Your Social Networking Activity Can Be Damning (and Damaging) To Your Ministry
The polls are back in and apparently nearly three-quarters of those surveyed believe that it’s easy to damage a businesses reputation via Social Networks.
And it’s not that this is necessarily any new news to anyone, but it’s good to see it reported.
But the reminder is important because the results could be devastating.
The report continues:
Still, 53% of employees felt that their online profiles are none of their employers’ business. More than one-third never consider what their bosses, clients or colleagues think before posting.
That can lead to some iffy content and potentially harmful publicity.
“While the decision to post videos, pictures, thoughts, experiences, and observations to social networking sites is personal, a single act can create far-reaching ethical consequences for individuals as well as organizations,” said Sharon Allen of Deloitte. “Therefore it is important for executives to be mindful of the implications and to elevate the discussion about the risks associated with it to the highest levels of leadership.”
I think this applies to our scope and space in ministry as well. We need to be ever mindful that we not only have the capacity and ability to harm our own ministries but also our own reputations as witnesses.
Thankfully, most have an opportunity to “clean it up” because most ministries (all, actually) that I know of have no “official” policy on Social Media usage.
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9 Responses to “Your Social Networking Activity Can Be Damning (and Damaging) To Your Ministry”
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This has definitely been on my mind lately.
I've definitely change the type of content I put on my blog — however, I won't remove anything I've put up there.
I know we need to be cognizant of the content we present on the web. However, for most of us, I believe the content that we put on the web is no different than the topics we often discuss with our friends, family & colleagues. In my experience, that when we put these topics "on paper" we open ourselves up for a more widely distributed form of discrimination than if we were just speaking these topics with someone else. Combined with an audience that doesn't personally know us, our mannerisms or personality — we are more likely to be judged unjustly by strangers.
Or, such is my opinion. I often wonder if it serves and personal benefit for me to continue blogging at all…
This has definitely been on my mind lately.
I've definitely changed the type of content I put on my blog — however, I won't remove anything I've put up there.
I know we need to be cognizant of the content we present on the web. However, for most of us, I believe the content that we put on the web is no different than the topics we often discuss with our friends, family & colleagues. In my experience, that when we put these topics "on paper" we open ourselves up for a more widely distributed form of discrimination than if we were just speaking these topics with someone else. Combined with an audience that doesn't personally know us, our mannerisms or personality — we are more likely to be judged unjustly by strangers.
Or, such is my opinion. I often wonder if it serves and personal benefit for me to continue blogging at all…
This has definitely been on my mind lately.
I've definitely changed the type of content I put on my blog — however, I won't remove anything I've put up there from the past.
I know we need to be cognizant of the content we present on the web. However, for most of us, I believe the content that we put on the web is no different than the topics we often discuss with our friends, family & colleagues. In my experience, that when we put these topics "on paper" we open ourselves up for a more widely distributed form of discrimination than if we were just speaking these topics with someone else. Combined with an audience that doesn't personally know us, our mannerisms or personality — we are more likely to be judged unjustly by strangers.
Or, such is my opinion. I often wonder if it serves and personal benefit for me to continue blogging at all…
uh, i have my pastor, wife, and others subscribing to my blog and FB. There's nowhere to hide!
I just read a pastors blog and he talks about comparing two recent church services he has been to. This is the end of his blog " On the other hand we could have been a pagan family visiting and the second church would have been on the money." Is that really really offensive/strange or am I being hypersensitive?
Ah, I'd have to read the post to get some context… care to link?
This is something I learned early on. The dangers of saying something stupid (or slanderous, or sinful) on the new are exponentially increased by interacting anonymously or pseudonymously. I use my real name on everything as a kind of accountability. That opens you up to the dangers described above, but it also encourages me to be more careful. And the latter is more important.
definitely! thanks tommy for joining in the conversation!