The OU

3/2/2017 Department of
English
Social Media Brief

Patrick Ortez
Contents
Branding Statement: University of Oklahoma Department of English ............................................ 2
Departmental Goals ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Current Social Media Status ................................................................................................................................... 2
Competitor Analysis: UT English ........................................................................................................................... 3
Competitor Analysis: Harvard English .............................................................................................................. 4
General Guidelines for Department Social Media .................................................................................... 5
Flash Fiction and Micropoetry Campaign ..................................................................................................... 6
Platform ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Objective ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Rules and Tips for Twitter ............................................................................................................................................. 6
A Twitter Profile for the English Department ............................................................................................................ 6
The Campaign ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Rules, Tips, and Warnings for This Campaign.......................................................................................................... 7
Examples.......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Books-to-Live-By Campaign ............................................................................................................................. 9
Platform ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Objective ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Rules and Tips for Instagram ....................................................................................................................................... 9
An Instagram Profile for the English Department .................................................................................................... 9
The Campaign ................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Rules, Tips, and Warnings for This Campaign....................................................................................................... 10
Examples....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

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Branding Statement: University of Oklahoma Department of English
The Department of English believes in developing informed, global citizens with
the skills desired by employers. This department trains students to think critically
and articulate their ideas clearly with regards to a wide range of topics, all of
which can be understood through literature. The Department of English prepares
students for many graduate programs and professions by providing a broad
education founded in global literary history. It teaches a diverse array of ideas
that allows students to adapt to and address the endless possibilities of the
future.

Departmental Goals
The Department of English uses social media to engage and inform current
students and alumni while attracting incoming students. This includes the
advertisement of upcoming events and classes, as well as campaigns to
encourage student and alumni voices on the successes of the department or
the value of English in general. The English department must convey the utility
and desirability of the English major to adolescent users (the target group) while
maintaining the maturity and wealth of information needed to satisfy parents,
teachers, employers, and other stakeholders.

Current Social Media Status

The Department of English currently uses Facebook to advertise events to
followers. While this is a good method of advertising events, there are a few
issues.
1. Lack of consistency in advertising. There are many events in the English
department, but only a fraction of them make it to the Facebook page. This
partial advertising appears total, reducing the overall visibility of the English
department. Since many of the events that do get posted are run by the
same professors and are similar in nature, it also reduces the apparent
diversity of departmental events. Both of these effects discourage potential
students and may reduce current students participation.
2. Advertisements are pre-event. Posts consist almost entirely of posters and
photos of professors, resulting in an image of a department that only cares
about those who have already finished their education. There are very few
student or action-oriented photos, giving current students few images to by
which to envision themselves at future English department events and giving
potential students little material to help them see themselves in the English
department at all.
3. The third problem is that there is little engagement of current students or
alumni. The English department does not solicit their participation in
conveying the value of the English degree, which reduces the departments
appeal to current students, prospective students, and stakeholders alike.

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Competitor Analysis: UT English
The University of Texas Twitter account (@UT_English) demonstrates good social
media practices. Their posts are frequent and visually appealing; however, a
better social media account might feature more action-oriented images. They
often post in accordance with the dates and seasons (a Dr. Seuss poem on
March 2, a spring poem on March 20). The Ides of March tweets (below) are a
good example of what it is to connect literature to pop culture in an interesting
and engaging way.
The biggest flaw with the UT English
Twitter page is the lack of frequent calls
to action. Users are expected to
passively absorb the information posted
rather than engage with the issues being
shared. The closest this account comes
to engagement is sharing student works.

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Competitor Analysis: Harvard English
Harvard Englishs Instagram account (@harvardenglish) is a good example of
image-driven posting. While their events do not show a large number of people,
the angle of the picture and shape of the room makes them look full. Pictures of
students abroad or performing everyday actions outside the department are
also abundant, demonstrating that not every post from the English department
must be centered on English studies. The life of English majors is just as relevant.
Posts centered on famous writers are portrayed creatively (such as baked on
cookies, as shown below).
There are two issues with this account however. The first is the same as the
previous competitor analysis: there are few calls to action in their posts. The
descriptions aptly describe the event and little more. Since Instagram is less
focused on words and information and more on images and general public
appeal, this is less of a problem than on a Twitter page, but it leaves room for
improvement nonetheless. The second major issue is the lack of a good profile
description. The account description is simply the name of the department and
a link to their webpage. A school with as much prestige as Harvard may be able
to do this without repercussion, but again this leaves room for improvement. On
an image-driven platform like Instagram, the description is perhaps the best
place for a widely applicable call-to-action.

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General Guidelines for Department Social Media
1. Length should fall between 100 and 150 characters for any post on the
major 3 platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), or lower if necessary
(as for Twitter).
2. Posts with images receive almost twice as many likes and over twice as
many clicks.
3. The most memorable posts have a clear call to action, such as a link to
follow, providing users a way to research the topic or the department or
participate in the departments use of social media.
4. Posts should be personal. Rather than sharing a news article, a post should
share an opinion or a perspective on the article or the relevance of the
article to other users.
5. Posts should tell a bigger story about the department, rather than each
post being solely about whatever its particular purpose may be.
6. The English department should refrain from automation in its social media.
7. The English department should adhere to the social media rule-of-thirds.
One-third of content should be advertisement for the English department
and other matters of business, one-third should be stories about
development in related areas (such as the field of English or other
departments at OU), and one-third should be stories from users (i.e.
students).
8. Politics is a sensitive area, but it is very relevant to English. The department
should refrain from taking positions but should never discourage healthy
political discourse.
9. The English department should like, comment on, and retweet all
appropriate posts that use the hashtag #OUEnglish.
10. We must ask participants to be respectful. Student posts containing vulgar
or obscene language will not be favorited.
11. For student posts using #OUEnglish that are particularly obscene, the
English department may leave a comment that it does not endorse non-
inclusive and discriminatory content. The English department may flag it
as inappropriate or ask the user for deletion if necessary.

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Flash Fiction and Micropoetry Campaign
Platform
Twitter
Objective
This campaign will employ flash fiction and micropoetry to increase the English
departments Twitter following to 200 followers and increase advertised event
turnout by 10%.
Rules and Tips for Twitter
1. Twitters first rule is brevity, which is enforced by its 140-character limit.
2. Tweets below 120 characters get significantly more likes, and retweets.
3. Posts on Twitter can and should be frequent (about 1 per day).
4. Every tweet should contain a single, clear message.
5. Most tweets should contain a link or other call to action.
6. Most tweets should contain an image, video or other visual component.
7. Posts should tag as many relevant people as possible.
8. Occasional Twitter polls (1 per month) increase user interaction.
A Twitter Profile for the English Department
Profile picture: A pile of essays and a sheet of paper with a large OU logo in the
center of the pile. A nice-looking pen or quill lies just below the logo.
The profile picture most prominently features the OU logo, tying it clearly to the
university and resembling other OU department Twitter profiles, which mostly use
the OU logo alone as their profile picture. It also ties clearly to English, providing
a visual component for users to attach themselves to before they even look at
the departments tweets.
Profile description: The Department of English is committed to excellence in
preparing the writers and readers of today for the fields of the world of
tomorrow. http://cas.ou.edu/english
The profile description employs similar tactics. The phrase committed to
excellence echoes the statements of the university and a number of other
departments. The phrase writers and readers helps users feel that they are a
part of our audience (and the category of writers and readers is broad
enough such that almost all users will feel included). The phrase fields of the
world tomorrow contains several components. The use of the word fields
implies professionalism (i.e. that English helps students get jobs) and its being
plural indicates the breadth of careers available to English majors. The word
world suggests at the global applications of literary analysis and that the
English department studies more than just British and United States literature.
Finally, the world tomorrow conveys to user that English is not an outdated

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study. English studies includes recent and contemporary writers and prepares
students to adapt to an ever-changing world.
The Campaign
This campaign will feature short fiction and poetry from students, professors, and
famous writers. Its brevity will aid its popularity among platforms for short-form
thought, and its relevance to current events or strong emotions will gather
attention toward English studies.
Given Twitters emphasis on conciseness, flash fiction and poetry are ideal for
conveying the relevance and power of literature without demanding too much
time and attention (given the status of the English major, time and attention is
something hard to gather). This campaign can utilize submissions from students
or pieces from well-known authors. Relevance to current events or time of year
(e.g. the start of spring) may help it trend, while the nature of the content and
potential sources will clearly tie it to English. The English department should
compose a tweet at least twice a week, and
retweet or share relevant material daily.
Rules, Tips, and Warnings for This Campaign
1. Flash fiction should fall between 6 and 30
words.
2. Micropoetry should fall between 4 and 30
words.
3. All tweets should contain a call to action,
encouraging students to share their own flash fiction or micropoetry.
a. Example: Please retweet or write your own with the hashtag
#OUEnglish.
4. Images should accompany the pieces whenever possible (at least 50% of
the time). This may include illustrations of the piece or the environment
(many micropoems are about nature), English department events in
action, or the people who wrote the pieces.
5. Pieces containing over 140 characters can be written over images. These
pieces still ought to be 30 words or fewer.
a. The font must have contrast with the image to remain easily
readable.
6. The English department may quote famous or student works rather than
compose their own pieces.
a. Haiku, tanka, and jueju will demonstrate the global mindset of
English studies.
b. Many modern and contemporary authors (such as Ezra Pound and
Ernest Hemingway) will show that English is still relevant today.

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 c. Authors generally associated with genre fiction or non-literary fields
(such as Arthur C. Clarke and John Cage) will broaden the appeal
of the English department.
7. Twitter norms allow for improper grammar, shortened spelling, and
unofficial abbreviations (such as C for see), but stakeholders will
expect proper grammar and spelling from the English department.
8. The English department should post pieces related to current events and
time of year when possible (e.g. an environmental poem on Earth Day, a
poem about flower blossoms in late spring, etc.).
Examples

These two examples follow the classic form of flash fiction: two phrases, one that
introduces a situation and one that twists it into something more dramatic. The
left example would be particularly good for the English department, as many
incoming college students may experience feelings like that leaving home for
the first time.
While these examples are not from competitors (other college departments),
they are geared toward similar audiences for similar reasons. The New Yorker
must continually remind its readers why literature continues to be relevant to the
world today, and Neil Gaiman must publicize his writing. The English department
similarly must remind readers (and this is the departments audience, as people
not interested in reading are unlikely to pay attention to the English
departments posts regardless) why it continues to be relevant and the power
that literature holds.

This example is something similar to what the English department might post. The
haiku is funny and relatable, meriting users attention and encouraging users
to consider how writing is relevant to their life. Further, the tweet asks for users to
try their hand at writing something (an innocent request since its only 140
characters). A tweet like this would likely do well among college students.

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Books-to-Live-By Campaign
Platform
Instagram
Objective
This campaign will demonstrate the diversity and utility of English studies through
encouraging students to reach 200 Instagram followers and increase advertised
event turnout by 10%.
Rules and Tips for Instagram
1. Instagram is a photo-driven platform. Make sure every picture speaks for
itself.
2. While not all pictures need a call to action, most pictures should be
action-oriented. Pictures of people doing something is much more
relatable than portraits.
3. Posts should only be mildly frequent (about 1 per week).
4. The description should not exceed 100 characters of text (not including
tags).
5. Descriptions are the best place for any sources, as well as tagging people
and topics.
An Instagram Profile for the English Department
Profile picture: a group of students writing or workshopping a piece. The OU
Department of English logo may be placed above the image (the image may
require a transparent white square placed over it to provide enough contrast for
the logo to be visible).
This profile picture most prominently features students performing an action. This
better fits the human-centered nature of Instagram and well as meets the
action-oriented requirement mentioned above. The action can be many
different things, but must clearly tie to English.
Profile description: The Department of English is committed to excellence in
developing the writers and readers of today for the fields of the world of
tomorrow. http://cas.ou.edu/english
See the flash fiction and micropoetry campaign for more details. This description
changes the word preparing to developing to better fit the humanistic
aesthetic of Instagram.
The Campaign
This campaign will feature favorite books from students and professors with a
small twist: rather than favorite books, this campaign will focus on the books that
taught people how to better live their lives (hence, books to live by). This will
demonstrate the relevance of literature (and hence, the English department).

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The English department will post weekly photos of English professors and students
with their most enlightening books. Each post will contain a description
referencing to the movement, and the Department of English will create the
hashtags #OUEnglish #OUBooksToLiveBy and #OUBTLB to unify departmental
and student posts as a single movement.
Given Instagrams emphasis on photos, this campaign encourages finding
printed books or poetry. Users can either submit a photo of a passage (ideally
with a sentence highlighted, as is already a practice) or a photo of them with
the book. Again, this campaign will highlight the relevance of literature to
understanding the world and arouse curiosity in the works mentioned.
Rules, Tips, and Warnings for This Campaign
1. Posts should feature students in the photo whenever possible, preferably
doing something, such as writing the last words of a quote or reading the
book asked about.
2. Photos need variation, at the very least in the angles at which they are
taken.
3. All posts should contain the hashtag #OUEnglish and one of the two
hashtags: #OUBooksToLiveBy or #OUBTLB.
4. We must ask participants to be respectful. Books tying into politics can be
an especially sensitive issue; however, it is an important subject of
discourse and a superb demonstration of literatures relevance.
5. Books featuring inappropriate subjects (or books that could not be taught
in a classroom) should be handled sensitively. See General Rules for
Department Social Media.
a. Example: The OU Department of English does not endorse content
that may be marginalizing toward some groups but defends
freedom of expression in all respectful discourse.
6. Descriptions should include the author and work being referenced.
7. Descriptions should contain 100 characters or fewer prior to tags.
8. Descriptions may be slightly longer when using a quote from students
explaining why they chose the pieces they chose or how it impacted their
lives.

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Examples
The example on the right (from
@fictionnotfriends) demonstrates a
clever way of integrating books with the
environmental photos common to
Instagram. While the department may
want the books to be featured more
prominently, such a photo, perhaps with
a quote overlaid on the bottom half and
the students name and information
about the book in the description, would
be apt for the departments purposes.

The post on the left (from

@lastnightsreading) features a quote
with an illustration of the author. While
not as student-centered as the English
department would like, this design is
simple and elegant. The simple color
scheme is attention-grabbing without
being distracting, and the connection
of words to person is critical. Replacing
the image of the author with a student
may make this post viable.

The post on the right (from

@ernest_hedgingway) is from an
account which seeks to share interest
in literature by associating animals
(particularly this hedgehog) with
literature. A similar tactic may be
adopted by the English department,
but more importantly, this account
demonstrates how Instagram creates
possibilities for connecting literature to
the world by mere juxtaposition. With
adequate captions, such pictures
could easily be appropriate for the
Department of English.

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