Facebook Guidelines

I am a member of a singles ward with an important question regarding social media. An incident occurred on our ward's unofficial Facebook page where a member of the Bishopric posted the entire ward directory as a file on the Facebook group. This document included contact information from members who had marked their information as private. I am the executive secretary and removed the file, only to be reprimanded by the Bishopric for "overriding" them without authority.

I am seeking guidance as to whether or not it is permissible to put such information on social media sites. Could someone address that directly and let me know if there is a web site I can use to clarify any further questions? Thank you!

Handbook 2 has two sections and Handbook 1 has one section you should look at and then point them out to the bishopric.

Handbook 2 section 21.1.22 addresses the use of the Internet.

zachwinter wrote:An incident occurred on our ward's unofficial Facebook page...

I do not know how that Facebook page is set up. But the guidance in section 21.1.22 states

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.

If that unofficial Facebook page is identified as belonging to the ward or has the appearance as belonging to the Church then there may be a problem.

The next section addresses directories. Handbook 2 section 21.1.15 addresses the limitations on the use of directories. Note the limitation on the information that may be included in the directory. I don't know how access to the Facebook page is controlled. But I doubt the security of information on the page can be controlled adequately to limit it to only ward members. Note that directories are not to be distributed outside the stake or ward boundaries. This could be difficult to prevent if access to the page is not limited to ward members.

When an administrator prints a ward directory from the online Directory there is an option to print "Members with Private Profiles". That option is available in the section titled "Leadership Only". It is clear that a directory printed to include members with private profiles should not be distributed to other than certain ward leaders. Distributing such a directory to all ward members is a violation of the privacy of those members who have chosen to have all or some of their information limited to leadership only. The privacy agreement for the online Directory is available in the "Review the Privacy Agreement" section of Editing Your Profile in the Directory Help. This agreement is what members expect. Ward leaders should abide by that agreement.

When a directory is printed from MLS the visibility limitations members have made to their information in the online Directory are not available. If the bishopric member prints from MLS there is no reminder of those visibility limitations and the bishopric member may need to be reminded there are members who have requested their information to be restricted. The best place to print a directory that will be distributed to the ward membership that will include member selected privacy settings is from the online Directory.

There is a section in Handbook 1 that addresses handling confidential or sensitive information. I do not have access to Handbook 1 so I cannot give the specific section. That section applies to the distribution of member information that has been designated for limited distribution to leadership only as well as member information beyond the stake or ward boundaries.

jdlessley wrote:Handbook 2 section 21.1.22 addresses the use of the Internet. [...]

If that unofficial Facebook page is identified as belonging to the ward or has the appearance as belonging to the Church then there may be a problem.

Some members may try to justify the web page by claiming "Members’ Use of the Internet in Church Callings". However note point 5: "Photographs of other individuals or personal information about them should not be displayed without their consent."

zachwinter wrote:I am the executive secretary and removed the file, only to be reprimanded by the Bishopric for "overriding" them without authority.

If I were you, my very next call would be to whoever conducts your training from the stake. I know stake clerk is responsible for ward clerks, so I'm guessing in your case it's the Executive Secretary. I wouldn't try to straighten your bishopric out. Let them get their correction from their trainers.

I'd highly recommend spending quality time with Handbooks 1 and 2. Once though is not enough. Because you frequently encounter new problems, you'll find new ways of looking at them that may have been overlooked on a prior reading because of the minimal but direct style of the handbook.

Thank you for the detailed responses. This issue concerned me greatly as well, and I appreciate everyone's attentiveness.

The page itself is clearly marked as being unofficial and not owned by the Church, but I will address your concerns with the appropriate leadership. Thanks again!

zachwinter wrote:I am the executive secretary and removed the file, only to be reprimanded by the Bishopric for "overriding" them without authority.

Wither the Bishopric likes it or not you did the right thing by following the handbook. Its always better to correct a gross mistake, then talk about it later than it is to just do nothing.

The next thing you need to do is help your Bishopric to get out of the clerks office and let those who are responsible for doing administration tasks do them, so the Bishopric can do the ministering.

I think it would be really great if an "unofficial" ward Facebook page contained nothing but a link to the official "Tools" portion of LDS.org. I realize that the members of a YSA ward are more likely to visit Facebook out of habit. Somehow, however, we need them to develop a habit of visiting LDS.org, where 1) the ward's web presence will always be official, where 2) the listings in the directory will always be within church policies and where 3) there's an official newsletter section which, when used correctly, will tell them everything they need to know in order to be involved.

…and then I realize that the YSA members are likely to be annoyed by the way LDS.org will never keep them logged in (like Facebook does a bit too much) and even when they log in they get kicked off after just a few minutes. This lack of a persistent login may seem essential to the people at CHQ but I think it is a serious handicap to inviting people to use LDS.org on a regular, habitual basis. I'm not suggesting I have "the answer" but as long as this is what's happening then YSA Wards will continue to try using alternatives that seem more convenient to the members, like Facebook or blogs, instead of the official church resources. After all, with Facebook you just click on your bookmark or "favorite" link and bang! You're there... without having to go to a sign-in page every single time!

zachwinter wrote:The page itself is clearly marked as being unofficial and not owned by the Church

Note that those guidelines only apply to personal pages. Wards and stakes cannot have a page - period.

@russellhltn

"Note that those guidelines only apply to personal pages. Wards and stakes cannot have a page - period."

Can you provide a link/reference were that statement is made official by the church? I am working with our Bishop on setting up/using online tools for the ward.

toddf wrote:@russellhltn

"Note that those guidelines only apply to personal pages. Wards and stakes cannot have a page - period."

Can you provide a link/reference were that statement is made official by the church? I am working with our Bishop on setting up/using online tools for the ward.

Handbook 2 section 21.1.22

I'm working (my calling) with a YSA stake. My read from the handbook (see quotes below) is that a person could establish facebook page or group to use in Church callings as long as they state "“This is not an official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Wondering if others understand this the same way?

Official Church Internet Resources

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.

Members’ Use of the Internet in Church Callings

Individual members may create Web sites or blogs or make use of other appropriate Internet resources in their Church callings, provided they include a disclaimer such as “This is not an official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

There are additional restrictions other than the disclaimer. Follow all five of the numbered requirements found in "Members’ Use of the Internet in Church Callings" of 21.1.22. But essentially you are correct in that you can have a Facebook page in carrying out the responsibilities of your calling.

Thanks

jdlessley wrote:There are additional restrictions other than the disclaimer. Follow all five of the numbered requirements found in "Members’ Use of the Internet in Church Callings" of 21.1.22. But essentially you are correct in that you can have a Facebook page in carrying out the responsibilities of your calling.

Here is an update of "Use of Online Resources in Church Callings" https://www.lds.org/pages/online-resour ... s?lang=eng

1968leocomeeatabite wrote:Here is an update of "Use of Online Resources in Church Callings" https://www.lds.org/pages/online-resour ... s?lang=eng

What changed? I did a quick side-by-side comparison from Feb 14th and didn't spot anything different.

One thing I did notice in the re-reading was the emphasis on getting written permission from people shown in photos. That could put a crimp in some people's expected use of Facebook where adding photos is common and permission, if sought, is merely verbal.

The Permission Form Example at that site is rather severe. I am not a lawyer, but I wouldn't sign it or ask anyone else to. It gives me the impression I'm giving irrevocable and exclusive permission to use any past, present, or future recordings that include me! I would certainly sign something less onerous, like granting non-exclusive permission to use photos taken at church events that include me. Such permission is common for school and scouting events. Does anyone have any examples of permission forms that grant only the needed permissions?

rsidwell wrote:The Permission Form Example at that site is rather severe.

No argument there, but I think I know why it's written that way. If you limit it to "church events", then in the event of a lawsuit, the church would have to prove it was taken at a church event and not a private gathering with the same people. The YSA in particular do things outside of church properties, so there might be some confusion if it's a church event or not.

Just to clarify and to make sure that we are talking about the same thing or what I think that we should be referring to. at the very end of "Use of Online Resources in Church calling" it has this link https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/c ... elease.pdf (This is provided for us as an example only, we are not to use this form, but to make our own form) The purpose of this self made form is to give the individual or individuals that are responsible for the Facebook presence or in other words the administrators, the protection from lawsuits. I emphasize that it is not for the protection of the church or the ward. This Facebook presence (if done as directed) does not represent the church nor is in the name of the ward.

Apparently we can use this form as an example. https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/c ... elease.pdf to create our own. I called the churches Intellectual property office and received excellent answers to my questions. We need to create this form to protect our selves. We can file it as we think should be done, but we need to remember that it is for the protection of the individual or individuals that are responsible for the group or site. Some wards use this form to move on to the ward's annual history.

Therefore my point is that we can adapt the form to be as simple as we think proper, Only to get permission to use it on the facebook group's site. Or if we will use the pictures in the annual history then the stronger wording or use of the other forms, which the church provides. Buy the way there are two similar threads this one and one called Best practices for Facebook https://tech.lds.org/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 60#p146157. Specifically page 6 & 3rd post down on that page.

Thanks. I get that we make our own form (even though we aren't lawyers!). But the example one linked at Use of Online Resources in Church Callings is a really bad starting point. Does anyone have a better one? Has anyone made their own form for this that they would care to share with the forum?

1968leocomeeatabite wrote:This is provided for us as an example only, we are not to use this form, but to make our own form

Which leaves wide-open the question of what are the parts we should emulate and what are we free to change? Since we're not lawyers, I'd hesitate to change the legal language. I know where we could find some lawyers in our stake, but I'm not sure as they'd touch something that wasn't in their area of practice.

We just have each member fill out an info sheet when they move in, and on the info sheet there's a yes/no question that says "May we post ward activity photos on Facebook that include you?" (there's another yes/no for "May we add your photo to the ward directory?").

rsidwell wrote:Thanks. I get that we make our own form (even though we aren't lawyers!). But the example one linked at Use of Online Resources in Church Callings is a really bad starting point. Does anyone have a better one? Has anyone made their own form for this that they would care to share with the forum?

Some very good points! I have started to work on it, but get befuddled, and stop. maybe just as simple as s Bradshaw is doing? Yet Russell has a good point also. What to do?

Well, maybe you could just tell your bishop that your information was private and that you didn't want it to be shared like that

There is a new Facebook page titled

Hope for Healing - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I messaged the administrator of this page and told her she was in error to use the name of the Church on the page and gave her a copy of the guidelines. She has not made any changes. How can I let the Church know this is happening?

aumanjacelyn1 wrote:There is a new Facebook page titled

Hope for Healing - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I messaged the administrator of this page and told her she was in error to use the name of the Church on the page and gave her a copy of the guidelines. She has not made any changes. How can I let the Church know this is happening?

I'd send a message to the contact listed at the end of the Terms of use page.

aumanjacelyn1 wrote:the name of the Church

The name of the Church was not capitalized correctly, either.

As russellhltn said, send the information to the address at the bottom of the Terms of Use page. That is the appropriate group to resolve this.