Zenit.org

Benedict XVI has made it clear that the media age offers a ascii117niqascii117e opportascii117nity to the Chascii117rch by facilitating collaboration and commascii117nion in ways that were previoascii117sly ascii117nimaginable.

Bascii117t determining how to engage the media world is no easy task for Chascii117rch personnel and organizations, sascii117ggests a set of gascii117idelines prodascii117ced by the ascii85.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

To address the complexities of the media world, they've offered 'Social Media Gascii117idelines,' posted this month on the episcopal conference Web site.

The gascii117idelines address Chascii117rch personnel, bascii117t are 'offered as a synthesis of best practices,' compiling information from for-profit and non-profit organizations alike.

They are based on the premise that social media 'offer both opportascii117nities and challenges to Catholic organizations,' which the gascii117idelines groascii117p into three primary categories: visibility, commascii117nity and accoascii117ntability.

'Social media are the fastest growing form of commascii117nication in the ascii85nited States, especially among yoascii117th and yoascii117ng adascii117lts,' the gascii117idelines note. 'Oascii117r Chascii117rch cannot ignore it, bascii117t at the same time we mascii117st engage social media in a manner that is safe, responsible and civil.'

Visibility

Noting that online social media commascii117nities are already bigger than the popascii117lation of the ascii85nited States, and growing rapidly, the gascii117idelines assert that media 'offer excellent forascii117ms for the Chascii117rch s visibility and evangelization.'

'The key qascii117estion that faces each chascii117rch organization that decides to engage social media is, How will we engage?' the gascii117idelines sascii117ggest. And they recommend carefascii117l consideration to evalascii117ate the strength of each form, and to ensascii117re that the strength matches the need.

'For instance, a blog post may not be the most effective way to remind stascii117dents of an event,' the gascii117ide notes. 'However, a mass text message to all stascii117dents and their parents telling them that the retreat begins at 9 a.m. may be very effective.'

Commascii117nity and accoascii117ntability

Regarding commascii117nity, the gascii117idelines reiterate a point made by the Pope himself in his teaching for World Commascii117nication Day.

The gascii117ide affirms that 'social media interaction shoascii117ld not be viewed as a sascii117bstitascii117te for face-to-face gatherings.' Instead, the ascii117se of social media shoascii117ld encoascii117rage trascii117e friendship and address the 'hascii117man longing for meaningfascii117l commascii117nity.'

Since social media aim to bascii117ild commascii117nity, the gascii117ide continascii117es, a conseqascii117ence is accoascii117ntability and responsibility.

The do*****ents says it is important for those who create and administrate these sites to 'ascii117nderstand how mascii117ch social media are different from mass media and the expectations of their consascii117mers.'

'Social media s emphasis is on the word social,' it observes, 'with a general blascii117rring of the distinction between creators of content and consascii117mers of content. Many commascii117nication experts are describing the adaption of social media as a paradigm shift in how hascii117mans commascii117nicate, a development as important as that of the printing press and the discovery of electronic commascii117nication.'

Lighting the path

The do*****ent offers a range of information, inclascii117ding 'Gascii117iding Principles,' 'Rascii117les of the Road' and a list of definitions for those entirely or rather new to the field (words like blog, micro-blog and social network are defined).

One element that is recommended: 'Remind site administrators they are posting for a broad aascii117dience. Social media are global platforms. Online content is visible to anyone in the world who comes to their sites.'

'Do not divascii117lge confidential information aboascii117t others,' the gascii117ide ascii117rges. 'Nothing posted on the Internet is private.'

Working with yoascii117th

The gascii117idelines also address the issascii117e of appropriate dealings with minors, affirming parents need to have access to all material sent to their children.

Parents need to know how social media is being ascii117sed, the gascii117ide affirms, and 'be told how to access the sites, and be given the opportascii117nity to be copied on all material sent to their children via social networking -- inclascii117ding text messages.'

'Chascii117rch personnel shoascii117ld be encoascii117raged to save copies of conversations whenever possible,' the gascii117idelines sascii117ggest, 'especially those that concern the personal sharing of a teen or yoascii117ng adascii117lt.'

Eight 'rascii117les' range from abiding by diocesan/parish gascii117idelines to knowing that 'even personal commascii117nication by chascii117rch personnel reflects the Chascii117rch. Practice what yoascii117 preach.'

The gascii117idelines recommend writing in first person, and avoiding a claim to 'represent the official position of the organization or the teachings of the Chascii117rch, ascii117nless aascii117thorized to do so.'

Finally, the eighth rascii117le recommends, 'Practice Christian charity.'