Tech Forum

JohnShaw wrote:How many 5th Sunday's have I sat through asking that people use the online tools.... there is still something that we're not getting as a church, I think. Why don't people want their information in the directory?

As a member of the directory team, I'm definitely in favor of people using it. But I recognize that giving my email address to my HP Group Leader is a very different experience from entering my email address into a computer system that a) I don't understand, b) appears quite public, and c) appears to be outside my control. It can be uncomfortable or even intimidating.

The only way to overcome this is to continue teaching how the system works (it's really not that public, and you do have a good level of control over your information), and by trying to make it as valuable as possible to opt-in. If someone's position continues to be "no thanks", I see that as completely acceptable. The church thrived long before email was invented.

jdcr256 wrote:appears quite public

There's a significant difference between giving it to the RS presidency and putting it out there where the "Multi-level Maven", "Political Patriot" or the "Ward Weirdo" can get it. Yeah, they're not supposed to do that, but one they have that in their database, there's not much anyone can do about it.

I see an increase use of LDS.org a combination of many factors. So, use a combination of many factors.

1) tithing settlement sign-ups
2) RS and Quorum "pass arounds" of the ward list, with an attached red pen, asking for email and phone corrections
3) Highlight the benefits continually:
in your leadership meetings, in your ward and stake member meetings, in your announcements and bulletins....

The members need to see enough benefit to actually log on and see what a great resource it is. They will get hooked!

JohnShaw wrote:This has been an ongoing discussion in my stake now for about 3 years... we've asked that TS be the time this is updated, but still we have nothing more than a household, number.... they are not putting in individual phone number, nor are they putting in email addresses. How many 5th Sunday's have I sat through asking that people use the online tools.... there is still something that we're not getting as a church, I think. Why don't people want their information in the directory?

The result is a RS list, and EQ list, a HP list, a Bishopric list, etc... everyone has all the numbers except the Clerk and MLS... it drives me crazy....

At risk of moving somewhat away from the original subject of this thread...
People may have good/legitimate reasons for not wanting certain personal information in the directory. We need to respect their desires for privacy, etc. That being said, if people are allowing their personal phone numbers/e-mail addresses to be included in other lists, it would seem they would be fine with having the info in MLS as well. I suggest having the RS Pres, EQ Pres, etc. ask if their members are OK with having their contact info in the central database and then passing these lists on to the ward clerk to update in MLS.

RussellHltn wrote:There's a significant difference between giving it to the RS presidency and putting it out there where the "Multi-level Maven", "Political Patriot" or the "Ward Weirdo" can get it. Yeah, they're not supposed to do that, but one they have that in their database, there's not much anyone can do about it.

Sure you can, add them to your block list (email). As for my phone, I'd rather have people I don't want to talk to in my address book so I know who it is instead of answering by mistake.

greggo wrote:At risk of moving somewhat away from the original subject of this thread...
People may have good/legitimate reasons for not wanting certain personal information in the directory. We need to respect their desires for privacy, etc. That being said, if people are allowing their personal phone numbers/e-mail addresses to be included in other lists, it would seem they would be fine with having the info in MLS as well. I suggest having the RS Pres, EQ Pres, etc. ask if their members are OK with having their contact info in the central database and then passing these lists on to the ward clerk to update in MLS.

The directory allows you select whether or not to include your telephone and/or e-mail in the ward directory. This seems to be more of a training issue. The popularity of Facebook shows that people are generally willing to share information; they just need to feel reasonably safe doing it.

caj36 wrote:My Stake President would like to see an increased use of lds.org by members..

JohnShaw wrote:This has been an ongoing discussion in my stake now for about 3 years... they are not putting in individual phone number, nor are they putting in email addresses. Why don't people want their information in the directory?

I think there is a giant distinction between the original poster's comment (above) which mentions a desire to have LDS.org be used his membership, and JohnShaw's wish (and mine) to have correct contact information (phones and emails) of those same members available to leaders, which definitely does makes a leaders job easier.

Certainly, the goal should be to have a member feel confident that he can register with his LDS account, using all the fabulous online resources, but still control the privacy of his personal information.

Analyze what you are really saying in all those fifth Sunday meetings and at tithing settlement: Are we essentially saying to our members: "Sign-up so I can email you," or "sign-up so you can use all the cool on-line resources?" Our choice of words may be the deciding factor....

JohnShaw wrote: Why don't people want their information in the directory?

This is a more difficult question, but the following is a true story:

A ward member enters his email, but in the directory he makes sure there is no check in the box: "Show in Ward Directory:" He doesn't want his email in the ward directory, for whatever reason, right?

However, he also DOES NOT get the following emails:

• He didn't get the event reminder email, sent from the calendar system, that the calendar editor had modified the ward party scheduled for that night, after a huge windstorm, stating it would be held as planned, encouraging him and all neighbors to come to the church and warm themselves and have a hot meal after working all day long.
• He didn't get the email that Sunday from the stake president, sent to all stake members form the "leader" tools, telling him that all church services except sacrament would be cancelled that day, and he should work with his ward leaders and the community to prepare and help others before another storm.
• He didn't get the email from his stake clerk asking when his missionary child would return home so they could schedule the release with the stake president.

Although he didn't get these emails, I'm sure he wished he had, and wondered why he didn't. He didn't because he selected not to have his email in the directory and didn't know this also eliminated these other uses of his email.

jdcr256 wrote:As a member of the directory team, I'm definitely in favor of people using it. ....

The only way to overcome this is to continue teaching how the system works (it's really not that public, and you do have a good level of control over your information), and by trying to make it as valuable as possible to opt-in. If someone's position continues to be "no thanks", I see that as completely acceptable. The church thrived long before email was invented.

The member quoted above wanted these other emails from his leaders. Telling him how it works when it doesn't work like it should is difficult.

jdcr256, members don't understand that the directory privacy selections controls the emails in all these other systems, but it is NOT clear that this is the case. Many want emails in many cases, just not all cases, and they can't specify this. So, please add to your list of "the only way to overcome this" is working to improve LDS.org's privacy options, and improving the emailing features for leaders.

I posed the question for the purpose of discussion. In my Ward Clerk years, during tithing settlement, 100% of the people who came to tithing settlement gave me mobile number of husband and wife (if they had them) and allowed me to take a family picture which I uploaded to the LUWS photo directory. I only had one family object to the picture because they had a family rule about posting their pictures on the Internet... after explaining that the picture is limited to ward and stake members with valid LDS Account logins, the family was ok with the picture. I also did this with EVERY family that moved into our ward. This took very little of my time, but I think served a much greater purpose.

As a Ward Clerk and items about phones, email, etc... came up in and Council meetings, I openly discouraged the keeping of 'separate lists' because of their natural exclusion (my wife was not on a RS list that was kept for a couple of years because an old email of mine was on that list (even though we were listed correctly in the MLS software with her email listed as both individual and household - and my correct email listed [not the one they were using]) I was an advocate among leadership, I gathered data for phone numbers, addresses, etc... as they were identified by RS/P leaders. I encouraged our leadership to use the photo directory by emailing it to them on a regular basis.

I was successful as a Ward Clerk getting these items updated, but it was my own passion.

• I am a very large advocate of communicating better in our wards and stakes (it seems that only the 'people in the know' KNOW information and others are left in the dark because they are not part of the cool crowd, etc...)
• I am a large advocate that a directory with a picture helps leaders know and think of other people than the 'typical' SAME 10 People syndrome that is so often the case in many of our units.
• I have large frustrations when calling a phone number for an individual only to be told that I should call their mobile number - If I had their mobile number I would use it.

There are always going to be a few who for differing reasons won't want data published, in my experience, this is a very small percentage. I think I find that when people understand the value behind having the data, that it will increase their own desire to evangelize this concept.... I don't think I need to convince members, I need to convince my clerks, and our Bishops, etc... RS Presidents, EQ Presidents.... not many of these are thinking of the Big Picture... they are reacting to items as they come up, relying on someone else to see the longer-range picture...

I found universally at the ward level, as RS, EQ, Bishopric members, etc... had more data at their fingertips that helped them do their callings better, that they grew to rely on it, and would begin to evangelize with the members. At the Ward level, this was pretty easy for me to help influence, I am frustrated at the Stake level.... This is the area for my frustration at this point.

I had at least four people who came in for tithing settlement complain that their email address was not on the IOS I gave them but when I added it to their record, they promptly removed it through the lds.org directory.