Looking for policy on church-related web sites apart from LUWS

[KathrynGZ]

Hi Friends,

Last night I was approached by our stake Single Adult Rep and asked to make a web site for an upcoming stake single adult conference. I thought we'd been asked by the Church not to create sites like this, but she assured me we could She said she was aware of a similar site that had been approved by an Area Authority or someone in a similar position.

To be on the safe side, I want to check the official policy. I searched the forum before submitting this post, and couldn't anything. Can anyone point me to it? If anyone has additional insight, I'd welcome it.

Thanks!

Kathryn

[russellhltn]

Are you looking for this?

Exceptions may well exist. If "a similar site that had been approved by an Area Authority" then I think it would be best to find out the details and ask for permission to do the same.

Since this is a stake conference, I'm not sure why the need to set up a separate website. A regional conference would be a different story.

[lajackson]

She said she was aware of a similar site that had been approved by an Area Authority or someone in a similar position.

I am aware of a very few sites for Young Single Adults and Single Adults that have been created in certain regional areas with large concentations of single members. The sites have been created with the express permission of the responsible Area Authority who is highly involved in monitoring the site.

Lacking that authority, I would not be comfortable creating a site and, as Russell says, I do not see that you would need one for a stake event anyway.

[russellhltn]

There are also unofficial sites that have been created. The important thing here is that doesn't represent a "unit" of the church or act as it's "voice" in anyway. It's more of a gathering of individuals who exchange information. There's nothing to stop you from creating a page and inviting all your friends and their friends.

I think a good rule of thumb is to make sure the banner at the top of the page doesn't match the name of a ward, stake, region or area.

[lajackson]

The important thing here is that doesn't represent a "unit" of the church or act as it's "voice" in anyway.

Be careful. The December 4th letter does not refer just to a "unit" of the Church. Work with your priesthood leaders and let them guide you. Depending on what you need, there will be a way to do it with priesthood leader approval.

[jdlessley]

Last night I was approached by our stake Single Adult Rep and asked to make a web site for an upcoming stake single adult conference. I thought we'd been asked by the Church not to create sites like this, but she assured me we could She said she was aware of a similar site that had been approved by an Area Authority or someone in a similar position.

Since the stake single adult conference is a stake event, the approved web site for such an event is the stake web site. There are two sources on the stake web site to post information.

One is the Stake News and Information section. It has limitations. It is text based and there can be only one picture and/or one file attachment. The picture is limited to .jpg or .gif file formats with a resolution of 72 dpi (dots per inch) and a maximum file size of 100KB. File attachments are limited to .doc, .pdf, or .xls formats and a maximum file size of 1Mb.

Another place to post information is in the stake Resources calendar section of the stake home page. Using this to post information has limitations also. You can find threads on the topic in these forums. To get started you could look at the Tips & Tricks for Ward / Stake Websitesthread.

[aebrown]

One is the Stake News and Information section. It has limitations. It is text based and there can be only one picture and/or one file attachment.

While it is true that there can only be one file attachment, you are not limited to only one picture. You can have up to 100 pictures in a single News and Information item.

[russellhltn]

Be careful. The December 4th letter does not refer just to a "unit" of the Church.

But I see nothing that indicates that it should/could be interpreted as binding on a member's personal activities, even if it touches a church subject. Otherwise a whole host of websites and email groups should not exist. Including the clerk's group or sites such as http://www.lds.net. When I say "unit" I'm talking about any organized ward/stake/quorum/auxiliary, etc

Creating a site just for the singles conference wouldn't fly. Creating a privately done singles site (RussellsLDSSingles) that also has information on the conference would be a different story. But since the driver in this situation is the singles conference, it could be iffy. Especially since this seems to be at the request of the singles committee.

[lajackson]

But I see nothing that indicates that it should/could be interpreted as binding on a member's personal activities, even if it touches a church subject.

But since the driver in this situation is the singles conference, it could be iffy. Especially since this seems to be at the request of the singles committee.

I agree with all of the points in your post, just urging caution. Sometimes a person will be found to have represented the Church even when there was no intention to do so.

[KathrynGZ]

This forum is a great resource, and you all are the best! Thanks for the information and insight. It's just what I was looking for. Now I can go to my leaders with something more than "I seem to remember..."

Kathryn