Social Media Policy

Social Media Policy – Christ Church

This Social Media Policy (the “policy”) applies to all online or mobile-based tools for sharing content and discussing information, whether controlled by Christ Church or hosted on other platforms (such as Facebook), on which members of the Christ community engage in activities relating to Christ Church.

The term “social media” refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications, and social interaction through the use of words, images, video or audio tools. Examples include, but are not limited to, social websites, blogs, message boards, wikis, podcasts, image- and video-sharing sites, live webcasting and real-time web communities.

Because this is a constantly evolving area, this policy applies to all new social media platforms whether or not they are specifically mentioned in this policy.

General Guidelines

• Be selective: There are a variety of digital media available. Use the right medium for your message
– a blog or social network might not be the right place for messages intended only for a small group
— email or other means might be best.

• Be responsible: Social media are individual interactions, not official parish communications. Members of the Christ Church community are personally responsible for their posts and should use “I” statements so it is clear that opinions expressed are personal and not official. Official statements of parish policy may only be made by the Rector or his designee.

• Be smart: A blog or community post is visible to the entire world. Remember that what you write will be public, and potentially for a long time. Be respectful to our community. A good rule of
thumb might be to post nothing that you wouldn’t want your mother or a judge in a court of law to read.

• Identify yourself: Authenticity and transparency are driving forces behind social media. Use real identities to the greatest extent possible rather than anonymous posts and comments.

• Respect the privacy of others: Do not publish the personal information of others in the community without their permission or, in the case of minors, written permission of their parents.

• Be respectful: Christ Church is a thoughtful and prayerful community that encourages free expression and values civil debate. If you disagree with others, do so with civility. Respect your audience, express your views with appropriate language, and be respectful of the Church and its teachings.

• Do not tell secrets: Respect the confidentiality of matters that are shared with you in confidence, or that are meant to be kept confidential by the nature of your work, ministry or volunteer mission.

Specific Policies

1. Use of Official Name and Logo.
Any use of the Christ Church name or logo for branding or titling pages, blogs, or other similar elements of social media must be approved in writing prior to use. Requests for prior consent to use such names or logos should be made to office.

Any uses in existence at the time of adoption of this policy are not grandfathered and should be authorized pursuant to this policy. Permission to use the name or logo of the parish may be revoked at any time in the sole discretion of Christ Church. This policy, however, should fully preserve free expression. It should not, for example, be interpreted to limit the ability of members of the Christ Church community from using the name of Christ Church to identify themselves in profiles, discuss matters relating to Christ Church, or other similar uses.

2. Interpretation.
In areas where this policy does not provide a direct answer for how members of our community should answer social-media questions, members should use their best judgment and take the most thoughtful and prudent action possible, bearing in mind Christ Church’s need to preserve accountability for the use of its name in all social media.

3. Duties of Moderators.
Moderators of official Christ Church social media are responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy statement. All comment and blog response areas must be moderated; all social media pages/groups/platforms must include a staff admin. Those responsible for such areas must monitor and review for posts or comments that do not meet our standards for civility, that misrepresents the position of the parish, that include profanity, defamatory language or speech that is otherwise inappropriate or off-topic and any commercial or fundraising posts. Anonymous comments should not be permitted. All moderation functions should reserve the right delete comments or posts in violation of the above – and to ban repeat offenders.

4. Individual Judgment.
Even when engaging in social media for personal use, the comments of a member of the Christ Church community may be viewed as a reflection on Christ Church. Users should use their best judgment when engaging in social media activities and should be on guard against actions and discussions that could harm the interests of our community.

5. Transparency.
Users’ social media communications are made in their personal capacity and not on behalf of Christ Church. Statements made by members of the Christ Church community should not be taken as expressing the formal position of Christ Church unless the speaker is specifically authorized.

6. Copyright Laws.
Users must comply fully with copyright law when posting and uploading copyrighted materials. Any posting of materials to official Christ Church social media must be limited to materials in which the copyright is owned by the party seeking to post the information. Images and other materials from the Christ Church parish website shall not be copied and uploaded to other forums without the prior written consent. This policy should not be construed to limit discussion of matters using the Christ Church name, and it should not be interpreted to limit users’ ability to link to Christ Church sites.

7. Privacy.
All users of social media within the Christ Church community should take care to safeguard the privacy interests of other community members. In particular, personally identifiable information (that is, information that can identify a particular person, including name, phone number, address or email address) should not be disclosed without the prior written consent of the person identified. In cases where a user has consented to the publication of such information, appropriate privacy settings and levels should be utilized. Users of social media must comply with the Christ Church Privacy Policy.

8. Minors.
Social media maintained by Christ Church are not intended for the use of children under the age of 13. Any site operated by Christ Church that is oriented toward youth between the ages of 13 and 18 must require registration for all users and must be password-protected so that only registered users may access the site. Registration for such a site must require the use of a legal name and valid contact information, such as an operational email address. Users of such a site may not post images of minors without the prior written consent of a parent or legal guardian of any minor depicted.

9. If You See Something, Say Something.
Any use of social media that does not comply with this policy should be brought to the attention of the curate curate@ccparish.org

10. Commercial/Promotional/Fundraising posts: We reserve the right to remove posts of commercial, promotional or fundraising nature – including promoting personal blog sites.

*adapted from All Saint’s Pasadena