The LDS Facebook page and the new Facebook profiles
Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:06 pm
I apologize if this has already been raised but I have not been able to find anything about this on the forum and I thought it particularly important to bring up.
Recently Facebook have updated the profile pages, including every ones 'Info' section, which is where anyone can list their Religious views. Facebook has changed the way they are linking to 'Religious views' and are now linking to an actual page that they have created.
Previously, when people could select their religion, the church was listed as an option 'Christian - Latter day saints'. This has since changed, and everyone previously listed as that, is now listed as 'Latter day saint' with a link to this page. Please not that they have removed 'Christian' from all references to this.
So suddenly pretty much every member of the church that had correctly listed their religious views, now has a link pointing to a page which lists us as belonging to a religion that "follow at least some of the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr". Suddenly there are hundreds of thousands of members linking to a page that is no longer identifying them as being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but being members of a "group of religious denominations".
The church does have it's own page here for when people list themselves as "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" which does have more specific details on the church. I have changed my profile page to link to this, but the information is still coming from Wikipedia. The information does not have to come from Wikipedia though. As with any page, the owner, or official representative of the church can take it over.
The official church page on facebook is actually a local business page. The page I have pointed out is listed as a Religion Page. And it is not being controlled by the church. But it can be. The appropriate person just needs to contact facebook by clicking on the link provided on that page.
Here is where we are missing a tremendous opportunity to teach people what we really believe. If members were able to change their 'Religious views' setting on facebook to the churches name, and if the church controlled this page, as it appears it should be able to, then anyone interested in the religious views of any member on facebook can have easy access to the gospel, on a page controlled by the church! As it stands, people cannot link to the churches current page in 'Religious views', because the churches page is listed as a small business and not a religion.
This is a new change to facebook so I don't think that anyone has really picked it up yet and cottoned on to it's potential.
Shouldn't someone be thinking of making the 'Religion page' the churches official page, instead of the 'Local business page' we currently use?
Perhaps this has been noticed already but I have not seen anyone point it out yet.
Recently Facebook have updated the profile pages, including every ones 'Info' section, which is where anyone can list their Religious views. Facebook has changed the way they are linking to 'Religious views' and are now linking to an actual page that they have created.
Previously, when people could select their religion, the church was listed as an option 'Christian - Latter day saints'. This has since changed, and everyone previously listed as that, is now listed as 'Latter day saint' with a link to this page. Please not that they have removed 'Christian' from all references to this.
So suddenly pretty much every member of the church that had correctly listed their religious views, now has a link pointing to a page which lists us as belonging to a religion that "follow at least some of the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr". Suddenly there are hundreds of thousands of members linking to a page that is no longer identifying them as being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but being members of a "group of religious denominations".
The church does have it's own page here for when people list themselves as "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" which does have more specific details on the church. I have changed my profile page to link to this, but the information is still coming from Wikipedia. The information does not have to come from Wikipedia though. As with any page, the owner, or official representative of the church can take it over.
The official church page on facebook is actually a local business page. The page I have pointed out is listed as a Religion Page. And it is not being controlled by the church. But it can be. The appropriate person just needs to contact facebook by clicking on the link provided on that page.
Here is where we are missing a tremendous opportunity to teach people what we really believe. If members were able to change their 'Religious views' setting on facebook to the churches name, and if the church controlled this page, as it appears it should be able to, then anyone interested in the religious views of any member on facebook can have easy access to the gospel, on a page controlled by the church! As it stands, people cannot link to the churches current page in 'Religious views', because the churches page is listed as a small business and not a religion.
This is a new change to facebook so I don't think that anyone has really picked it up yet and cottoned on to it's potential.
Shouldn't someone be thinking of making the 'Religion page' the churches official page, instead of the 'Local business page' we currently use?
Perhaps this has been noticed already but I have not seen anyone point it out yet.