What+Does+the+Church+Have+to+Say+About+Social+Networking+Assignment

Assignment #2 What Does the Church Have to Say About Social Networking?

Expected time to complete reading and the written assignment: 15 - 45 minutes =Your assignment for this segment is to post a SHORT reflection paragraph about what you learned from reading ONE of the church publications listed below. Your reflection can be about anything you found interesting or relevant to your ministry in your reading. For example, you could reflect on your role as a catechist in maintaining a safe online environment in compliance with the diocesan guidelines. Or you could reflect on the themes related to moral responsibility that you read about in Inter Mirifica. Choose something that is interesting and relevant to you. =

====// Remember to select the "Edit" button, and add your name, the document you read, and your reflection below. When you are done, be sure to click on "Save." // ====

 · World Communications Day Messages 2011  · USCCB Guidelines for Use of Social Media  · [|Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011]

// Post your reflection paragraph below using the following format: //

(Example) Name:Susan Smith Document you read: Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011 My reflection paragraph: I was very happy to read the Diocesan guidelines for for Social Networking. I now have some guidelines to follow when I work with my students and other teachers. I also have something to present to my administrators that shows that the Church is open to using Social Networking. I appreciate the step-by-step instructions for setting up my school Facebook page, found in the appendix on page 13.

Sharon Cowart- I read World Communications Day Message 2011 and it was a general statement. I read the Diocese of St. Pete Guidelines for Social Networking and it was concerned with making sure the church is covered.

Name:Glennell Munne' Document you read: DSP, Guidelines for Social Networking. Your reflection paragraph: This 14 page document covered the specifications for developing authoritative and compliant blog sites for schools and parishes. I found these points to be key in any form of communication: • “Respect the dignity and worth of the human person.” (§5) • “Dialogue between people…require[s] honest and appropriate forms of expression together with attentive and respectful listening.” (§6) • “Friends should support and encourage each other in developing their gifts and talents and in putting them at the service of the human community.” (§7)

Diane Doyle World Communications Day Messages 2011 Pope Benedict XVI professed great excitement and support of the new social network opportunities that presently exist and those which will be developed in the future. He sees the network as part of human life which creates new relationships among people from all over the world. In the course of his message, the Holy Father raises some interesting points: Who is my "neighbor?" Is there a danger of replacing direct human contact with virtual contact? We know that it is often easier to offer sympathy and online support to someone who is not present. My question is then: are we less present to those whom we encounter in everyday life? Another point which Pope Benedict raised is that we must be consistent in our words and deeds. As catechists, we know that our speech and actions are often held to a higher standard than those of other people. In our use of social media, especially where we are proclaiming the Gospel Message, are we presenting a consistent message? We must be respectful and sensitive to others when communicating in any form.

Bobbi Harris DOSP Guidelines I'm glad to see the Church and the Diocese stepping up in a timely way to provide us (church, school, faith groups, etc) with helpful technology guidelines for making contact, and staying connected, with people with whom we can share our faith.

Kathy Thornton __USCCB Guidelines for Social Media__ I found that the guidelines were comprehensive and very informative including a list of social media terminology and definitions so that there are not local interpretations of common terms but a uniform set of terms for our conference. I was further intrigued by the prompt to read the Papal messages for the 43rd and 44th World Communications Day. I almost discounted the active links as an option since I had read the message for the 45th World Communications Day in June 2011 as suggested in the module assignment. But sound reason took over and I clicked the links anyway. What I gained from reviewing those two extra messages was simple and yet profound (and it humbled my “quest” of wanting to know more for my “ministerial purposes” hidden agenda??? a/k/a myself). From the 43rd message (The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World) : //“… introduce people to the life of the Church and help our contemporaries to **discover the face of Christ**.” (emphasis mine).// And further, the Pope was talking to priests (it was the Year of the Priest at the time) but the timeless message is applicable to all of us as pastoral ministers and educators. He continues, //“…priests present in the world of digital communications should be less notable for their media savvy than for their priestly heart, their closeness to Christ. This will not only enliven their pastoral outreach, but also will give a “soul” to the fabric of communications that makes up the ‘Web.’”// Sometimes I get caught up in the excitement of the possibility of being technically savvy - - but also of the ego that goes along with being “popular” on social sites (or having lots of friends). But reading these two items helped me see that I need to put my ego in check - - we pursue a higher purpose: we are to use our savvy to help others discover the face of Christ and we are to do so with a heart that reflects our own closeness to Christ. It is only in that mode that we, I, really God through us, can give “soul” to the fabric of communications.

Rhonda Carrier [|Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011] The quote from Pope Benedict XVI's Message for the 43rd World Communications Day is an important message for our school communities. He establishes three key needs of this culture: respect, dialogue, and friendship. I have included a paragraph of the document on the wiki I created for the ICS middle school student to learn about digital citizenship. I have also added this document as a resource at the bottom or the assignment (Home) page of the wiki. I will have students use the document when we continue the wiki in the fall. http://icstampagr6citizens.wikispaces.com/

Amy Barber World Communications Day Messages 2011 I was struck by Pope Benedict's statement that new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, **but communication itself**. That statement really made me excited to be able to get God's words out into the digital continent. I work in parish communication, and youth group 6th grade to 8th grade, so I know that if I want to speak so they understand..I need to learn the new way to communicate. As in any new path...we are ALL responsible for the outcome. If we do not work to have God's presence in cyberspace, who will?

Pat Brockmann Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011 This was very informative. It was nice to see that it outlined the Best Practices for creating an official Facebook Page for your Parish and also on securing your Personal Facebook Page. The sample disclaimers were also helpful. Some thing that would be time consuming would be the monitoring and enforcement of your social media pages. We have to keep the children safe on whatever media that you are using and the monitoring of these sites is critical in the safety of the children. When you minister to adults you will build friendships with many of these people. It is acceptable to let them have access to your personal social media network, but this does not apply to everyone that you minister to. The guidelines had a lot of information for you to get started in social media.

Sister Ann Regan USCCB Guidelines for Use of Social Media The USCCB Guidelines for Social Media stresses the importance of setting a code of conduct up front. Make it clear and easy so that all understand and then act by blocking any offender. (Rules of the Road). Good advice to educators of youth to keep parents in the loop.

Walt Smith World Communications Day Messages2010/ 2011 I was really encouraged by the insights the Holy Father voiced regarding:
 * The duty of our priests and religious to, first and foremost, learn all they can about these new technologies and, after learning the benefits & pitfalls, to utilize the technologies to spread the Gospel message.
 * The call to engage our youth, a generation raised in cyberspace to one degree or another, to be our mentors and "Co-workers in the New Vineyard" of the net.
 * To re-double our efforts to maintain the presence of "enduring truth" in a collection of new media that often lags in the production of truthful content as well as becoming such an encompassing manufacturer of "home-made truth".
 * His reminder of the duty, first and foremost, ot" the proclamation of Jesus Christ". That message can get blurred by the sparkle of what we now //__can__// do, without the restraint of what we"should do".

Jennifer Ferreris, DOSP Social Networking Guidelines I was surprised to see the clarity with which the Diocese approaches this issue of social networking. Recognizing that we indeed have to get familiar with this technology is a very impressive step! Benedict VI’s recognition that the new technologies are “bringing about fundamental shifts in patterns of communication and human relationships” is remarkable in this regard. I also thought it was interesting that the document points out that not everyone is on social networking sites, so we have to continue to broaden our reach to all people! We can’t just advertise church events on facebook because we would still miss a great part of the congregation! Cindy Taylor- The DOSP Social Networking Guidelines were clear, consice, and remarkably professional. I was struck by how well they covered all aspects of use and ramifications of use. However, I find it odd that I did not know these guidelines were in existance. I am a neophyte, but I know some savvy people who did not know of these guidelines and could have benefited by them. The tone of the diocese in the guidelines is very pro-social networking and that is awesome. It does seem a bit overwhelming to have so much communication going on in cyberspace and no one in position to monitor such communication. The diocese is taking a leap of faith that all will follow the rules and regard the church or diocese as being the fundamental authority in what is appropriate. They mention e-contact as an appropriate means of communication and we, at our church, are just beginning to use that. This class will help us catch up to the DOSP!

Jose Figueroa, The 44th World Communications Day I believe all catholics that use social networking as a tool for evangelization and catechesis need to have a through understanding of the aforementioned document. If we do not focus our effort and align with our leaders believes we can send out the wrong message and create more confusion than already exist.

Beatrice Caulson, World Communications Day Message - June 2011

I am very aware that I have a great responsiblity to evangelize. The pope states this well and calls us to do this in the present age by using the media that is available to us to do just that. This field is so large that one could put one's head in the sand and not come out. However, that would harm so many. I do believe that I must find ways to help the people of this time by utilizing the social media to teach others Christ's message.

Thomas Pryor Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011 [] A comprehensive document that should be required reading for all engaged in social networking in Catholic faith formation. Of particular relevance to me is the need for young people “to trust those who minister to them in God’s name” as well as to teach them their own responsibility in reporting violations and in monitoring their own behavior.

Diane Kledzik Diocese of St. Petersburg, Guidelines for Social Networking, 2011 //“Today we must put out into the “deep waters” of the internet, and in a special way into social media, because there we will find not just young people, but people of all ages who use these technologies to connect with the world around them. There the Church will be able to connect with them and answer the command to spread the good news. If we do this well and faithfully, we will find the “nets” of our ministries and schools filled—as were the disciples’—to the point of overflowing.1”// This paragraph in the Introduction affirms for me how it takes many ways to reach out and connect with people – to bring the Good News – and that putting out into the deep includes discovering new ways and sometimes unfamiliar/uncomfortable ways that I need to try. Having been in youth ministry for many years, I chuckle as I reminisce about what was once considered “deep waters” – like cable and MTV! Even though the teenagers and adults I worked with so many years ago did not have the social media we have today, we are “finding” each other through it and are continuing to grow in our faith journeys through it. Yes, some have left the Church, but there is always hope of their return through the intentional faith sharing that is taking place on Facebook, even as I write this! J

Kristi Jenkins USCCB's doc: []

I have a page of notes, but I think the most important thing is how the Church encourages us to think about what we're doing online. Yes, we need to be there in general to spread the Gospel. But for each site, we need to think about what we want to say, how often, how to respond, etc. If we can inspire our parishioners and youth to also think about why they're online and how they respond to others... I think we'll be contributing to the online Kingdom!

I did find the overall tone of the document to be encouraging.

//**Name: Pam Emery**// //**Document Read: World Communication Day Messages, 2011**// I was intrigued and inspired to know that Pope Benedict connects, embraces and encourages use of Social Media and networking. As the Holy Father said, we are indeed "living through a period of vast cultural transformation." As with all things modern, risk and danger are also present. In the use of Social media, we must employ decorum, integrity, honesty and perhaps more importantly, love for our fellow humans. I found the document both advisory and affirming.

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