Connecting the HBS network

Tips for creating alumni groups

Want to help the HBS community connect around professional and social interests, events, or geography within social media? We'd love to get you involved!

Before getting started, we encourage all alumni to join HBS-wide networking groups on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Explore the sites, and consider whether there are opportunities to serve your group's goals within the primary alumni social media presences. If you have a great idea, tell us.

GUIDELINES

• General Guidelines

  To create a new social media group for a club, class, or section, we ask that you adhere to the standards below. By following these guidelines, you will strengthen your group and the value of the entire network online. These steps also ensure that your group is linked to the primary HBS Alumni sites.

  Reunion classes
  On Facebook, reunion events can be accessed through the main alumni site. After registering through HBS, you can help your section and class reconnect by rsvp-ing to the Facebook event and sharing updates before and after your weekend on campus.

  Are you an affiliate group?
  Yes, if you represent an alumni club, a professional interest group, a class, or a section of 50+ members.

  We are happy to discuss strategy, but HBS cannot provide technical or maintenance support for affiliate groups. When creating your group, consider how it will be updated.

  Create your profile or account
  When choosing a platform, consider your goals and the interests of potential members. Browse HBS network sites on Facebook and LinkedIn (find HBS groups here) to make sure a similar group to yours doesn't already exist.

  When posting content, avoid LEFA-protected information. Even in restricted groups, information published online may become public.

• LinkedIn

  HBS maintains a central group to support professional networking among alumni. For industry groups, contact our team to see if your needs can be met through a sub-group. For section groups, consider creating a class group with section subgroups.

  • Determine who will be the designated owner and responsible for setting up your group. We can help you coordinate.
  • To help alumni find your group, use the following naming conventions:
    • Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA Class of YEAR ex: Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA Class of 1980
    • Harvard Business School (HBS) INDUSTRY Alumni ex: Harvard Business School (HBS) Energy Alumni
  • Upload the logo provided to you by HBS. (See below on requesting a logo.)
  • Include the following text with your group's information and description:
    • This is a volunteer‐run group and is not managed by Harvard Business School (HBS).
  • Link to the alumni website: http://www.alumni.hbs.edu
  • Set the access to "request to join" to restrict membership to HBS alumni in your target group (and, in select instances, partners).
• Facebook
  • Determine who from your proposed group will be the designated owner and responsible for setting up the account.
  • Decide whether a page (public) or group (private) better serves your group.
  • Name your group using the following naming convention:
    • HBS YEAR, Section X — ex: HBS AMP 187 or HBS 1980, Section C
    • HBS Club — ex: HBS Association of Germany
    • HBS Alumni in CITY (where a Club doesn't exist) — ex: HBS Alumni in Hawaii
  • Include the following text with your class, section, or industry information and description:
    • This is a volunteer‐run [page/group] and is not managed by Harvard Business School (HBS).
  • Link to the alumni website: http://www.alumni.hbs.edu
• Twitter
  • Contact us to discuss options for engaging your proposed group through Twitter.
  • The School's primary hashtag is #HBS. To add a class-based hashtag, use #HBS11 or #HBSAMP12.

REQUEST A LOGO

HBS has developed exclusive graphics for affiliates' social media sites. Administrators should request custom versions, and they will be available for download within a week.

LinkedIn	Facebook	Twitter

GET THE WORD OUT

Follow these 4 steps so we can notify alumni about your group.

1. For class and section groups, use the "email my section/class" tool on the alumni site.
2. Submit your group for the next issue of Class Notes.
3. If you've created a Facebook page, "like" the HBS Alumni page. We'll like you back.
4. Use the "submit a social media group" form to notify us of your new group, and we'll let the community know.

QUESTIONS?

Contact the HBS Alumni Communications team.