Community Management and Comment Moderation

Building an online community means encouraging open discussion while also maintaining a safe and respectful environment on Howard University’s social media pages. All account administrators are expected to actively moderate comments and user-generated content on their channels according to the following guidelines:

Community Expectations

We welcome comments, feedback, and constructive dialogue from our followers. Fostering a vibrant online community means allowing diverse opinions and responding where appropriate. However, users must adhere to basic rules of respectful engagement. It’s good practice to publish a short version of these rules in your page profile or link to this full guideline document, so your community knows what is expected​.  
 
When responding to comments, do so in a courteous, professional manner – even if comments are critical. Aim to address questions or concerns helpfully, correct misconceptions with facts, and thank users for positive interactions. Do not engage in arguments or hostility; if a conversation becomes heated, it may be best to take it offline or end the interaction politely. 

Comment Moderation Policy: Howard University account administrators reserve the right to remove or hide comments that violate our community standards or the social platform’s terms of service​.  
 
The following types of content are not permitted on Howard-affiliated channels and may be deleted or reported by admins: 

  • Harassment/Hate Speech: Any use of obscene, defamatory, or discriminatory language, personal attacks, or slurs targeting individuals or groups on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc., is strictly prohibited​. 
  • Threats or Illegal Content: Comments that threaten violence or harm, encourage illegal activity, or otherwise violate any local, state, federal law or university policy will be removed​. 
  • Confidential/Private Information: Content that reveals someone’s personal information (phone numbers, addresses, student records) or confidential university information is not allowed​. This includes any disclosures that violate privacy laws or university confidentiality policies. 
  • Spam and Solicitations: Repetitive postings, spam messages, or comments primarily aimed at selling products and services, promoting external businesses, or fundraising for organizations not affiliated with Howard will be treated as spam. Unsolicited advertisements and promotional announcements are subject to removal​. 
  • Off-Topic or Irrelevant Content: To keep discussions focused, comments that are completely unrelated to the original post may be hidden or removed at the admin’s discretion (for example, posting random links or topics not germane to Howard or the post content)​. 
  • Copyright Violations: Any user content that infringes on intellectual property rights (e.g., posting full articles, songs, or videos you do not own) should be removed. Similarly, images or media that violate copyrights or trademarks should not be posted. 
  • Political endorsements or campaigning: Posts explicitly endorsing or opposing political candidates, parties, or ballot initiatives (outside the context of official Howard University advocacy) are not allowed on official pages​, in keeping with our status as a non-profit educational institution. (Non-partisan civic engagement content is fine, but overt campaigning is not.) Comments from outside users reflect their personal opinions and not Howard University’s positions​. As such, we generally allow critical or negative comments if they are civil; do not remove comments simply because they express an unfavorable opinion of the university. Instead, use them as an opportunity to listen and, when appropriate, respond with factual information or an offer to discuss further offline. The moderation guidelines above are intended for content that crosses the line into violation of community standards or law. 
Enforcement

When deleting or hiding a comment, it can be helpful to document a screenshot (in case of future questions) and, if appropriate (and completely optional), send the user a polite direct message explaining the action (using a standard approved message). For repeated or egregious violations, account administrators may block or ban user accounts from the page, after consulting with OUC (if needed). Always enforce rules fairly and consistently, without bias. In cases of uncertainty about whether to remove content, err on the side of consulting with a supervisor or the OUC social media team for guidance. Our goal is to maintain a welcoming, safe online community that reflects Howard University’s values while respecting free expression and dialogue.

Accessibility & Inclusivity

Howard University is committed to inclusive excellence, and our social media content should be accessible to all audiences, including people with disabilities. All social media administrators must follow accessibility best practices to remove barriers and ensure content can be experienced by everyone​.  
 
Incorporating the following practices will make your posts more accessible. 

Alt Text for Images

Always add descriptive alternative text for images on platforms that support it. Do not rely on auto-generated alt text, which is often inaccurate​. Instead, write concise descriptions that convey the important details of the image. (Example: “Photo of Howard University’s Founders Library at sunset, with students walking by.”) On X (Twitter) and Threads, remember to add alt text for GIFs and images since they cannot be edited after posting to include it​. If a platform does not allow alt text (e.g., Instagram Stories), ensure the key information is communicated through the post captions or on-screen text in a legible way. 
 

Captions & Transcripts

All video content must include captions. For videos with spoken audio, use closed captions or subtitles so that viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing (or who cannot play audio) can follow along​. Most major platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter/X) allow uploading caption files (SRT) for video posts​ – take advantage of this and review auto-captions for accuracy if used.  

For platforms like Instagram or TikTok, which offer auto-caption stickers or features, always double-check and edit the text for correctness, as auto-captions often require fixing​ or light editing. In live video or audio streams, enable captioning features if available or provide a summary afterward. For audio-only content (like Twitter Spaces or podcasts shared via social), provide a transcript or summary in a subsequent post or link. 

Hashtag Formatting

Use CamelCase for multi-word hashtags – capitalizing the first letter of each word (e.g., #HowardHomecoming, not #howardhomecoming)​.  
 
This allows screen readers to correctly interpret each word and improves readability for everyone. Avoid extremely long hashtags or strings of many hashtags, which can be hard to decipher. Two or three relevant hashtags per post are usually sufficient​.  
 
If using acronyms as hashtags, consider whether they are pronounceable by screen readers (test if unsure) and provide expansion in the post text if the meaning might not be obvious. 

Do not use more than 3 hashtags in a post for leveraging proper engagement

Emojis and Text

Use emojis sparingly and never as a substitute for words. Screen readers will read out the emoji’s name, which can be confusing if emojis are strung together or replace key words (for instance, a tweet saying “Howard’s Homecoming was 🔥” would be read as “Howard’s Homecoming was fire”). If you use emojis, put them at the end of a sentence or caption where they don’t interrupt the meaning, and stick to a few commonly understood ones​.  Also, avoid emoticons or unicode art that may not render consistently across devices. 

Contrast and Design

When posting images or graphics with text (e.g., event flyers, infographics), ensure there is high color contrast between text and background for readability. Stick to our brand fonts and avoid overly decorative text or colors that clash. Use sufficiently large font sizes in graphics so that text can be read on a mobile screen without zooming​. If you share images of text (like a quote or a statement), also include that text in the caption or alt text so it’s accessible.

Inclusive Language

Write copy that is inclusive and considerate. Use person-first language and respectful terms (e.g., “students with disabilities” rather than “the disabled”)​. Be mindful of pronouns and use gender-neutral language when possible (for example, use “they” if gender is unknown or irrelevant). Ensure that content reflects the diversity of the Howard community in imagery and examples. When telling stories or highlighting individuals, strive for representation that includes various backgrounds and identities, in line with Howard’s commitment to diversity. 

By implementing these accessibility practices, we not only comply with relevant accessibility laws and university policies, but also create a more welcoming digital space for our entire Howard family. Accessible content is beneficial for everyone – for example, captions help people watch videos in noisy environments or when they don’t have headphones, and clear alt text improves our search engine optimization. Administrators should stay updated on each platform’s accessibility features (which evolve frequently) and utilize available tools and training. Howard’s OUC can provide additional resources or audits to help ensure your social media content meets accessibility standards​.