If you’re in charge of managing your organization’s social media presence, you may have discovered that it takes a while to find your voice as an organization. Unlike your personal social media accounts, an organizational account is a representation of many people.  For our Twitter account at Montana State University (@msulibrary), I avoid posting things that might imply an endorsement of behavior (e.g. underage drinking) or a stance on a controversial topic (e.g. healthcare legislation), but for other areas, my experience has been through trial and error.

In one example, a student asked about setting up a tent in the library during finals.

Consider some possible responses:

• Don’t even think about sleeping overnight in the library! We close at 2am!
• No response at all
• Favoriting the Tweet
• Suggesting other all-night spots where she might continue her studies

In this case, the source of her posting was the stress associated with the end of the semester. So, why not offer her a little humor to keep the mood light? In this case, I did a quick Google search, found an image I liked, and replied 15 minutes after her post:

The library’s post got 5 favorites and 2 retweets and sends the message the library is a fun place and is listening to its community.  So, when you’re thinking of what to post from your organization’s account, don’t be afraid to add some personality. After all, your organization is full of people!