Faculty, staff and students at UF are being reminded by the university to monitor their social media activity at work, school and home.
The university's Office of Human Resources released a document Monday outlining federal, state and university regulations relevant to social media use.
Social media includes Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Flickr, text messages and other, less popular platforms, according to the document, which has been more than one year in the making.
If the use of social media outside of work represents an individual as a member of the university community, the guidelines apply.
If social media are used to share opinions and activities unassociated with the university, such conditions must be clearly indicated.
Janine Sikes, director of UF public affairs, said the initial concern was the accidental release of patient information or student and applicant records via social media, which would violate both legal and ethical standards.
She said the human resources department pooled together existing regulations into one document, which specifically addresses social media use.
"Essentially, it's a reminder of best practices," Sikes said. "This is what we expect."
If any guidelines are violated, no further repercussions will be carried out other than those that already exist under federal, state or university regulation.
Norman Lewis, a professor for the College of Journalism and Communications, is a social media user. He has a Twitter account, a blog and a personal website. Though he says he always views himself as a representative of his employer, a protection of the boundaries between personal and public life is important.
"Social media is a means to an end, not an end in itself," Lewis said.
