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Civil Discourse Guidelines

Below are several policy guidelines for social media managers across campus which explain civil discourse and best practices for managing civil discourse on social media accounts and content associated with the University.

Civil Discourse

UWF promotes civility in discourse while also respecting the dictates of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The University is committed to advancing civil discourse on its social media platforms, fostering a lively and fearless culture of debate and ensuring freedom of speech and an open exchange of ideas. These guidelines intend to protect the appropriate use of social media while prohibiting conduct through social media that may be unlawful or violative of professional standards.

University-affiliated outlets are encouraged to use social media as a means to connect with the UWF community and foster thoughtful engagement and dialogue about issues important to the University.

Best Practices for Civil Discourse on Social Media

  • Instill the importance of civil discourse, academic freedom and free speech from day one, utilizing social media as a respectful, open platform for discussion, deliberation and expression.
  • Share content on various issues and perspectives to promote exploration of multiple perspectives, understanding and learning opportunities on issues in the community.
  • Foster diverse conversations by encouraging university leadership to promote viewpoint diversity and open-minded discussion and debate, highlighting and enforcing policies that prohibit programming that excludes participation of vulnerable populations.
  • Promote a welcoming social media environment by developing clear, viewpoint-neutral policies and procedures governing incoming messages and comments. Make clear what is welcomed and what is not by having a policy on when to hide comments that appear threatening, harmful or unlawful.
  • Promote and provide targeted educational and professional development opportunities on social media civil discourse that reach various audiences.
  • Respond to comments critical of the University or its representatives with professional, non-defensive responses.
    • Example: “Thank you for sharing your concerns. We appreciate your willingness to reach out, and the proper channels have been notified. If we can assist you with anything else while this matter is being looked into, please let us know.”

Reach out to University Marketing and Communications at brand@uwf.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

UWF Social Media Comment Guidelines

The University of West Florida seeks to educate, inform and provide updated information on UWF news and activities through its social media platforms. While we encourage interaction among Argos across the globe, please be mindful of the following UWF Social Media Community Guidelines that are in place to maintain a respectful, positive online environment.

UWF's intent is not to create a public forum, but to maintain a moderated online discussion directly relating to topics posted by UWF.

All comments made by social media users reflect the opinions of the users and not necessarily those of the University of West Florida.

UWF maintains the right to remove or hide comments that:

  • Are off-topic.
  • Contain misinformation.
  • Contain profanity or vulgarity.
  • Contain links to third-party websites or content.
  • Constitute threats, harassment, bullying, defamation, obscenity or unauthorized commercial speech, as defined by applicable state or federal law.
  • Encourages illegal activity.
  • Compromises the safety or security of the public or public systems.
  • Contains disparaging personal remarks or acrimony towards another person.
  • Is deemed to be harmful to others in our online or on-campus community, that may negatively impact the reputation of the University of West Florida or is viewed as disparaging the work or actions of others in our campus community.
  • Violates a copyright, trademark or other legal ownership interest of any other party.
  • Violates Florida or federal law.

These decisions are at the discretion of the University’s social media accounts administrators.

By posting, users agree to these UWF Social Media Community Guidelines.

Please note that content shared or posted may be subject to Florida’s Public Records Law.