Adopted by President’s Cabinet 9/27/22

I. Purpose

This policy concerns Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s (Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­) ownership, control, and use of all Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources, specifically addressing the following: (i) exclusive ownership and control of all Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources; (ii) exclusive authority over all Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources owned or controlled by Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ and the exclusive authority to acquire additional online resources in its name in the future; (iii) approval of content published on an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resource; and (iv) removal of content improperly published to an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resource.

II. Definitions

Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Online Resources consist of all institution owned or controlled internet domains, websites, webpages, web or mobile applications, official social media accounts of the institution, online educational resources, and institution content generated by employees. Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Online Resources do not include non-public-facing IT resources (e.g., OneUSG Connect, Georgia View D2L Brightspace, other online IT resources hosted by the University System of Georgia). Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources also do not include personal webpages and social media accounts of the College’s employees and students.

III. Inventory of Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources

Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Vice President for Information Technology or designee (for web domains, web sites, etc.) and Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Director of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations (for social media) must maintain an inventory of Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Online Resources under their respective jurisdictions.

IV. Authority and Control Over Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources

In keeping with University System of Georgia (USG) policy and guidance, all Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources are the property of the institution and under its exclusive control. The institution has exclusive authority over all Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources and exclusive authority to acquire additional Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources under its name.

V. Creating New Online Resources and Managing Existing Content

    1. Website Creation and Content Management
      The creation of official Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ websites and management of website content is governed by the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Web Content Governance Policy and Institutional Website Policy.
    2. Social Media Account Creation and Management
      The creation of official Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ social media accounts and management of social media content is governed by the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Social Media Policy.

VI. Management of Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Online Resources

    1. Management
      Administration privileges for any Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resource may only be assigned to institution employees or outside contractors whose job duties include the administration of such accounts.
    2. Transition of Management
      Part of the separation process for employees shall include the transition of account control over any Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources managed by the departing employee.
    3. Limitation on Management by Student Employees
      Student employees shall not be granted administrative access privileges or duties over Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources without express written permission from the Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing (for social media) or from the Vice President for Information Technology (for all other online resources). Student employees will be subject to oversight procedures for content they are to publish on Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources.

VII. Moderation of Third-Party Content

Content created by third-party users of Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources shall be moderated in compliance with the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Social Media Policy, Web Content Governance Policy, and Institutional Website Policy and subject to any applicable terms and conditions or end user agreements of the third-party hosting platform.

VIII. Removal of Unauthorized Content

Any content created or posted to an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resource that has not been approved pursuant to this policy or is otherwise not in compliance with Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ or USG policies governing online content shall be removed promptly following discovery. The authority and responsibility for removing unauthorized content will reside with Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€˜s Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing or designee (for social media) and with the Vice President for Information Technology or designee (for all other online resources). Ultimate authority for the approval or removal of content on Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resources rests with the President of Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­.

IX. Cybersecurity

Any suspected unauthorized content should be immediately reported to Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Information Security Officer (awoodsFREEOMNIUPDATE) for a review of any potential data privacy and cybersecurity concerns.


Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Online Resource Management Process

The following is the process for creation and management of online resources at East Georgia State College (Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­).

    • Web Domains: The purchase and acquisition of a new web domain must be approved in writing by Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Vice President for Information Technology or designee. All Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ web domains are maintained and managed by Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Office of Information Technology.

    • Web Pages: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Vice President for Information Technology must approve the creation of all new web pages managed by the College. Approval authority may also be delegated to another designated employee(s) in the College’s Office of Information Technology for all departmental resources or for specific projects. Delegation will be documented in writing, which may be through an email sent to the designee(s). The Vice President for Information Technology or their designee(s) must also approve all content prior to publication on an Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ web page. Please see the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Institutional Website Policy and Web Content Governance Policy for additional information regarding Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ web pages and content.

    • Web and Mobile Applications: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Vice President for Information Technology must approve the creation of all new web and mobile applications managed by the College. Approval authority may also be delegated to another designated employee(s) in the College’s Office of Information Technology for all resources or for specific projects. Delegation will be documented in writing, which may be through an email sent to the designee(s). The Vice President for Information Technology or their designee(s) must also approve all content prior to publication on the College web site or mobile application.

    • Official Social Media Accounts: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing must approve the creation of all new social media accounts managed by representatives of the College. Approval authority may also be delegated to another designated employee(s) for all resources or for specific projects. Delegation will be documented in writing, which may be through an email sent to the designee(s). The Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing or their designee(s) must also approve all content prior to publication on the College’s social media platform. Please see the Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Social Media Policy for further details on creating and maintaining Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­ official social media accounts.

    • Deletion of Obsolete Resources: Âé¶¹´«Ã½Ó³»­â€™s Office of Information Technology and the Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing will periodically review its inventory of online resources and purge those that are no longer needed in accordance with any applicable records retention policies and procedures.