Can A Stake Have a Blog?

Our Stake President has asked if we can have a stake blog to use for posting pictures and brief stories about stake events such as service days, 4th of July stake breakfast, YW camp, training events and so forth. Does anyone know what guidelines exist regarding creating a stake blog? If allowed, any recommended method or site such as blogspot.com or other? Any stakes have a successful blog and have tips on how to proceed? Thanks for your help.

You're in luck! Check out this new tool that was just released...

https://tech.lds.org/blog/517-newslette ... -unit-news

But it's not a blog.
Leaders can publish news and anouncements but there's no way to post a reply or a comment or a question.

marianomarini wrote:But it's not a blog.
Leaders can publish news and anouncements but there's no way to post a reply or a comment or a question.

No one said a blog has to allow comments. There are many, many blogs on the Internet that don't allow comments. The Newsletter is most certainly a blog.

Note also that the original post said nothing about comments -- the Newsletter feature meets the requirements that were stated, and it has the great added advantage of being secured and within policy.

Bottom line: Please use the Newsletter tool on LDS.org and avoid using other outside services like blogspot. Always use the church-provided services for anything tied to a church unit.

kammeyer4 wrote:Our Stake President has asked if we can have a stake blog to use for posting pictures and brief stories about stake events such as service days, 4th of July stake breakfast, YW camp, training events and so forth. Does anyone know what guidelines exist regarding creating a stake blog? If allowed, any recommended method or site such as blogspot.com or other? Any stakes have a successful blog and have tips on how to proceed? Thanks for your help.

Please point your Stake President to Handbook 2:21.1.22

Stake and ward Web sites may be created only by using the official Church Internet resources. Stakes and wards are not authorized to create other Web sites or blogs or otherwise have a Church-sponsored presence on the Internet.

That section does detail exceptions and how personal blogs should be handled.

I agree that Newsletter meet the requirement of kammeyer4 post.
I was distracted by a request of our RS Stake President that ask for a blog for sharing idea and comments.
Maybe a forum will be more worth for that.

Great comments and information - thanks to each of you for your replies. I'll do these things:
-Check out the new tool mentioned in Post #2
-Review Handbook 2 21.1.22
-Search the wiki for more info
-Use the newsletter tool on lds.org rather than having a blog at blogspot or similar.

Another great advantage of the newsletter tool is that nobody will ever have trouble remembering where to find it. Anyone who signs in at LDS.org will easily stumble across it, whether local leaders have told them about it or not.

1. What is the difference between a forum and a blog?
2. Does the church allow for a stake to make a forum where comments can be made?
3. What if non-members would like to see and learn from comments posted on a stake blog through LDS.org? Can someone grant them access or would they have to be a member of the church?

You might want to read the Handbook quote in post #6.

marcenerainey wrote:1. What is the difference between a forum and a blog?

You can search the Internet for this answer. This site has a simple answer.

marcenerainey wrote:2. Does the church allow for a stake to make a forum where comments can be made?

Answered in post #11 which refers to post #6, which refers to the Handbook (Feel like you're getting the run-around? ). The short answer is no.

marcenerainey wrote:3. What if non-members would like to see and learn from comments posted on a stake blog through LDS.org? Can someone grant them access or would they have to be a member of the church?

Not today. Currently only members have access to ward applications through LDS.org. Only printed copies of the Newsletter can be distributed to nonmembers.