Social Media Glossary

Social media: Forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.

Flagship accounts: The social media accounts that represent the entire university, such as Facebook.com/IllinoisStateUniversity or Twitter.com/IllinoisStateU. Managed by University Marketing and Communications (UMC).

Manager: A university employee primarily responsible for the administration of a social media account (a Facebook Page, for example) that represents a campus unit.

Hashtag: A word or phrase, preceded by the pound sign, which social media users can include to help categorize their content. When you search Twitter for #BackTheBirds, all content containing that hashtag on Twitter will appear.

Discord: An instant messaging platform that allows users to engage in direct conversation or join communities, which are called “servers” and usually based around a specific interest. Discord users can communicate via voice, text, and streaming video.  

Facebook: The most popular social media site by both total and active users. Initially created as a private social sharing space for college students, it has since expanded into an open digital destination for Internet users of all ages—and the brands that wish to reach them with their messages.

• Facebook Page: The primary tool for a business or institution to reach Facebook users with text, photos, and video. A Page’s posts are visible to users who have “liked” the Page, in their News Feed. A Page is the preferred account type for ISU campus units, with few exceptions.
• Facebook Group: A space within Facebook that typically is built around a specific affinity, hobby, place, or profession, such as an ISU regional alumni network or major-focused alumni affinity group. Any user can create a Facebook Group, which can be Secret, Closed, or Open (Public).
• Facebook Page Cover Photo: A larger horizontal image that also serves as an identifier for a Facebook Page. Chosen by the Page manager.
• Facebook Page Profile Picture: The small image that displays next to a Facebook Page’s name in a user’s News Feed. Chosen by the Page manager.
• Facebook Page Event: Created by a Facebook Page as a mechanism to invite and inform users about a real-world event. You can track invitees, send them updates, and post photos thru the event.
• Facebook tag: When posting status updates, photos, or links, users and Page managers can reference other users and Pages by turning their name into a link, pointing to that user’s profile or Page.
• Facebook album: A photo gallery published by a Facebook Page or user.

Flickr: A social media site for photo storing, oftentimes a repository for large amounts of photos. Flickr can also feed thumbnail-image links onto websites through RSS.

Instagram: A social media site with users who post photos and short videos and engage using only mobile devices. Those photos/videos can be viewed on mobile devices or desktop/laptop computers.

• Instagram Live: A livestreaming service available through Instagram that allows users to share content and connect with users. Live videos can be saved to a user’s Instagram Story to be viewed at a later time.
• Instagram Story: Instagram Story allows users to share their day to users in the form of individual photos and videos. Posts disappear after 24 hours and will not appear on a user’s profile. Organization pages can choose to save “Story Highlights” for longer periods of time.
• Instagram Reels: Reels are short videos on Instagram with durations of 15, 30, and 60 seconds. Users create videos using a catalog of music and edit within the Instagram app. Reels can only be created through a mobile phone.  

LinkedIn: A business-focused social media site primarily for working professionals and job-seekers. Among alums, current students, employees, and future Redbirds, LinkedIn has our largest audience.

• LinkedIn Company Page: A Company page helps LinkedIn members learn about your business, brand, products and services, and job opportunities.
• LinkedIn Group: Groups provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests (such as ISU regional alumni networks or major-focused alumni affinity groups) to share content, ask questions, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish themselves as industry experts.

Mastodon: An open-source microblogging site that allows users to create and participate in communication in servers, usually based around a specific interest. Each Mastodon server is unique, with their own unique codes of conduct, rules around content moderation, and privacy.

Pinterest: A social media site that serves as a user’s digital scrapbook, allowing them to post photos, fashion ideas, recipes, humor, and more.

Reddit: A community-driven social media site powered by user-generated posts (primarily links, gifs and images) that are voted “up” or “down,” moving higher ranked posts to more visible positions on the site.

Snapchat: A photo and video messaging app. Users can take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. Users set a time limit for how long recipients can view their “Snaps.” Communication is primarily user to user. Users have the option to post snaps to their “story,” which is viewable to all of your friends.

Spotify: A music streaming platform that can also link to other social media accounts. Spotify allows you to create and curate music playlists and share them with friends and followers.

TikTok: TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share videos of any topic with durations from 15 seconds to three minutes. Users can create videos with trending hashtags, sounds, challenges, and filters that target current and prospective students.  

Tumblr: A microblogging social media site powered largely by visual content (photography, animated GIFs, short videos) and some written content.

Twitch: Twitch is a popular livestreaming platform. Originally a platform for streaming video games and esports competitions, the platform has expanded to contain sports, creative content, and news programming.

Twitter: A social media site for users who read, send, and receive tweets (messages of 280 characters or less) and photos from other Twitter users.

• Twitter handle: A Twitter user's account name. @IllinoisStateU = Twitter.com/IllinoisStateU
• Twitter mention: A tweet that refers to another Twitter user. By placing the “@” symbol in front of their name, you are notifying that user they’ve been mentioned, and linking others to that user’s account.
• Twitter reply: A semi-private tweet from one user to another.

YouTube: A social media site for video sharing and storing.

• YouTube Channel: The main type of account within YouTube, for both regular users and brands. ISU’s flagship channel, for example, is YouTube.com/IllinoisStateUniv.
• YouTube Playlists: A channel can have multiple playlists, each with its own theme or tent-pole event, to better organize its videos. A playlist can feature that channel’s videos, other videos, or a combination.

YouTube Shorts: YouTube’s answer to TikTok, Shorts are vertical, short-form videos that are less than 60 seconds in length. Even though they are made with smartphones in mind, Shorts can be viewed on any platform within the YouTube app or website.