Social media platforms are a great way to connect with Buffs near and far. We’ve outlined general brand guidelines for the main components found in social media below. Our goal is to maintain a cohesive university brand message across all social channels. Because of the changing nature of social media, we encourage you to contact us with any social media branding questions you may have.
Avatar (Profile Picture)
The avatar is the fundamental identity of your college, department, organization, program or center within your social channels. The avatar needs to be consistent across all platforms and once established, it should not change. Contact us to request an approved avatar.
Approved avatar examples:
One-line version:
Two-line version:
Cover Photo
The cover photo has more flexibility than the profile picture. This photo can be switched out depending on events or marketing campaigns. Although we encourage you to personalize your cover photo, we ask you to ensure your photo is relevant to your unit/department. Be mindful of trademark, licensed and material with a copyright.
Account Long Name
Also referred to as the name of your page/account on social platforms.
- The account long name needs “University of Colorado Boulder” at the beginning;
- However, if you have a long department or organization name (i.e., College of Media, Communication and Information), use “CU Boulder” in the beginning of your long name.
Account Short Name
Often referred to as the “handle” or username on social media platforms.
Use “CUBoulder” in the beginning of your name, followed by your department, organization, program, club or center’s name.
Do not use UCB or CUB in any of your account names. If your name doesn’t fit within the platform parameters, contact us for guidance.
About Section
The About section provides important context for new and existing audiences. In an effort to provide clarity to those seeking more information, we ask that you include the following information in your About section:
- Your page is part of the greater University of Colorado Boulder community
- The college, department, program, organization, club or center’s name
- The group’s key statements (if applicable)
- A hyperlink to your group’s website homepage
- See below (under Approved Guidelines) for approved legal language for the about section
Hashtags
We have some established and official University of Colorado Boulder hashtags that we encourage you to use. By using these hashtags appropriately, you can increase your group’s visibility.
- #CUBoulder: A general campuswide hashtag
- #GoBuffs: Used campuswide and for school spirit
- #ForeverBuffs: Used by alumni around the world
- #BoulderBound: Used by incoming students and the admissions team to share our new students
- #BeBoulder: Used campuswide and in alignment with the Be Boulder brand
Copyrights
While sharing of publicly available content in social networks is encouraged and key to the “viral” nature of social media, there are still copyright protections that must be honored, especially when posting content from university-related social media channels.
Best practices when it comes to identifying content not created explicitly by your account:
- Give credit to photographs, original posters, etc.
- Opt for sharing a post rather than copying and pasting as an original post
- Download “reposting” apps for Instagram to make direct sharing easier
For more information see the CU Boulder web publishing policy.
Additional Guidelines
- CU Boulder no longer contains a hyphen in its name, so remove all hyphens where present.
- Do not use “University of Colorado” or “CU” — that is the system’s name and not our particular university’s naming convention. Only use "University of Colorado Boulder” or “CU Boulder” when referencing our university
- Do not use UCB or CUB in any of your platform’s copy.
- The core components to a successful post include: a captivating image or video, engaging content and a hyperlink to a webpage with further information.
- Image size requirements change frequently. To stay up to date, review each platform's recommendations:
Additional Questions
Contact us if you have questions regarding content strategy, account verification, platform use or selection, best practices, etc.
Approved Language for About Section on Facebook:
This is the official Facebook page of the University of Colorado Boulder [insert unit name here]. This Facebook page is intended to provide information about the CU Boulder [insert unit name here]. While we encourage you to share comments and interact with us, we will review all content and comments and remove any that contain threats, obscenity, duplicate posts, illegal suggestions, advertisements/SPAM/solicitation, or do not relate to CU Boulder [insert unit name here].
The University of Colorado Boulder [insert unit name here] Facebook page abides by Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and asks you to do the same. In particular, please do not “post unauthorized commercial solicitations (such as spam)”; “bully, intimidate, or harass any user”; “post content that is hateful, threatening, pornographic, or that contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence”; or “do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory” on the University of Colorado Boulder [insert unit name here] Facebook Page. Facebook encourages all users to utilize the “Report” links when they find content that violates Facebook policy.
The University of Colorado Boulder [insert unit name here] Facebook page is not the place to discuss academic advising, individual academic progress or report criminal activity.
Users are expected to abide by applicable laws, regulations, rules and policies including the University’s Student Code of conduct, the University's Discrimination and Harassment Policy, and other regulations and policies concerning public communications. Comments, images and other content posted to this Facebook Page do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University. By participating on this page you acknowledge this policy and agree to the terms above.