Home/Visiting Teaching site

[jcleveland]

A third party website I was recently introduced to is www.ldsplan.com . It has many scheduling features and it will allowsyou to report and an e-mail be sent to the whoever you need to report to. It is absolutely fabulous and best of all it is FREE! I am trying it for the first time this month and so far I love how it works.

[Gary_Miller]

A third party website I was recently introduced to is www.ldsplan.com . It has many scheduling features and it will allowsyou to report and an e-mail be sent to the whoever you need to report to. It is absolutely fabulous and best of all it is FREE! I am trying it for the first time this month and so far I love how it works.

Kind of takes the personal part of HT/VT away. I think making personnel contact to schedule appointments say you really care. Having it schedule as they do on the site just says we just need the numbers so when can we come.

[lajackson]

It appears that it could be a viable scheduling tool. I would caution that nothing of a confidential nature be put in the notes.

[jdlessley]

A third party website I was recently introduced to is www.ldsplan.com . It has many scheduling features and it will allowsyou to report and an e-mail be sent to the whoever you need to report to. It is absolutely fabulous and best of all it is FREE! I am trying it for the first time this month and so far I love how it works.

I find the idea laudable, but there are some issues about the site that are questionable as to complying with Church policies and procedures.

Without signing up for it all I can comment on is based on the home, "how it works", and "about us" pages. I would use caution when using it. There are privacy concerns users need to be aware of.

Any private information about others that you put on the site should have their explicit approval. For example, where you get their e-mail address matters. If you get it from a Church source such as MLS or LDS.org (directory) then you must get the member's approval to use it. Do not put any information that you obtained from Church sources on the site application without get the member's approval. (Source: Handbook 2, 21.1.30, 21.1.15)

Discussing or reporting information about individuals or families on such a site could contain confidential or sensitive information. Confidential and sensitive information should not be reported through this site. Confidential information should be reported only to the elders quorum president, high priests group leader, or Relief Society president . (Source: Handbook 2, 7.4.4, 9.5.4). It is for the last reason that I would avoid using such a site to report the results of home/visiting teaching or more specifically the notes section.

The Church has not approved this site for this purpose and its use could be contrary to Church policies on confidential information.

There is a statement the author places on pages of the site that he believes justifies the sites design and use. That statement is

This is not an official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is however, in direct compliance with church policy found here in 21.1.22

(bold added for emphasis) The first sentence is required by Church policy. It is the last sentence that is, in my opinion, not correct. Adding the first sentence is only a partial compliance with section 21.1.22.

The very first sentence of section 21.1.22 states that "[w]hen carefully used, the Internet can help coordinate the work of the Church, strengthen faith, and minister to the needs of others." When there can be inadvertent disclosures of private, confidential, or sensitive information, then I do not believe the site is being "carefully used". While the site displays a SiteLock logo there is no way to verify the security of the site, who has access to the information passed on the site, or if there is any information that may be stored on the author's server or some other third party server. The storage of information is important in that there is potential for private, confidential, or sensitive information to be stored there and therefore out of control of the Church or the individuals who's information may be stored.

From what I can tell, without the notes, the rest of the setting up and managing appoints could benefit some people.

[gregwanderson]

Apart from the concerns mentioned thus far, I just don't think a lot of people in my ward would enjoy the kind of automated system that ldsplan.com is suggesting. Also, our church leaders already complain that our text-crazed youth aren't developing other important communication skills. This is kind of giving in to the texting culture.

[adamhirk]

It is obvious that those who have negatively commented about LDSplan.com have never used it and therefore never seen it's amazing potential for everyone especially those in leadership positions such as myself.

First, jdlessley stated:

"When there can be inadvertent disclosures of private, confidential, or sensitive information, then I do not believe the site is being carefully used"

This council from the handbook was for the members who are using the website not for the website itself. If you are going to start condemning websites with the potential for members to misuse it then you better make a statement against almost every website on the internet including Facebook. In fact LDSplan.com has very little potential for not being "carefully used" compared to many other more popular websites.

Second, for the two members who stated that LDSplan might take away some of the personal contact of home or visiting teaching, I say one more visit in the home is worth more than 100 quick phone calls about scheduling. We are finding that by having LDSplan take away much of the difficulty in scheduling many more visits to homes are being made.

This advancement in efficiency with home and visiting teaching should be embraced and encouraged by the church, if it's not "officially approved" then it should be. Everything about home and visiting teaching can been improved by LDSplan.com. Leaders spend less time on collecting numbers and more time helping families. Home and visiting teachers spend less time worrying about scheduling their appointments and more time about how to be a better home and visiting teacher.

[jdlessley]

This council from the handbook was for the members who are using the website not for the website itself.

I don't see how you can separate what the site provides and what people do with the site. Your interpretation of the Handbook is just that, an interpretation. I don't agree with your interpretation. Using the Internet involves both website creation as well as individual use of those web sites created.

If you are going to start condemning websites...

At no time have I condemned the website being discussed in this thread. If you will note I even stated that the site was laudable. My concerns are in regard to meeting the privacy of members as well as sensitivity of information that could be exposed on the site. I hardly find having concerns about privacy or complying with Church policies and procedures to be condemning.

[adamhirk]

I understand and am sorry for being antagonistic. I have just found LDSplan.com to be a worthy tool and felt the need to defend it.

[marianomarini]

I asked about privacy policy an this is what I get.

Yes, the database is secure and encrypted. To insure privacy each teacher is required to manually give access to their leader by submitting their mail address. Leadership cannot access this information without first being given access by the teacher.
This process ensures no one is given access to any information which they should not have.

So I think that no ONE can view data but only who are personally allowed in one-by-one basis.