2020 Archdiocese of Atlanta Employee Policy Manual/September 2020 - Manual / Resource - Page 59
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Avoid engaging in any postings/communications that could be misconstrued or
misinterpreted.
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Respect the Catholic Church as a whole, the Archdiocese of Atlanta, your parish/ministry,
coworkers and audience. Do not post information about any of these entities that should be
kept confidential. All who serve in the archdiocese will witness by their behavior, actions
and words, a life consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church in all social media
engagement.
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All comments should be respectful, on topic and void of personal information. You have
the right and ability to block/delete those that are potentially libelous, disrespectful or
contrary to church teaching.
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Prior to posting make sure you are following all copyright and fair use laws. Always
attribute photos, quotes, and information to the original source/author.
Monitor your posts to determine success of messages and effectiveness of your site. This can
be done by monitoring comments, shares, retweets, likes, favorites, etc. Be able to answer
questions like “who is your audience” and “which posts are more engaging.” As the account
holder and administrator, feel free to delete any negative or questionable
comments/posts/reactions. You have full discretion as to what appears on your social media
account.
If you have any questions, contact the Office of Communications at
communication@archatl.com.
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For security purposes, if it is discovered that your social media account has been hacked, do
not panic. Contact the respective social media platform which will provide the next necessary
steps. In all cases, it is a good idea to change all admin credentials and passwords
immediately. If your website or Facebook page has been hacked, we encourage you to have
the site temporarily disabled until the issue can be resolved in order to prevent confusion for
visitors.
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For more suggestions on establishing social media guidelines, consult the USCCB’s website:
http://www.usccb.org/about/communications/social-media-guidelines.cfm
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For specific guidelines related to social networking with minors, please review our separate
policy (attached).
Guidelines for the Use of Social Networking Sites with Minors
The Archdiocese of Atlanta recognizes the various ways, both positive and negative, that
technology and social media can be used. It is important that technology be used in a responsible
and ethical way and that Archdiocesan staff, volunteers and parents be transparent in all forms of
communication, particularly when ministering to young persons. Social networking sites should
be used for ministry and education rather than for befriending people or socializing. Parents must
have access to everything provided to their children.
