In addition to using the primary PYM communication channels of the website, news, calendar, online newsletters, and Faith in Practice, many Friends find it useful to use social media to communicate their work and witness. This guide is an explanation of the rules and expectations for use of social media that all PYM groups must follow.
There are two ways you can use Facebook: Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups. These two methods have their own strengths and weaknesses – it’s very important that you understand the difference between them before choosing the path that’s right for you.
Facebook Pages are primarily designed to be outreach tools. They are a way for you to have a publicly visible presence on Facebook. People can “like” your page, and you can publish content to appear in that audience’s news feed.
Facebook Groups are primarily designed for “internal” communication within a group of people with common interests. People can ask to join your group, and that allows them to share content with anyone else in the group.
Essentially Facebook Pages are “one-to-many” and Facebook Groups are “many-to-many”.
Facebook Rules and Expectations
- Any PYM collaborative may create a Facebook page or group, but they are encouraged to consult with PYM Staff to choose the best platform to fit their communications goals.
- Sprints may not create Facebook accounts without pre-approval from the Director of Communications.
- To ensure long-term continuity of group ownership in case of changes in collaborative leadership, the Director of Communications must be added as an admin of the group. This is because Friends often come and go from their involvement in groups, and it’s important that access to groups remain stable for longevity.
Your actions on Social Media reflect upon the whole Yearly Meeting. We ask that you carry out all aspects of your participation with a mindfulness of Quaker principles and in a caring, respectful, civil and lawful manner. If your participation does not follow good integrity with caring, respectful, and lawful activity, in consultation with the proper governance bodies, PYM may take down your social media presence.
Twitter’s main benefit as a social media platform comes from the ability to quickly send short 140 character messages, photos, or short 30 second videos to your followers. For example, you could send live updates from events as they happen. Twitter differs from Facebook in that is has a smaller user base, and the audiences tend to be strangers more than friends you may know.
Take our advice from experience: It can take a long time to develop a consistent following on Twitter, and in most cases, your social media energy might be better spent on Facebook.
Twitter Rules and Expectations
- Any PYM collaborative may create a Twitter account, but they are encouraged to consult with PYM Staff to choose the best platform to fit their communications goals.
- Sprints may not create Twitter accounts without pre-approval from the Director of Communications.
- To ensure long-term continuity of group ownership in case of changes in collaborative leadership, the Director of Communications must be added as an admin of the group. This is because Friends often come and go from their involvement in groups, and it’s important that access to groups remain stable for longevity.
Your actions on Social Media reflect upon the whole Yearly Meeting. We ask that you carry out all aspects of your participation with a mindfulness of Quaker values and in a caring, respectful, civil and lawful manner. If your participation does not follow good integrity with caring, respectful, and lawful activity, in consultation with the proper governance bodies, PYM may take down your social media presence.
Who Can and Can’t Do What
| Can use Facebook if able to meet best practices | Can use Twitter if able to meet best practices | |
| Collaboratives | Yes | Yes |
| Sprints | Yes – only with pre-approval from PYM Staff | No |
| Councils | Yes | Yes |
| Resource Friends | No | No |
| Committees | Yes if council agrees, and in consultation with staff | Yes |
| Threads | N/A | N/A |
| Appointed Representatives | No | No |