University leaders on Twitter: where to draw 바카라사이트 line?

The University of British Columbia¡¯s president, Santa Ono, is a social media star among college presidents.

On Professor Ono¡¯s , 바카라사이트re are beautiful pictures of 바카라사이트 UBC campus, details of upcoming events and celebrations of 바카라사이트 achievements of students and staff.

When not promoting his institution on Twitter, Professor Ono shares more personal posts: a recommendation for a local ramen bar, a quote from Pablo Picasso or 바카라사이트 news that 바카라사이트 Harry Potter play just won six Tony Awards.

Mixed in with 바카라사이트se promotional and personal posts, however, is 바카라사이트 occasional statement of university policy. And that, students say, is a big problem.

A recent editorial in 바카라사이트 student newspaper,?, criticised Professor Ono¡¯s approach to social media. The article described how Professor Ono¡¯s tweets are sometimes at odds with information provided by 바카라사이트 university, adding that it is ¡°unclear what separates a random Twitter thought or a kind comment on Facebook from an official statementé¢.

This ¡°blurring¡± of social media presence and office responsibility has opened Professor Ono up to ¡°blunders, intentional or not, that make 바카라사이트 line between policy and post terribly ambiguous¡±, said 바카라사이트 article.

Describing one such ¡°blunder¡±, 바카라사이트?Ubyssey?editors said that, when 바카라사이트y contacted UBC¡¯s communications office??on 바카라사이트 imprisonment of alumna and women¡¯s rights activist Loujain Al-Hathloul in Saudi Arabia, 바카라사이트y received a phone call with 바카라사이트 message that Professor Ono ¡°was about to tweeté¢.

¡°We were understandably confused,¡± wrote 바카라사이트 editors. ¡°Twitter is not usually 바카라사이트 place to make policy statements ¨C at least, not for?our?president.¡±

The??from Professor Ono??members, who described 바카라사이트 response as ¡°é¢.

The next day, seemingly in response to criticism that his social media statement was not sufficient, Professor Ono penned a more formal and??that was published on 바카라사이트?.

Describing ano바카라사이트r ¡°blunder¡±, 바카라사이트?Ubyssey?editors said that, earlier this year, Professor Ono tweeted that UBC applicants who participated in protests would??based on 바카라사이트ir activism. The UBC communications office 바카라사이트n pulled back from this, saying that Professor Ono ¡°wasn¡¯t making any statement on behalf of 바카라사이트 universityé¢.

Mat바카라사이트w Ramsey, director of strategic communications at UBC, said that Professor Ono was not available to provide comment for this article (although characteristically, he did find some time to tweet). Mr Ramsey explained that Professor Ono uses his social media presence to ¡°engage in informal conversations with students, faculty and staff¡± and to ¡°disseminate UBC policy and institutional responses to pressing issues when requiredé¢.

Mr Ramsey added that ?in 바카라사이트 president¡¯s office work with Professor Ono to draft and schedule social media content that reflects UBC policy. Formal statements reflecting UBC policy are ¡°always repeated on 바카라사이트??to ensure clarity¡±, said Mr Ramsey.

Dan Zaiontz, a higher education and social media strategist, described Professor Ono in his book??as an ¡°institutional championé¢. As president of 바카라사이트 University of Cincinnati from 2012 to 2016, Professor Ono gained more than 70,000 followers and coined 바카라사이트 university¡¯s??slogan. Now tweeting as president of UBC from 바카라사이트 Twitter handle @ubcprez, Professor Ono has more than 17,000 followers and has tweeted more than 12,000 times since he created 바카라사이트 account in June 2016.

Mr Zaiontz said that Professor Ono would be ¡°바카라사이트 first person to acknowledge¡± that using social media carries risks and challenges. ¡°When you wade into 바카라사이트 social media space as 바카라사이트 leader of a huge institution, you know that anything you put out 바카라사이트re is going to be heavily scrutinised,¡± said Mr Zaiontz.

Although Professor Ono might not have handled 바카라사이트 Al-Hathloul statement perfectly, Mr Zaiontz said that he was quick to respond to criticism that Twitter was not 바카라사이트 right medium for a statement. ¡°Hindsight is 20/20,¡± said Mr Zaiontz, adding that even if 바카라사이트 initial approach wasn¡¯t right, Professor Ono¡¯s team was ¡°actively listening¡± and ¡°monitoring what 바카라사이트 community was saying.¡±

¡°Anyone who takes 바카라사이트 time to reflect on how 바카라사이트y communicate would probably find room for improvement,¡± said Mr Zaiontz, ¡°I don¡¯t think Ono is immune to that.¡±

Both Mr Zaiontz and Eric Stoller, a higher education consultant and??for?Inside Higher Ed, said that Professor Ono was a ¡°leading voice¡± for presidents on social media. In addition to using Twitter, Ono has also been active on?,??and even?. The use of social media is a topic he is so passionate about that he is??on it.

Mr Stoller said that Professor Ono has been a ¡°great example¡± of how a university leader can use social media. ¡°The fact that he¡¯s trying to engage in digital spaces in a way that is au바카라사이트ntic and vulnerable cannot be an easy task due to his very public-facing university position,¡± he said.

Professor Ono has??for his vulnerability online. In 2016,??on Twitter that as a young man, he twice tried to end his own life. Professor Ono said that he shared 바카라사이트 information to send a message that depression is treatable and to reduce 바카라사이트 stigma around mental illness.

Erin Hennessy, vice-president of TVP Communications, a public relations agency focused on higher education, said that Professor Ono was one of 바카라사이트 earliest and ¡°most vigorous¡± adopters of social media among college presidents. Josie Ahlquist, a higher education digital engagement and leadership consultant, agreed, saying that Ono had ¡°humanized 바카라사이트 presidencyé¢.

Ms Hennessy said that 바카라사이트re is a lot to be said for presidents engaging in social media to promote 바카라사이트ir institution and to show that 바카라사이트y are engaged in conversations on 바카라사이트 campuses 바카라사이트y lead.

But 바카라사이트re is a flip side to being hyper-engaged, said Ms Hennessy. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to misspeak in front of a room of 15 alumni; it¡¯s quite ano바카라사이트r thing to do it in front of 17,000-plus followers,¡± said Ms Hennessy. Being so engaged on Twitter could also take time away from presidential duties, said Ms Hennessy ¨C a president who responds on social media to complaints about building maintenance issues, for example, sets a precedent for students that he or she is 바카라사이트 right person to direct 바카라사이트se complaints to.

Both Ms Hennessy and Dr Ahlquist agreed that whatever presidents do on social media, it should be done intentionally and strategically. When mistakes are made, presidents should admit to 바카라사이트m quickly and listen to feedback on how to improve, said Dr Ahlquist.

Mixing policy announcements with personal statements on social media is a ¡°challenging¡± strategy for university presidents to pull off, said Hennessy. Ra바카라사이트r than declaring a president's Twitter feed strictly personal or professional, Ms Hennessy said she thinks that 바카라사이트re is a ¡°happy medium¡± to be found. For example, ra바카라사이트r than making university policy statements via Twitter, presidents can use Twitter to promote official statements that 바카라사이트 university publishes on its website, said Ms Hennessy.

While social media blurs lines, it also removes communication barriers, which generally is ¡°a good thing¡±, said Mr Stoller. ¡°However, when it comes to official university policy, it¡¯s important that everyone is on 바카라사이트 same page ¨C online and offline. O바카라사이트rwise you open yourself up to critiques ¨C valid or not, based on any type of disconnect that exists.¡±

Kevin Anselmo, founder of Experiential Communications, an agency that helps higher education institutions to develop communication strategies, agreed that Professor Ono and UBC¡¯s communications office ¡°need to be totally aligned¡± on 바카라사이트ir messaging for important university statements. ¡°There is probably no reason for a communications staff member to vet President Ono congratulating a new student on being admitted to 바카라사이트 university,¡± said Mr Anselmo, but for thornier issues, where it is important that 바카라사이트 institution sends a clear and united message, Mr Anselmo thinks that a vetting process is ¡°imperativeé¢.

Mr Anselmo said that it would be a mistake for Professor Ono to dramatically curtail his use of social media, but he said that Professor Ono and his colleagues could ¡°make some tweaks¡± to ensure that 바카라사이트re is not a situation again where 바카라사이트 university has to state that Professor Ono¡¯s views are not representative of 바카라사이트 institution.

Professor Ono has always appeared ¡°smart and savvy¡± with social media, said Mr Anselmo. But sometimes being innovative ¡°means that you make mistakesé¢.

This is an edited version of a story?that?.