Apache CloudStack Social Media Guidelines

The Apache CloudStack project has several social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) that it can use to spread news about the project and promote the project.

Access to Social Media Accounts

Access to the social media accounts can be granted to any committer or PMC member who would like to participate. When possible, access will be through Hootsuite or another tool that does not require disseminating the login credentials.

Do's and Don'ts for Social Media

Before posting anything, you'll want to familiarize yourself with Apache's Media and Analyst Relations page and brand management page.

Whether you're posting from a personal account about Apache CloudStack or posting from one of the official accounts, there are a few things you want to keep in mind.

  • Anything said in public is fair game for press.
    • Never post anything via social media you wouldn't want to see reported on news sites.
  • Make sure what you're saying/sharing is appropriate for all audiences, and reflects well on Apache CloudStack.
    • Be polite when talking about CloudStack and responding to questions.
    • Informal voice is OK, unprofessional is not.
    • Absolutely no use of NSFW language, images, or scenarios when using official Apache CloudStack accounts – and avoid associating Apache CloudStack with anything that is likely to be considered offensive.
  • Share relevant, positive information.
    • Feel free to share stories about CloudStack, whether they come from the CloudStack community, tech press, or folks outside of the press and community.
    • Avoid sharing negative stories about "competing" projects.
    • Keep posts/reposts relevant. Everybody loves LOLCats, but it's probably best not to share them from the official CloudStack social media accounts.
    • Please share event information so long as it's CloudStack-related. e.g. Promoting an event where there are talks about CloudStack is spot-on. Promoting an event only because a vendor that has an interest in CloudStack is participating would be outside the scope of CloudStack social media accounts.
  • Be sure information is public
    • Companies sometimes discuss plans/ideas informally at events. It's often a good idea to ask before sharing information on social media if it might be considered non-public. (For example, information presented during a talk should be fair game. Information shared over dinner may not be for public dissemination.)
  • CloudStack does not have "sponsors", events and activities have sponsors.
    • Avoid language like $foo_company is sponsoring the Apache CloudStack project.
    • Companies can sponsor events and activities. For example, $foo_company is hosting a CloudStack meetup in Atlanta this weekend.
  • Don't use Apache CloudStack social media accounts to promote unrelated commercial activities.
  • When in doubt, ask
    • If you're unclear on whether a post or item is OK, ask on the cloudstack-marketing mailing list. The other contributors on the list will always be happy to discuss and guide other contributors on what is and isn't appropriate for our social media activities.
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