Mastodon Information

The Mastodon instance on which the University of Mannheim has its profile is operated by the commissioner for data protection and freedom of information of Baden-Württemberg (Landesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg).  More information on the data protection of this instance can be found here.

Public relations work for the University of Mannheim also takes place on Mastodon. With this utilization plan, the University of Mannheim is assuming its responsibility and role model function for using social media as a public body in accordance with the “Guidelines of the commissioner for data protection and freedom of information of Baden-Württemberg (LfDI) on the use of social networks by public bodies” (PDF). Please also note the data protection declaration.

1. General information about Mastodon
Mastodon is a decentralized microblogging service (for more information, see the Mastodon information page or Wikipedia). The Mastodon instance of the LfDI, on which the account of the University of Mannheim is located, is not open to the general public for registration, but you can create an account on any Mastodon instance. On the Mastodon information page, you will find selected instances, many more can be found ein this Mastodon  instancelist, for example. You can also search for German-language instances or filter in other ways.

Registered users can publish short messages free of charge via this service. These toots have a limited length of 500 characters and are usually visible to everyone, including non-registered persons.

Users can register with others as “followers” so that they can receive their text messages.

2. Purpose of the Mastodon use by the University of Mannheim
The Mastodon account is a useful addition to existing communication channels such as the website, press releases, newsletters, print products, and events. The Mastodon account helps paint a diverse picture of learning, teaching, research, and life at the University of Mannheim, which appeals to prospective students and increases the sense of identification that students and alumni feel toward their university. It also gives the public insight into the university's research and teaching activities as well as the work of university institutions, student bodies, and student organizations.

3. Type and scope of use of Mastodon by the University of Mannheim
The University of Mannheim operates an account on Mastodon with a logo and short profile.

The Mastodon account of the University of Mannheim informs users about current reporting on university topics, news from science, research and teaching, events and other interesting facts about the campus.

The University of Mannheim's posts essentially correspond to the content posted on other University of Mannheim social media channels.

Regular content of the University of Mannheim's Mastodon account includes:

• information about ranking results and other achievements of the university, as well as achievements and awards given to researchers, employees, students, and alumni of the university
• information on ongoing research projects and research results
• Information on university events

4. Responsibilities for editorial/technical supervision
The controller for editorial supervision is the media spokeswoman Linda Schädler and the Communications department.

5. Alternative information and contact options
We would like to point out to users that the Mastodon channel is only an additional option for contacting the University of Mannheim or obtaining information from it. Alternatively, the information offered on Mastodon can also be accessed via the corresponding links on our website at www.uni-mannheim.de or on the other linked websites.

You can send all inquiries to our central inbox infomail-uni-mannheim.de. Press inquiries can be sent to the University of Mannheim. The social media team can be reached at redaktionmail-uni-mannheim.de.

The University of Mannheim can be reached by telephone at +49 621 181-2222. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Postal address:
Universität Mannheim
Schloss
68131 Mannheim

You can find an overview of the various ways to get in touch with the University of Mannheim on the contact website.

6. Commitment
We will evaluate this utilization plan once a year to determine whether and how it is being used. This evaluation of the utilization plan takes into account the usage figures and reach as well as the target group structure of the networks.

The Mastodon instance on which the University of Mannheim has its profile is operated by the commissioner for data protection and freedom of information of Baden-Württemberg (Landesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg). More information on the netiquette of this instance can be found here.