Social Media at OsloMet
The Department of External Relations and Communications (SK) has overall editorial responsibility for social media. These guidelines aim to ensure coherence in social media work, improve quality, and support OsloMet's strategy, values, and communication policy.
When posting on social media, it is important to tailor the content to the platform you are using and the audience using that platform. Get familiar with which formats work best, how to grab the audience's attention, and keep an eye on what performs well. Platforms are constantly evolving, so get to know the algorithms and don't be afraid to try new things. Social media works best when it inspires and engages followers, making them interested in learning more about what you are sharing.
Language requirements apply to all platforms used at OsloMet
Read OsloMet's language policy guidelines, and remember:
- Clear Language: Use clear and simple language.
- Nynorsk Requirement: Every fourth post must be in Nynorsk. It is your responsibility to keep track of your Nynorsk posts. Even if the main content is in Bokmål, the post itself can be in Nynorsk.
- English: We primarily publish in Norwegian, but if a post is highly relevant to international followers, consider using English instead. Avoid mixing two languages in one post.
Need Advice?
The Department of External Relations and Communications offers advice with tips on how to get the most out of your social media posts. You can find contact boxes at the bottom of the page, or send an email to nettredaksjonen@oslomet.no.
Some questions to consider before publishing:
- Who is this relevant for?
- Am I reaching the groups this is relevant to in this specific channel?
- Does this enhance OsloMet's reputation?
Does your faculty or unit have its own account or page?
Does your studyprogram/institute/faculty/center have a public group, page, or account on social media? Remember that the Department of External Relations and Communications must have administrative access to these via OsloMet's main accounts. This is in case of a crisis and/or if the page administrators leave OsloMet.
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How to be a good ambassador on Social Media?
Employees and students are OsloMet's best ambassadors, and you are encouraged to share content about OsloMet on your own social media. You can talk about life at OsloMet, our study programs, our research, and what it's like to work at OsloMet. Stories and photos of and from employees and students have greater reach and are more seen and read. OsloMet provides support and assistance to employees using personal accounts on social media.
Here are some concrete tips for using social media:
- Be authentic: Be yourself, be open, and honest.
- Engage in the conversation: Ask questions, answer questions, and contribute to improving the conversations.
- Answer only what you know: Do not speculate or answer something you are not knowledgeable about.
- Correct mistakes: If you say something wrong, correct the mistake as soon as possible.
- Be nice: Be positive and treat others as you would like to be treated.
- Share and inspire: We encourage everyone to share, inspire, inform, and talk about our research and education. Be a digital expert within your field - someone people can follow with trust, learn from, and feel secure with.
- Think before you publish: Proofread and consider how the post might be perceived by different people.
- Be aware of risks: Know the risks of using social media and contact the Department of External Relations and Communications if you're unsure.
- Do not share confidential information: Avoid sharing confidential information, internal documents, or content protected by copyright.
- Use good photos: Use good and legal photos in your posts. You can read more about photo usage in the guidelines for photos on OsloMet’s main websites.
- Choose the right platform: Adapt and share content on the platform that best fits the content, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
- Use #oslomet: Help the Department of External Relations and Communications discover and share your content by using #oslomet.
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Creating a New OsloMet-affiliated Account on Social Media
Anyone wishing to use OsloMet's name and logo in a social media channel must:
- Contact the communications advisor at your faculty or unit to determine the need for a new social media account.
- Assess if there is a need for a separate social media channel or if existing OsloMet channels can effectively reach the target audience.
- Ensure there is sufficient time and resources dedicated to using social media as a communication channel.
- Establish routines for monitoring so that questions/comments/posts on the page are captured and assessed within 3 hours on all working days and regularly after working hours/weekends/holidays.
- Create a monthly content plan to ensure the account is updated with a regular frequency and with varied and good content. There should be at least 2 posts per week.
- Ensure that OsloMet's main account and/or SK have administrative access to the account in case of a crisis.
- Have good security routines related to social media (password management and access control).
- Follow the Language Act and report annually on the use of Bokmål and Nynorsk.
- According to OsloMet's graphic profile, the main account of OsloMet should have a black logo on a yellow background as the profile picture. Associated OsloMet accounts should generally have a black OsloMet logo on a white background as the profile picture.
Communication advisors at the faculty or unit will assess whether a new account should be created based on these points. A new OsloMet-affiliated account must be reported to the Department of External Relations and Communications.
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OsloMet on Instagram
OsloMet’s main account on Instagram aims to inspire and engage. The primary target audience for the channel is current students, and the content should be relevant to OsloMet students. The Department of External Relations and Communications has editorial responsibility for the channel and makes decisions on the content to be created and published on Instagram.
Instagram is a platform designed for sharing photos and videos, so it is important that the photos and videos are of high quality. The content for OsloMet’s main channel is therefore planned well in advance by students working as content producers.
Do you have tips for content, or do you want a visit from a content producer who can create content on a relevant topic for OsloMet’s Instagram? Please contact and tip us!
You can also get support and advice on how your unit can create high quality content for your Instagram account.
If you want to share content as a partner with OsloMet’s Instagram, you can contact us and schedule a suitable time to share together. Accounts affiliated with OsloMet are prioritized as partners. The content shared together should be tailored to the target audience of OsloMet’s Instagram.
Contact us with questions, tips, or feedback at nettredaksjonen@oslomet.no.
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For Publishers: Guidelines for Posting on OsloMet’s Facebook and LinkedIn Accounts
SK has assigned communications advisors at the faculties and centers access to publish on OsloMet’s LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Those granted access must familiarize themselves with and follow these guidelines. If you are a communications advisor and wish to gain access, you can contact SK.
The accounts should reflect the diversity of our academic and educational areas. We aim to have a balance in posts from the different units at OsloMet. This means you must prioritize which posts to publish from your unit. It is important to consider the following:
- Is the post relevant to large groups of the account's followers?
- Does the content fit the nature of the channel?
- Is the post designed in a way that suits the channel's nature and works well with the algorithms?
Events
Feel free to create events in your unit’s social channels and add OsloMet as a co-host. Send a message on Facebook/LinkedIn when you have added OsloMet as a co-host with a link to the event.
We do not recommend posts on social media about upcoming events, as they have little effect. These types of posts often have poor reach and tend to target narrow groups among our followers.
Contact us via the contact boxes at the bottom of the page or by e-mailing nettredaksjonen@oslomet.no for advice and tips on events.
Responsibility and Roles
The Department of External Relations and Communications (SK) has overall editorial responsibility for social media. SK can unpublish posts. We will notify and have a good dialogue with the publisher. Unpublishing can occur, for instance, if the post is too close to another post we have published, does not consider the channel's nature and main follower groups, does not support OsloMet’s overall strategy, and/or other factors.
When in Doubt About a Post
If the post may create negative reactions or debate, SK must be contacted before publishing so that necessary preparations can be made for monitoring and follow-up. Publishers are generally responsible for monitoring the comment section, but SK can assist if needed. If you are unsure about a post, contact SK beforehand. Use the Teams channel “Vi som jobber med sosiale medier”.
Frequency
On LinkedIn and Facebook, we usually publish one post per day, but both platforms allow for multiple posts per day. To ensure a good flow in publishing and an appropriate interval between posts, we use a shared publishing calendar for publishers.
Publishers are asked to fill in as much information as possible in the publishing calendar in advance so that we know as much as possible about the post before it is published. Enter the planned publishing time to avoid two posts being published too close together on the same day.
Tips and Tricks
- Ensure there is plenty of white space in the posts – avoid long paragraphs.
- Get to the point – write the most important information first, or at least early in the post.
- Use a friendly and accessible tone, in line with OsloMet's "tone of voice" on social media.
- Ask yourself: Is what I am conveying most relevant to me and my colleagues, or to those receiving the content? If the answer is the former, do not publish.
- Use images or other visual elements to create interest in your post, making it more engaging to stop and read.
Stuck or Have Questions?
Feel free to use the team "Vi som jobber med sosiale medier" on Teams (only for publishers) or contact us at nettredaksjonen@oslomet.no.
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Contact us
Do you have tips and suggestions for content or questions about OsloMet's social media? Contact us at nettredaksjonen@oslomet.no.
You can also contact us directly:
Kristian Mehlum Lie at email: mehlumli@oslomet.no, for queries about Facebook, LinkedIn, and X / Bluesky.
Frida Bang Søfting at email: fridaban@oslomet.no, for queries about Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.