https://wac.colostate.edu/about/editorial-staff/.
What kind of information am I allowed to post related to my work on social media?
You should feel free to promote any publicly available information about the WAC Clearinghouse and its activities. When doing so, it is recommended that you disclose your connection to the WAC Clearinghouse by providing the name of your official role (editor of a book series or journal, associate publisher, or similar).
You should refrain from posting about official business not yet approved for public consumption (such as negotiations with the authors or editors of potential new publications, drafts of changes to policies or procedures, and so on), confidential personnel matters (such as complaints against editors or publishers for unprofessional conduct, disciplinary measures taken against editors or publishers, or similar), or other sensitive information from internal meetings.
Should I include my institutional or company info in my social media bio? Or should I keep my institutional or company accounts and my personal accounts separate?
You are welcome to include your affiliation with the WAC Clearinghouse in your personal social media account bios.
What should I do on social media during a PR crisis?
When coming across misinformation, news leaks, confidential information, or other similar content regarding the WAC Clearinghouse on social media, please refrain from commenting or responding. Instead, bring the content to the attention of the publisher or the associate publisher for marketing and advancement for appropriate action. Contact information can be found at https://wac.colostate.edu/about/editorial-staff/.
How do I comply with copyright law on social media?
If you did not write it or otherwise create it, it is not yours, so don't use it. Before posting someone else's work, you should receive permission from the writer or creator first. Many materials posted to the web carry Creative Commons licenses that specify how the content can be used. You can learn about Creative Commons licenses at https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/.
We welcome suggestions for changes to these guidelines. The guidelines will be reviewed by the publisher and associate publishers once per year for possible revisions. All those affiliated with the WAC Clearinghouse will be reminded on an annual basis of the guidelines and invited to suggest changes. Our hope is that these guidelines will not only be responsive to the needs of those affiliated with the WAC Clearinghouse but also constructed collaboratively by the WAC Clearinghouse community over time.
For suggestions or comments about these guidelines, you can contact the WAC Clearinghouse publisher or the associate publisher for marketing and advancement. Contact information is located at https://wac.colostate.edu/about/editorial-staff/.