TU Dresden on Social Media

TUD’s social media channels are part of the university’s public relations work. The university pursues a variety of goals with its social media strategy, including:

• Target group-oriented communication of strategically relevant content
• Generating interest, sympathy, and validation for TUD’s topics, interests, and objectives
• Increasing reach and visibility: Making the university more visible nationally and internationally
• Science communication and knowledge transfer: Communicating research in an understandable way, demonstrate societal relevance, show TUD’s value for economy and society
• Employee engagement and information: Strengthening internal communication, quickly share current information
• Employer branding / recruiting staff: Positioning the university as an attractive employer
• Attracting prospective students: Presenting degree programs and university life to reach new target groups
• Student engagement and information: Strengthen internal communication, quickly share current information
• Community building and alumni relations: Maintaining contact with graduates, promote identification with and existing interest in TUD
• Crisis communication and reputation management: Responding quickly and reliably in emergencies or in case of criticism
• Strengthening cooperation and partnerships: Maintaining exchanges with other institutions, political and administrative stakeholders, NGOs, and companies

These goals are addressed to different target groups, which can be found on different platforms.

Instagram and TikTok

Instagram and TikTok are particularly suitable for addressing younger target groups, such as students and prospective students. Visual content and short video formats are ideal for providing authentic insights into student and campus life. The platform also works well for communicating study-related news (e.g., re-registration deadlines).

Mastodon and Bluesky

TUD's Mastodon and Bluesky channels are particularly well received in the scientific context through publications on current research projects, publications, etc.

LinkedIn

TUD's LinkedIn profile strengthens the university's international positioning and employer branding. This website facilitates professional exchange on higher education policy and scientific topics. News about projects with national and international cooperation partners is published here, as are job offers and other content from the working environment.

YouTube

YouTube is suitable for publishing image films, scientific reports, and event recordings. Short videos introducing degree programs also reach the young target group.

WhatsApp

TUD is running an official WhatsApp broadcast channel for pupils and prospective students. The channel serves as a low-threshold source of information and is primarily aimed at prospective students between the ages of 16 and 18.

In crisis situations, TUD’s social media channels allow for real-time dissemination of information, statements, and background details. Current data protection topics are also published to raise awareness about users’ rights to informational self-determination.

TUD's social media channels are managed by the social media editorial team in Unit 7.2 Media Relations in the Directorate Communication and Marketing. The editorial team manages the social media channels on weekdays from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. This includes examining and, if necessary, responding to incoming messages and comments, as well as monitoring mentions and other posts related to TUD (social listening). On weekends and holidays, an on-call team monitors the social media channels.

The editorial team has a netiquette for handling critical comments and hate speech, which serves as a basis for interventions.  The netiquette is available on the TUD website, and the social media profiles link to it. The netiquette is available on the TUD website and can be accessed at any time. If the social media team detects or receives reports of illegal content (e.g., insults, incitement to hatred, pornography, content glorifying violence, copyright infringements, or violations of image rights), it is deleted immediately upon discovery. Beforehand, legally compliant screenshots are taken, which can serve as evidence for possible legal action.

The social media team and other staff from Unit Media Relations have the administration rights and login data for the central social media channels. This guarantees that there is a substitute in case of absence. It also means countermeasures can be taken if the administrator's account is hacked.

If the employment relationship ends, there is an obligation to hand over the administration rights. For accounts not managed via administrative rights, the password must be updated whenever an employee with access departs the university.

In individual cases, TU Dresden will process personal data in order to respond to user questions that are sent to TUD as personal messages and in comments, i.e., in the form of proactive contact. We do not generally proactively contact users via social media. Such data are used solely for the purpose requested by the user, for example, to answer a question or establish contact. No data is shared with third parties.

Content, posts, and requests that violate the rights of third parties or that constitute a criminal offense or administrative offense, or that do not comply with legal or contractual obligations, will be disclosed by TU Dresden to the competent authority or social media service and blocked or deleted.

TUD uses cookies, log files, and statistics from the above-mentioned social media providers to compile business statistics. As far as possible and without impairing the purpose of processing, we anonymize or pseudonymize this personal data.

In accordance with the Digital Services Act (DDG), the legal notice on the TUD website contains the following information:

• Name of the university
• Address
• Name of the person(s) responsible for content
• Contact details for quick and direct accessibility, e.g. telephone number and email address
• VAT identification number

On TUD's social media channels, the legal notice is visible in the profile, accessible, and permanently available via a link in accordance with the two-click rule.

A data protection declaration for social media is also available on the TUD website and linked on TUD's profile pages.

All information shared on social media is also available on the TUD website. Social media posts often include links to the TUD website. These links usually provide more detailed or additional information, as social media posts are subject to character limits.

TUD websites also contain contact details (phone numbers, email addresses) for all organizational units of the university. Users can also contact the university in this way.

The social media strategy, scope and use of social networks are regularly evaluated and adjusted as necessary.