A Social Image is a great way to help highlight your content when sharing it in social media and platforms that support them.


Starting in February 2024, content types with the Social Image field allow you to specify and alternate images used on social medial.


The social image field is optional. Other images will be used if a social image is not specified. The image used is determined in the following order of priority:

  1. Social Image
  2. Featured Image (Articles and Events) or Header Background Image (Pages, Departments, others)
  3. Images in the body of the content. This is less reliable and largely depends on the platform where the link is shared.


For example:

  • If an article is saved with a Featured Image only, that image will be used as the thumbnail on our site and when shared on social media. In most cases, this is completely acceptable and all that is necessary.
  • If an article has separate Featured and Social Images, the Featured image will be used as the thumbnail throughout our site, while the Social image will be used when sharing on social media.


FAQs

How do I add a social image?

  • Look for the "Social Image" media field near other setting and metadata options.


What are the dimensions of a social image?

  • Images should be at least 1200 × 630 px. Drupal will fine tune the sizes as long as the image is roughly this size or larger.


What is the difference between Featured and Social Images?

  • Featured images are used internally to generate thumbnails for content in news feeds throughout the site and may be used as social media images.

  • Social Images are only used externally for sharing content on social media or platforms that support og:image metatags.