Dos and Don'ts for Unitarian Universalist Congregations Using Facebook
Getting Started
Do consider the differences between a "page" and a "group" before creating one or the other for your congregation.
Pages can be used in conjunction with Facebook applications, allowing page administrators to add a wide variety of features. New content on pages may be displayed on the news feeds that fans see when they login to their account. Page administrators can also to message "fans," but those messages do not go directly to fans' inboxes. Pages automatically track visitor traffic.
Groups come with a fixed set of features and allow administrators to send messages directly to members' inboxes. Groups do not track visitor traffic. (To see a page, visit the UUA on Facebook; to see a group visit the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma on Facebook).
Do make sure that more than one person has administrative access to the page or group and that the administrators are authorized to post information on behalf of the congregation. This page or group should belong to the congregation, not to an individual member or staffer.
Adding Content
Do upload a logo for your "profile picture." Choose an image that is recognizable at a very small size. Eligible congregations may use the Unitarian Universalist Association logo.
Do treat your Facebook page or group as a public document. Visitors as well as congregants will see it. Offer information that is relevant to visitors, including contact information, phone number, service times, and website address.
Don't post private information on your Facebook page or group. If you wouldn't post it on your congregation's website, don't post it on Facebook.
Do take advantage of the administrative features, by answering questions posted on your wall, creating events, uploading videos, and adding other content that is relevant to congregants and visitors.
Don't clutter your Facebook page or group with excessive or irrelevant content. And don't install additional applications on pages unless they are necessary and you know that they are free of viruses and malware.
Do upload photos of your congregation.
Don't upload photos of children without permission from their guardian(s).
Do add new content and respond to questions on a regular basis, so that visitors know your congregation is active.
Encouraging Participation and Creating a Safe Space
Do tell congregants that the congregation has a page or group, so that they can become "fans" or "members."
Do have fun with your page or group and use it to share the spirit of your congregation.
Do encourage fans or members to participate by writing on the wall, uploading photos, and answering questions on the discussion board. (See footnote 1.)
Don't allow threatening or offensive content posted by fans or members to remain on the page or group. Do consider reporting such content to Facebook.
Do learn more about privacy, security, page administration, and other issues at Facebook's "help center."
Keeping in Touch with the UUA
Don't hesitate to contact our Public Witness Specialist if you have questions or would like to share your congregation's Facebook success story! Do email pw_specialist @ uua.org or call (617) 498-6103.
Footnotes
- Fans of a page can write on the wall and participate in discussion boards without administrative access. Fans can also add photos and videos, although photos and videos uploaded by fans are labeled as such, and are differentiated from photos and videos uploaded by page administrators.
Last updated on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.
