Social media is but a form of communication for us to be able to engage people in a different medium where people are. When used well, this web application can be the instrument of major success with increased attendance at your events, more visibility for your church, and clever ways to celebrate your staff, volunteers, and the work your congregation is doing. But as with any tool, there are unique and sometimes perilous barriers to using social media safely.
James Franco
James Franco is just one of a series of people getting caught using social media wrong. He believed that his line of communication was private, which is what led to an informal and inappropriate conversation that ended uncomfortably. What was interesting from this situation was Franco’s comment about the social media platform.
James Franco on LIVE with Kelly and Michael
[tentblogger-youtube jWQGECiTpOE]
[YouTube]
“I’m embarrassed and I guess I’m just a model of how social media is tricky.”
Whether you are a full-time staff person or a volunteer that is just starting out, you are representing the ministry you are serving in. As a member of this church, you need to understand that there are rules that must be followed online that simply cannot be violated. To help protect my ministry team, whether the church technology ministry, youth group, or a Saturday morning men’s Bible study, I have all volunteers commit to our social media policy.
Social Media Basics
Here are some of the basics:
- All Communication On Social Media Is Public
It does not matter how innocent or urgent the conversation is, all communication must be publicly visible. As with texting teenagers one-on-one, all volunteers must use caution and integrity with private communications. This includes private Facebook chats and direct messages on Twitter. We have a zero tolerance policy that any communication privately must immediately be turned publicly or there will be the consequence of removal from the leadership position. This might make it difficult for the teen who needs to have a heart to heart with you, but we were successful in ministry before SMS or tweets, we can do so now too. Too much negligence and false blame has led ministries to need to protect themselves. - No Photos Posted Without Written Permission
I know that this sounds silly, you need to have formal written permission to post an image online. But what if you did not know that a teen’s parents were going through a nasty legal divorce and the mother or father didn’t want the spouse to know where they were? You take picture on your phone and post it to your ministry’s Facebook page. Sure, you have a fun filter, thought of a great Bible verse, and know that people will respond. But that geolocation you left on there leaves the possibility for the family open to a potentially bad situation. Get permission once a year for every person in every family, regardless of how old they are or if you will ever take their picture and post it online. - Stop Cyberbullying Immediately
Bullying is obviously never warranted in any place within the church and it would be expected that they would stop any such actions. But social media allows us to passively see teenagers hurting each other. Yet our duty to stop it is just as high and we must address such situations.
These are just a couple of situations that need to be addressed online.
Eric Dye says
Wait.
By waiting a few minutes or hours, you may avoid embarrassing yourself. Whenever you can minimize “reactive” social media, you should.
Jeremy Smith says
But I have the feelings now! And they HAVE to hear what I have to say….
(At least that is the rationale in the moment.)