Indiana University Athletics
Compliance Question Of The Week
Compliance Question Of The Week
Question:
It's no secret that technology is changing the world DAILY. Whether your preference is for boosting your image, sharing mundane drivel about your monotonous existence or simply gathering a few like-minded thugs for some rioting and looting, it's clear that FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Flickr and hundreds more that I can't name, are simply: IN.
However, all that being as it may, what does the above-average NCAA-rule-following individual need to know? Ah ha - that looks like a question to me.
Answer:
Here's a direct quote from the NCAA website - and what better way to learn?
The NCAA has developed rules regarding social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, while fully recognizing the social media world is constantly changing and developing.
Division I looks at social networking less in terms of the technology being used and more in terms of its recruiting impact. NCAA rules do not allow comments about possible recruits on an institution's social media page or on any page belonging to someone affiliated with the institution. In addition, these pages cannot feature photos of prospects and messages cannot be sent to recruits using these social media technologies other than through their e-mail function.
Since texting is impermissible, if a coach becomes aware that a recruit has elected to receive direct messages as text messages on a mobile device, the coach must cease communicating with the recruit through the social networking site. (Read that again to be sure you got it). All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards [e.g., a user's wall] within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible.
Twitter
Twitter has also become a popular recruiting tool in college athletics. Tweeting is permissible as long as coaches are not using it to contact individual prospective student-athletes and are abiding by the standard recruiting rules such as not discussing specific recruits or contacting them when it is not permissible
Did you read that carefully? Hope so, because there's a couple of things to make sure you know:
- No public comments other than confirming recruitment in response to a question (be careful with this!)
- Only e-mail (and similar e-mail functions) are permitted to be used to contact prospects electronically (other than faxes) at this time. Make sure your prospect is older enough (September 1st of junior year for most) and then keep the communication direct and private.
- Attached are a couple of documents we have used to help coaches understand Social Networking and recruiting - and of course, this info changes regularly.
- Don't publicly Tweet at or about prospects - including SAs at other 4-year schools or junior colleges. If you insist on telling people that you are out on the road recruiting, PLEASE keep the info very general. As the Big Ten says: "the threshold for publicity of recruiting is very low" meaning that it doesn't take much to trigger a rules violation.
- You can use the Twitter "Direct Message" to communicate with a prospect (who is old enough) because that's equivalent to a private e-mail - ask us first!
- Also, please ask if you questions about SKYPE, computer-based recruiting presentations, YouTube, or any other technology-related recruiting questions, including "who can" and "how"! Be sure to ask Jenna- she's good at this sort of thing.
- And - all we'll say on the subject of student-athletes and social networking is: keep your eye on them and it and advise them (as we do) to be judicious and aware.
And a tip or two from Andy, who is trying to beat out Jenna and Anne as official compliance FaceBook guru....
"Posting on a PSA's wall - prohibited
Participating in the chat function with a PSA - prohibited
Using the message feature to send and receive messages from a PSA - permissible
Recently, Facebook merged the chat function with the message feature. Now, if the chat function is used it will create a copy of all correspondence in the message feature as well. Simply creating a copy of the chat in the message inbox does not a message make... So, bottom line, nothing changes- only use the private message feature and not the wall or chat."
Question:
It's no secret that technology is changing the world DAILY. Whether your preference is for boosting your image, sharing mundane drivel about your monotonous existence or simply gathering a few like-minded thugs for some rioting and looting, it's clear that FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIN, Flickr and hundreds more that I can't name, are simply: IN.
However, all that being as it may, what does the above-average NCAA-rule-following individual need to know? Ah ha - that looks like a question to me.
Answer:
Here's a direct quote from the NCAA website - and what better way to learn?
The NCAA has developed rules regarding social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, while fully recognizing the social media world is constantly changing and developing.
Division I looks at social networking less in terms of the technology being used and more in terms of its recruiting impact. NCAA rules do not allow comments about possible recruits on an institution's social media page or on any page belonging to someone affiliated with the institution. In addition, these pages cannot feature photos of prospects and messages cannot be sent to recruits using these social media technologies other than through their e-mail function.
Since texting is impermissible, if a coach becomes aware that a recruit has elected to receive direct messages as text messages on a mobile device, the coach must cease communicating with the recruit through the social networking site. (Read that again to be sure you got it). All other electronically transmitted correspondence including, but not limited to, text messaging, Instant Messenger, chat rooms or message boards [e.g., a user's wall] within a social networking Web site or through other services or applications remain impermissible.
Twitter has also become a popular recruiting tool in college athletics. Tweeting is permissible as long as coaches are not using it to contact individual prospective student-athletes and are abiding by the standard recruiting rules such as not discussing specific recruits or contacting them when it is not permissible
Did you read that carefully? Hope so, because there's a couple of things to make sure you know:
- No public comments other than confirming recruitment in response to a question (be careful with this!)
- Only e-mail (and similar e-mail functions) are permitted to be used to contact prospects electronically (other than faxes) at this time. Make sure your prospect is older enough (September 1st of junior year for most) and then keep the communication direct and private.
- Attached are a couple of documents we have used to help coaches understand Social Networking and recruiting - and of course, this info changes regularly.
- Don't publicly Tweet at or about prospects - including SAs at other 4-year schools or junior colleges. If you insist on telling people that you are out on the road recruiting, PLEASE keep the info very general. As the Big Ten says: "the threshold for publicity of recruiting is very low" meaning that it doesn't take much to trigger a rules violation.
- You can use the Twitter "Direct Message" to communicate with a prospect (who is old enough) because that's equivalent to a private e-mail - ask us first!
- Also, please ask if you questions about SKYPE, computer-based recruiting presentations, YouTube, or any other technology-related recruiting questions, including "who can" and "how"! Be sure to ask Jenna- she's good at this sort of thing.
- And - all we'll say on the subject of student-athletes and social networking is: keep your eye on them and it and advise them (as we do) to be judicious and aware.
And a tip or two from Andy, who is trying to beat out Jenna and Anne as official compliance FaceBook guru....
"Posting on a PSA's wall - prohibited
Participating in the chat function with a PSA - prohibited
Using the message feature to send and receive messages from a PSA - permissible
Recently, Facebook merged the chat function with the message feature. Now, if the chat function is used it will create a copy of all correspondence in the message feature as well. Simply creating a copy of the chat in the message inbox does not a message make... So, bottom line, nothing changes- only use the private message feature and not the wall or chat."