Guidelines for using social media
A range of social media channels are widely used by parishes to share their stories and keep in touch with their online followers. The Church’s social media and digital communications guidelines can help parishes to use social media well and manage risks that can arise.
Posts can travel globally in seconds and it’s worth pausing to consider:
Would this breach a confidence?
Would I want this on the front page of a newspaper?
Would I want my family and friends to read this?
If there is a disagreement, have I tried to resolve it privately first?
Does this reflect Christ–like compassion, even if it involves challenging someone else?
It’s also important to bear in mind that normal rules on confidentiality, copyright and defamation apply online in the same way as they do offline – and that once a post goes online, it cannot be deleted entirely. The guidelines are available here and are intended to help all representatives of the Church to use social media in the most effective and appropriate way.