A Church of England diocese has issued a list of social media rules to its staff and clergy, urging them to consider God when tweeting the masses.
The guidelines range from practical security advice to more faith-based instructions, including a warning that updates are “transient yet permanent”.
The list has been widely shared online, dubbed the “Twitter commandments”.
Bath and Wells diocese said it compiled the nine rules to help “spread the word of God in the most effective way”.
The guidelines aim to help parish staff “navigate through the social media landscape”. The Diocese’s nine Twitter rules are:
- Don’t rush in
- Remember tweets are transient yet permanent
- Be a good ambassador for the Church
- Don’t hide behind anonymity
- Be aware of public/private life boundaries
- Maintain a professional distance
- Stay within the law
- Respect confidentiality
- Be mindful of your own security
The Methodist Church in Britain urges its clergy to “let Galatians 5:22-26”, which urges the spirit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”, guide their behaviour when sharing the “good news of Jesus Christ in the world” on social media.
But the popularity of these new guidelines took Somerset’s Anglican clergy by surprise.
“The irony of these guidelines becoming part of a Twitter storm has not been wasted on us,” a staff member said.
“We’re just pleased that so many people have found it interesting.”
Source: BBC
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