Tech Forum

Something great happened in our stake last night...in addition to major boundary changes deleting one ward, adding 2 new ones, 5 new bishoprics getting sustained, etc. Last week the stake clerk called me to help him with sending an email to the stake. After doing this, I took advantage of his login and had him open the stake Newsletter... A few weeks ago I had published an article with a photo with the hope that someone in the stake might read it..... He was so impressed with the simplicity of publishing on the newsletter that he passed the word on to the stake presidency. Last night they announced to the overflow crowd that they could see maps of all the new ward boundaries in the stake newsletter and told them how to access it. I spent a few minutes with the stake clerk after the meeting and all the maps are now in the newsletter. After years of trying to get anyone interested in using the newsletter, our stake may have finally turned the corner!

zaneclark wrote:After years of trying to get anyone interested in using the newsletter, our stake may have finally turned the corner!

I guess you can now call it "years" since the Newsletter tool was released, but it's not been too many. Of course, maybe you were trying to get people using the newsletter on LUWS.

Congratulations on getting some use out of the tool. I often times think the only people who look at the Newsletter are me and one of the other ward clerks in my ward. It's an uphill battle to get people to use this unless there are push notifications. But we do have a lot of content on our ward newsletter in case anyone ever looks.

It really is a shame that this solution is so minimal, however, with the recent changes in the internet policies, one could see this as a tool that is being deprecated in favor of facebook or a blog site.

johnshaw wrote:...with the recent changes in the internet policies, one could see this as a tool that is being deprecated in favor of facebook or a blog site.

What are the recent changes in internet policies?

Best place I've seen it is here http://ldsliving.com/story/76637-church ... cial-media

johnshaw wrote:Best place I've seen it is here http://ldsliving.com/story/76637-church ... cial-media

That reference is for personal use of the Internet as a missionary tool. There is nothing in that page that addresses social media as a substitute for communicating within units, which is what the Newsletter is designed to do. In addition to Handbook 2, 21.1.22, a more applicable LDS.org site page that members should look at when considering social media for Church units, or social media in callings, is Use of Online Resources in Church Callings. That page provides examples and gives more clarification to 21.1.22. When talking about the Newsletter, item 9 of the general guidelines states; "Websites, blogs, and social media profiles should not duplicate tools and features that are already available on LDS.org."

mevans wrote:What are the recent changes in internet policies?

I think he's referring to this: internet.lds.org.

With the old policy, it was "no ward pages". But this does allow limited ward pages.

Yes, the article only calls out part of the changes, but includes that Changes were made to 21.1.22. and provides a link to the handbook as well.

I wrote this synopsis for our Stake Director of Communications regarding the changes to the internet policies;

Hello Unit Leaders,

Recently the Church has set new standards for Social Media.

Handbook 2 - 21.1.22 (link below) and the Use of Online Resources in Church Callings (link below) has new and updated information that is pertinent for those that use Social Media Pages for your Unit and Auxiliary groups.

A few item to highlight; Unit Leaders should review all social media pages/blogs within their respective units. Please make sure the page is appropriately named, according to the new guidelines. Please make sure that pages are monitored often, assign more than one person. Utilize and encourage the use of church tools such as the Ward Newsletter and Calendar @lds.org.

Here are the key points to review;
The website, blog, or social media profile should not be the name of a Church unit. For example, “First Ward News” or “Friends of the First Ward” is acceptable, while “First Ward” is not.
Local priesthood leaders must first approve the creation of calling-related websites, blogs, or social media profiles.
The bishop assigns a member of the ward council to create a public social media page to promote upcoming ward activities that would be of interest especially to new members, less-active members, and the general community. The ward council member maintains the page under the guidance of a bishopric member and includes announcements and invitations to ward activities. The name of the page is “Riverview 1st Ward Events.”
Social media properties must be properly maintained and actively moderated to ensure that any inappropriate content is promptly removed. Having more than one moderator or owner will help ensure active monitoring and timely moderation.
The name and contact information of the member who is responsible for the website, blog, or social media profile should be posted publicly.
Websites, blogs, and social media profiles should not duplicate tools and features that are already available on LDS.org.
Social media properties must be properly maintained and actively moderated to ensure that any inappropriate content is promptly removed. Having more than one moderator or owner will help ensure active monitoring and timely moderation.
A website, blog, or social media page should never be used as a replacement for the printed sacrament meeting program or bulletin board.
Social media profiles, pages, and groups can be either public (open to everyone) or private (only accessible to those who have been invited to participate by a moderator). There are benefits and drawbacks to both options. When setting up a new page, group, or profile, prayerfully consider the benefits of being either public or private.
Please review the links below for the entire policy to ensure compliance.
https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2 ... ng#21.1.22
https://www.lds.org/pages/online-resour ... b-internet

If you need additional guidance, please do not hesitate to ask.

mschuda wrote: Websites, blogs, and social media profiles should not duplicate tools and features that are already available on LDS.org.

That's the really tricky part. The tools and features at LDS.org could be better utilized. I could probably make the argument that almost every website, blog or social media profile created (or maintained) under this new policy is actually just duplicating what could already be accomplished through LDS.org.