Wiki+-+What+Does+Church+Have+to+Say?

What Does the Church Have to Say About User-Created Web Content? Expected time to complete this assignment: 30 minutes

Read the entire statement from the USCCB Communications Committee report to the Fall General Assembly. It's not very long.

Social media: Friend or Foe, Google or Hornswoggle? []

While you are reading, be aware of words of phrases that might apply to our topic of wikis. Now post a short reflection about what impressed you the most in the USCCB statement. If you would like to reference other Church documents or statements, please do. If you can create a hyperlink to the document, even better!

I'll start you off with an example.

Be sure you are signed in. Click on "Edit this page." Type in your reflection and your name. SAVE your edit.

** POST YOUR REFLECTIONS HERE: **

I was impressed that the bishops recognize the evangelization opportunity created by social media. That could apply to wikis, too. If wikis allow ANYONE to contribute, maybe I could set up a wiki for two Catholic schools to collaborate in a project. I think my junior high students might enjoy that. I have been searching for a project where they can articulate their faith in a new way. -posted by Claudia

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am once again very impressed by the USCCB’s insight. It is so great that the Church recognizes how important social media is. I was a freshman in college when facebook first started, and at that time it was only open to students in a few schools! Everything changed when facebook opened to everyone who wanted it. To give an idea of how very critical social media is today, one need look no further than the uprisings in Egypt, many of which were organized through facebook. Who would have thought that this one website would change everything? In terms of wikis, I think it is a great learning tool that people (especially digital natives) would be comfortable with. I loved the quote from the USCCB article that we must engage young people “on their terms to bring Christ into their ‘brave new world’.” Also, the idea that the Church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, but must deliver it to them in a new way is crucial. A well-monitored wiki with discussion questions about church teaching may be a way to get students talking about difficult issues in a safe space. - posted by Jennifer

I was amazed that Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us to become aware of the digital continent. I know I am an immigrant to the continent but I will try like all missionaries to learn the culture so I can be a digital disciple of Christ. -posted by Sister Ann

I was also amazed that Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us to become aware of the digital continent. What a wonderful concept for us to embrace. It is critical for us to learn to communicate and to be disciples of Christ using these new technologies. - posted by Rhonda

I thought the presentation was excellent. I am so glad that the Bishops are discussing social media. I thought the comparison with the time before printing were quite good and I hope sparked some interest. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that we need to continue this work and forge ahead so that the bishops will see that the work is being done. I agree that this is a marvelous tool for evangelization and hope that my creative juices will help me come up with ways to use these tools for evangelization. - posted by Beatrice

We are living in such an exciting time! It’s so great to read that the bishops acknowledge that a paradigm shift is happening before our eyes - - and quickly too! I was also impressed by the practical business approach taken by the bishops when asked questions about social media. The two most common answers to the questions posed were : 1) the need for more staffing and resources, and 2) the need to identify how to most effectively use social media. The church is also recognizing that the Digital Continent is here to stay so we need to make room for that in our parishes. That may mean that the church’s communication professionals will need to devote time for training, analysis and research to make it a success. - posted by Kathy.

I am not amaze that our leadership encourages the use of social media, theey are very aware that if we do not use all means to spread the Gospel other religions will.

I was happy to see that the bishops are discussing the social media issue. Two issues that they mentioned that I found interesting was: Also having the staff and the time for them to implement such programs is really helpful. - posted by Pat.
 * The implications of that for a church which is struggling to get those same young people to enter our churches on Sunday are staggering. The church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, **__but we must deliver it to them in a new way__.** Social Media is the best way to reach the younger generation.
 * The church cannot abandon legacy communication outlets while it invest in the new media. Being in a parish with 64% of our parishioners over 60, we still need to maintain using, (books, bulletin, phones, and other publications) to reach out to that group.

My biggest reason to hope is his suggestion that our leadership will allow us to clear space /time /duties to take courses like this and devote the needed time and resources to engage :) - Posted by Kristi.
 * 1) I am also struck by the comparision to the printing press and Reformation. Lately, a lot of my friends and I have been discussing how quickly the basic space of life is changing... in terms of how the rural area my husband grew up in was developed, the changes in the first 60 years of his Grandma Fry's life were less than the changes in the first 20 years of his life... and will the area even be considered "the country" by the time our son is 10 (only 7 yrs away)? I bring up the space/development issue because I think it's a concrete example of 'technology' development.
 * 2) At the same time, I think we need to consider what we mean by 'training' church professionals (like ourselves? communication experts?). Precisely because Social Media is about egalitarism and communication, we cannot expect to hand it (using media) over to experts... a tweet or a status update that says 'no comment' or doesn't allow further conversation/questioning will not boost our (Catholic Church) credibility with the younger generation.
 * 3) The line from the statement that says it best--- " It’s learning how to think, live and embrace life on the Digital Continent ."

I will open my reflection with thanksgiving for the benefits of the love and guidance given to us by the one God provided to lead our church in these days. His vision of the world and his sense of Universal Church has influenced the direction the Church leadership has taken. Secondly, I am convinced SITM2011 is inspired and will be a blessing to me that I am not fully aware of at this time.

The following statements from Bishop's address carried significant views about the culture of digital media:

1.Pope Benedict XVI calls the world of social media a Digital Continent, with natives, immigrants, and even __missionaries.__ 2.He encourages Catholics, especially our priests, to approach this culture of 140 characters and virtual friendships as __a great opportunity for evangelization.__ 3.The Church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, __but we must deliver it to them in a new way__. 4. It takes __careful strategizing__ and planning to make social media an effective and efficient communication tool. ===5. They //are // looking for staff who are trained – or can be trained – in the use of social media, however. **__(Sr. Caroline and Claudia you are on the front line here)__**=== 6. The two most common answers were the need for more staffing and resources and the need to identify how to __most effectively use social media.__ 7. By committing to ongoing analysis and research, continued __**compilation of best practices and guidelines**__, and education and training opportunities, the USCCB Communications Department intends to assist their colleagues and to support your ministry as bishops on the Digital Continent. Posted by Glennell Munné

I was struck by the idea of being a missionary by learning to use social media. That concept was not in my mind at all and with that realization, I feel we are at fault if we do not learn these new words, ways and culture that is exploding before our eyes. The concept of "social media" such as facebook has been obscured for me by things like farmville, and other games that make the whole of social media feel superficial and unimportant. This is a powerful and huge continent to evangelize and we need to seriously learn to live there. Posted by Cindy Taylor

What stood out for me was that: And in regard to our youth: Posted by Thomas Pryor
 * "It's more than just learning how to create a Facebook account. It's learning how to think, live and embrace life on the Digital Continent."
 * "If the church is not on their mobile device, it does not exist." and "...to engage on their terms to bring Christ into their world.."

There is so much that stuck out to me in this report! //“Although social media has been around for less than 10 years, it doesn’t have the makings of a fad. We’re being told that it is causing as fundamental a shift in communication patterns and behavior as the printing press did 500 years ago. And I don’t think I have to remind you of what happened when the Catholic Church was slow to adapt to that new technology. By the time we decided to seriously promote that common folk should read the Bible, the Protestant Reformation was well underway.”// These sentences are priceless. I give kudos to the bishops for encouraging the understanding that there needs to be a paradigm shift, as this is not a fad. There is no going back, we have the technology, and we need to use it. //“The Church does not have to change its teachings to reach young people, but we must deliver it to them in a new way.”// This reminds me of the passage from [|Luke 5:4], to put out into deep water and lower our nets for a catch! //“…if as bishops you acknowledge that social media is not the latest fad, but a paradigm shift, please accept the fact that your staffs – and perhaps you as well – will need training and direction.”// This is why I am taking this course of study! Thanks for making it available to us! Posted by Diane Kledzik

Wow, I really liked the energy and the enthusiasm Bishop Herzog has for SN & Media. He really does embrace the need to look at this as not just a "fad" as he suggested. Most telling for me were two comments regarding how the Church did/did not embrace the growing communication needs of its people in our past. Posted by Walt Smith I am not sure that I read the correct document; as the one above either was no longer available, or the site was experiencing difficulty. However, I did read the following USCCB document - []; which is excellent. Some of the key points therein are that the strengths of a platform should match the need. Those that may be edited by otheres require constant input, monitoring and updating. Above all they require accountability and responsibility; and one must provide trusted sites for reference. //**Posted by Pam Emery**//
 * The comment, " Pope Benedict XVI calls the world of social media a Digital Continent, with natives, immigrants, and even missionaries," is akin to the call of the Church to evangelize the New World. That exercise did not go so well for the Native Americans, and I hope we have learned our lesson. We - the Church - cannot go somewhere we have not been and expect to be lasting instruments of revelation without at least appreciating that which the native hold as sacred and important. We need to recognize that MANY people grew up in this culture, and it may be the dominant culture for them. The early comment in the article said that some of the tags used to identify functions - status updates, Tweets, etc. - sounded kind of ridiculous. That won't play well in this neighborhood.
 * "In the past, the church would often On the Digital Continent, “if you build it, they will come” does not hold true. build new parish structures, knowing that people would recognize the church architecture and start showing up." I thought it was quite a brilliant statement. We should not be so arrogant as to think that we can just show up and everyone will say, "Hey, it's the Church, let's jump on board!" We need to listen, learn, ask, offer, listen again, adjust, welcome, rinse and repeat. Our willingness to become part of the lives of our faithful is exactly what Christ did, right?

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