Before you begin
Posting on an official CMC social media account is moderated by social media managers. If in doubt, contact the Help Desk at help@cmc.edu.
Images — Alt Text on Every Platform
Every image you post on social media needs alt text. Here is how to add it on each major platform:
- Twitter / X: After attaching a photo, click "Add Alt Text" that appears below the image preview before you post.
- Instagram: After selecting your image, go to Advanced settings → Accessibility → Write Alt Text.
- Facebook: After uploading a photo, click the pencil / edit icon on the photo → Edit Alt Text.
- LinkedIn: After attaching an image in the post composer, click the "Add Alt Text" button that appears on the image.
- TikTok: Upload or create a photo post in the TikTok app and tap Next. On the post setup screen, tap More options. Select Add alternative text. Type a concise description (up to 300 characters) for your photo(s) and tap Done.
Tip: Write alt text before you post, not as an afterthought. Many platforms make it difficult to add alt text after publishing.
CamelCase Hashtags
Screen readers read hashtags as a single unbroken word. This means #digitalaccessibility becomes an unintelligible string of letters read aloud. CamelCase — capitalizing the first letter of each word — allows screen readers to parse the words correctly.
Wrong: #digitalaccessibility — screen reader says "digitalaccessibility" as one word.
Right: #DigitalAccessibility — screen reader says "Digital Accessibility."
Apply this consistently to all CMC hashtags: #DigitalAccessibility, #GoStags, #CMCTechnology, #CMCAthletics, and any others.
Emoji Discipline
Screen readers read aloud the official Unicode description for every emoji. A row of ten fire emojis results in the word "fire" spoken ten consecutive times before a screen reader user reaches your content. Guidelines for emoji use:
- Place emojis at the end of sentences, never in the middle of text.
- Do not use emoji as bullet points or list markers.
- Do not use emoji as a substitute for words.
- Limit to a maximum of 2 emojis per post.
Video Captions
All video posted to CMC social media channels must have captions. Platform auto-captions are a starting point, not a finished product — they make errors, especially with names, technical terms, and accents. Always review and correct auto-generated captions before publishing.
- Reels, TikTok, and Shorts: Use burn-in captions (hard-coded on the video file itself) so captions display correctly on all devices regardless of the viewer's settings.
- YouTube: Review auto-captions in YouTube Studio and correct errors before the video goes public.
- Facebook / LinkedIn video: Upload an SRT file or use the platform's caption editor to verify accuracy.
Avoid Text-in-Image Posts
A JPEG or PNG graphic containing event details — date, time, location, speaker name — is completely invisible to screen readers. A user relying on a screen reader will receive only the alt text you wrote, if any. Graphics are also inaccessible to anyone who needs to zoom text, translate content, or copy information.
Best practice when posting event graphics or announcement cards:
- Include all key information as live text in the post caption.
- Add descriptive alt text to the graphic itself.
- If the graphic contains extensive text, consider whether HTML or a plain-text post better serves your audience.
Athletics Guidance
Athletics social accounts post at high volume and in real time, which creates pressure to skip accessibility steps. The best solution is preparation, not exceptions. Build accessible templates in advance for common post types:
- Score updates (pre-formatted with live text score and alt text placeholder)
- Athlete spotlights (standard caption template with alt text formula)
- Event announcements (live text fields ready to populate)
Pre-built accessible templates mean accessibility does not slow real-time posting — the framework is ready before the game starts.
Links
When sharing links on social media:
- Use the platform's built-in link preview where possible — it generates a card with title and description that is more informative than a raw URL.
- Provide context before URLs. Write "Read the full story:" followed by the URL rather than posting a bare link with no explanation.
- Avoid link-shorteners that produce opaque URLs (e.g., bit.ly/xR3k2) — these provide no context to anyone, including screen reader users.
Checklist
- Every image has alt text on each platform before posting
- All hashtags use CamelCase
- Emoji used sparingly (max 2) and placed at end of sentences
- Videos have captions reviewed for accuracy
- Essential information is live text in the post caption, not only in a graphic
Questions About Social Media Accessibility?
The ITS Help Desk can walk you through accessible posting practices or connect you with the Digital Accessibility team for training.
Contact Help Desk →