Home » About » ESGC At A Glance » Policies & Procedures » Online Resource Ownership, Control and Use Policy

Adopted by President’s Cabinet 9/27/22

I. Purpose

This policy concerns East Georgia State College’s (EGSC) ownership, control, and use of all EGSC Online Resources, specifically addressing the following: (i) exclusive ownership and control of all EGSC Online Resources; (ii) exclusive authority over all EGSC Online Resources owned or controlled by EGSC and the exclusive authority to acquire additional online resources in its name in the future; (iii) approval of content published on an EGSC Online Resource; and (iv) removal of content improperly published to an EGSC Online Resource.

II. Definitions

EGSC’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. EGSC’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). EGSC Online Resources also do not include personal webpages and social media accounts of the College’s employees and students.

III. Inventory of EGSC Online Resources

EGSC’s Vice President for Information Technology or designee (for web domains, web sites, etc.) and EGSC’s Director of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations (for social media) must maintain an inventory of EGSC’s Online Resources under their respective jurisdictions.

IV. Authority and Control Over EGSC Online Resources

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

V. Creating New Online Resources and Managing Existing Content

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

VI. Management of EGSC’s Online Resources

    1. Management
      Administration privileges for any EGSC 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 EGSC 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 EGSC 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 EGSC Online Resources.

VII. Moderation of Third-Party Content

Content created by third-party users of EGSC Online Resources shall be moderated in compliance with the EGSC 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 EGSC Online Resource that has not been approved pursuant to this policy or is otherwise not in compliance with EGSC or USG policies governing online content shall be removed promptly following discovery. The authority and responsibility for removing unauthorized content will reside with EGSC‘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 EGSC Online Resources rests with the President of EGSC.

IX. Cybersecurity

Any suspected unauthorized content should be immediately reported to EGSC’s Information Security Officer (awoodsFREEOMNIUPDATE) for a review of any potential data privacy and cybersecurity concerns.

East Georgia State College Online Resource Management Process

The following is the process for creation and management of online resources at East Georgia State College (EGSC).

    • Web Domains: The purchase and acquisition of a new web domain must be approved in writing by EGSC’s Vice President for Information Technology or designee. All EGSC web domains are maintained and managed by EGSC’s Office of Information Technology.

    • Web Pages: EGSC’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 EGSC web page. Please see the EGSC Institutional Website Policy and Web Content Governance Policy for additional information regarding EGSC web pages and content.

    • Web and Mobile Applications: EGSC’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: EGSC’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 EGSC Social Media Policy for further details on creating and maintaining EGSC official social media accounts.

    • Deletion of Obsolete Resources: EGSC’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.