Social Networking
Social Networking
Whitney McGowan & Yvette Arts with The More Good Foundation
…And they did fellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.
-Helaman 6:3
You’ve probably heard of Facebook by now, but aren’t sure what it is, or why people are using it. This chapter will explain what social networking is, and how these sites can be used in uplifting ways. It will not cover the exact steps to joining these websites, but it will provide tutorials. Many of the examples in this chapter come from Facebook, but you should select the social networking site that looks best for you.
Because there’s so much to social networks, we can’t show you everything about social networking. At the end of this chapter you should be able to decide on a social network to join, and how you can represent the church on these social networking sites.
Tool History and Context
Within the past few years, a new phenomenon has swept the world, a social networking movement in which millions of people have become involved. You can become involved too and be a “powerful force for good in the Church and in the world.”
Social networks are Web-based communities built around individuals’ common interests, connections, goals, employment, educational backgrounds, family ideals, entertainment choices, and other types of relationships. Some social networks are built around diverse interests. Social networks are also built on many levels of interactions and offer a variety of different tools to connect, inform, create content, and maintain relationships. Some social networks are designed specifically for personal expression and sharing with families and friends, while others are created to promote businesses and bring in revenue. Many social networking sites are a big part of youth culture and tend to promote social connections between adolescents ages 11-18 and college-age students. However, whatever your niche or interests, most likely there is a social network just for you.
Social networking sites are attracting record numbers of users. Although there is no way to calculate exactly how many people are participating in social networks, it is estimated that two-thirds of all Internet users visit a social network site at least once each month. However, the specific social network that is most popular depends on the country where you live. For example, in North America, the top two social networks are MySpace and Facebook (our personal preference), but in Asia, Friendster, Cyworld and Orkut have gained the attention of millions of social networkers. Most social networks are free, easy to use, and are geared toward specific types of audiences. MySpace, Bebo and Facebook originally catered to younger audiences and have recently branched out to “older” audiences who generally have higher incomes and are more educated.
Examples of Social Networks
Perhaps you are ready to join a social network right now, but where should you start? There are hundreds of online social networks in many different areas of interest. Below are a few of the most popular social networking sites:
(http://www.43things.com/)
43 things is a community that allows people to interact about what they want to do with their life.
(http://www.bebo.com)
Bebo is a social media network for friends to share their experiences and explore entertainment interests. Bebo stands for “Blog Early Blog Often.”
(http://www.facebook.com)
Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life.
(http://www.linkedin.com)
LinkedIn’s mission is to help you be more effective in your employment, and can help open doors to opportunities using the professional relationships you already have.
(http://www.orkut.com)
The service states that it was designed to help users meet new friends and maintain existing relationships.
Social Networks for Religious Organizations
Many individuals from religious organizations are sharing their beliefs, staying connected with other, and inviting others to participate in their religious community through social networks. Many of these social networks have places for discussion boards, news, updates, and member listings. Most of the popular social network sites have groups within that are affiliated with the LDS church. For example:
Facebook. Facebook includes hundreds of groups associated with Mormons and Mormonism. For example: “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” “I Was the Only Mormon in My High School,” “You Know You’re Mormon If…,” “Largest Mormon Group Ever,” “Mormon Missionaries are like Jedi,” “Mormon Artist,” “All My Mormon Friends Have Trampolines,” “Lethbridge Mormon Dances,” “Mormon Moms,” etc.
LinkedIn. The popular business connection site, LinkedIn has over 70 groups associated with Latter-day Saints, such as “LDS Connected,” “LDS Professionals,” “LDS Entrepreneurs,” “LDS Data Society,” “Arizona Management Society,” “LDS Connect,” “LDS Professional Network,” “LDS Scouting,” “LDS LSA,” “Wharton School LDS Network,” “LDS Latter-Day Saint Business Owners,” etc.
How Is the Tool Commonly Used?
In social networks others don’t see the physical you, and so you are required to create an online representation of yourself. You can use this image-crafting opportunity to reflect your testimony of the gospel. Dana Boyd, a noted social network expert, divides this self-representation into three categories, which we have adapted for use with this chapter.
Self presentation. Self presentation is the way in which individuals attempt to control the impressions that other individuals form of them. As a member of a social network, individuals will form an impression of you based on the content you place on your profile. As a Latter-day Saint, you have the opportunity to share your feelings and thoughts about being a member of the Church. One way you can start a religious conversation with someone is by listing your membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You can also post pictures of yourself, your family and your friends participating in activities that are wholesome, and show unity and love.
As mentioned earlier, people form impressions of others based on what they see in others and read about them. To help others see you in the best light possible, your profile picture should reflect your best self. You should look happy in your picture and it should be free from any distracting or extreme styles of dress or hair. Information about you should reflect a wholesome and well-balanced life that is centered on church, family and honest work. If you have served a mission, post pictures from your mission and include captions that positively reflect the mission and the work you performed.
Friendship Performance. How you respond to friends and family in the public areas of your social network constitutes your “friendship performance.” Public messages posted on your page to family and friends should be uplifting and inspiring. You shouldn’t send any controversial virtual gifts to friends that will be displayed, or join any application that is not congruent with church standards.
Public Displays of Connection. Individuals who view your profile and other areas of your social network can see the connections you have to friends and family. They can see the groups with whom you associate and the applications you use. There are many gospel-centered groups in Facebook and MySpace that you can join. You can also create your own gospel-centered group the social network(s) you join. In Facebook there is a space for you to list your religious affiliation.
In addition to using social networks to create an online representation of yourself, you can also use tools within social networks to keep extended family informed through group calendars, digital photo albums, newsletters, newsfeeds, family profiles, special announcements, and family histories.
How Do I Use It?
Post a video of your testimony
Once you have posted a video of your testimony online (YouTube.com is a popular video-sharing Website) you can post a link of that testimony in your Facebook page or another social network to which you belong. Here is how you post a link of a video of your testimony into Facebook.
1. Upload your video on YouTube (see the how-to on this site), or find another video of a testimony that you want to share.
2. On the right side of the video, you will see a box that looks similar to the one below. Copy the text listed in the URL box.
3. Go to your profile page on Facebook.com.
4. Click on the Share Link button (shown below).
5. Paste the link into the box.
6. Click Preview and make sure everything looks the way you want it. You can also add an optional comment.
7. Click Post.
Where Are Other Free Online Tutorials?
At this point, you may be ready to participate in a social network, but may be unsure how to get started. Here are some free online tutorials to assist you in your social networking journey.
Facebook Tutorial: How to Create a Facebook Profile
(http://remarkableparents.com/facebook-tutorial-the-basics-part1/)
Short overview of Facebook.
How to Build Your Profile using LinkedIn
(http://www.howcast.com/videos/16292-LinkedIn-Profile-Tutorial)
Video Tutorial on creating a LinkedIn profile.
How to Join a Facebook Network
http://www.ehow.com/video_2201974_join-facebook-network.html)
Video on how to join a network in Facebook.
iKeepSafe Videos
(http://www.ikeepsafe.org/PRC/videotutorials/)
Series of videos for parents on keeping kids safe online.
How Can I Use This Tool to Better Share and Learn the Gospel?
Now that you have a general understanding of social networks, here are a few ideas and tips to help you follow Elder Ballard’s counsel of sharing the gospel through the Internet, particularly by using social networks.
List your religion. On your profile in Facebook, list your religious affiliation as Christian/The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Share a faith-promoting experience, your testimony, or a favorite scripture on The More Good Foundation’s application on Facebook called The LDS App. If you have served a mission, or have a friend or relative serving, you can also share your experiences, or tell about the experiences of your friends and family members using this application. The More Good Foundation (http://www.moregoodfoundation.org) is committed to helping faithful Mormons share their stories with the world, and then helping the world find those stories quickly and easily. Being a member of this group is free. Latter-day Saints are encouraged to participate.
Create an LDS-centric group in LinkedIn or on Facebook. An example of an LDS-centric group on Facebook is called “Mormon Moms.” Mormon Moms is a group for any individual who is a mom, desires to be a Mom, or is expecting a child. The purpose of the group is to help individuals raise Christ-like, respectful, and moral children. Anyone, regardless of religious affiliation, can join.
Build the kingdom of God through genealogical work. On Facebook, there are several applications that an individual can download to participate in genealogy with your friends and family. The top application for families on Facebook is called “We’re Related.” More than 13 million individuals are using this application. “We’re Related” allows individuals to find relatives on Facebook, connect with friends and family members, build family trees, and share news and photos. Other applications on Facebook where individuals can pursue their genealogy include: Family Tree, My Family, Family Facts, and many more.
These applications (as well as any application on Facebook) can be downloaded into your social network on Facebook by doing the following.
Share Your Love. 1 Timothy 4: 12 states, “…be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” Being an example to others is a great way to share your love. The way you act and represent yourself is also a testimony to others of what you believe. As Elder Ballard said, “Every disciple of Christ will be most effective and do the most good by adopting a demeanor worthy of a follower of the Savior.” There are many ways to share the Savior’s love with others, as well as by being an example using social networks. Here are few ways this can be done:
1. Post nice comments on the photos your family members share with you.
2. Leave a nice message or comment on their Wall on Facebook, or a newsfeed on another social networking site.
3. Post video clips about the gospel of Jesus Christ, or about individuals bearing testimony of the love of the Savior. (This could be you bearing your testimony.)
4. Read and be aware of the content that is posted on your family members’ social networking sites. If a family member has posted content that is of concern to you, talk to this individual about it.
Gospel Principles Embodied in the Tool
Social networking is all about creating, building and maintaining relationships in virtual communities, whether those relationships are between family, friends, business partners, employees, students, or newly found acquaintances. At the highest level, these relationships empower individuals to gather online with others and extend their capacity to share and engage in wholesome interactions.
“Nourishing relationships are the single most universally agreed-upon feature of the good life,” according to Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence. Susan Alberts, a scientist at Duke University who “studies the survival value of sociability” concludes that the “practical lesson for us all comes down to ‘nourish your social connections’” (p. 319).
The idea behind social networks is to do just that: nourish social connections. If you are reading this book, you are probably a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The themes of gathering, sharing and community are familiar terms. You have probably heard of the Gathering of Israel, or have held a Family Home Evening in which you gathered with family and friends, and sacrament meeting in which we gather in worship with our brothers and sisters.
In essence, the gospel of Jesus Christ is built around some of these concepts of sharing, gathering, and community building. Many of these concepts have been extended to the Internet and play a vital role in the success and excitement that comes with belonging to social networks.
Elder Ballard, in his historic address about the Internet in July 2008’s Ensign stated, “Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. It is also important that you and the people to whom you testify understand that you do not speak for the Church as a whole. You speak as one member—but you testify of the truths you have come to know.”
Elder Ballard explained many of the ways to share those words. He challenged members of the Church to become active participants in sharing the gospel through the Internet. Sharing the gospel is even easier now because of social networks.
Practical Ideas and Tips
1. Be selective, but not snobbish, about which friends you associate with. The quality of your social networking experience will largely depend on who you bring to it. Choose uplifting people to be in your network, but don’t exclude someone simply because they aren’t perfect.
2. Be authentic. You want people to be true to you, and you should be the same to them. Don’t do anything on a social network just to fit in.
3. Be interesting. Some people are afraid they don’t have anything interesting to say. If you think about what you say, before you say it, you’ll go a long way to being interesting. Ideally, your friends within your social networking should be interested in what you have to say in general.
4. Use privacy settings, but don’t rely on them. Privacy settings on social networking sites can be useful, but they cannot prevent information from getting out. Be extremely careful when writing about spouse, friends and employment on your social network.
5. Be polite. Discussions about religion and politics can get heated online, and it’s easy to take it personally on a social network. The Savior’s example should be your guide to handling these solutions.
6. Develop a Routine. Have a regularly scheduled time in which you check your social networks to avoid spending too much time. Never let your social networking get in the way of family, church and employment settings.
7. Enforce boundaries. If you are married, there are boundaries on what is appropriate to discuss with the opposite sex. Never engage in a conversation online that you wouldn’t have in face-to-face conversation.
8. Respond quickly to others. As a matter of basic courtesy you should respond to any messages that do not appear to be spam.
9. Don’t try to do it all. Some people post almost everything about their life, while others will only post occasionally, if at all. Decide in advance how much you want to do, and re-evaluate from time-to-time.
10. Try to have a diverse network. With a diverse network, you get different perspectives, which can expand your own horizons.
How Can This Tool Affect My Family?
Using social networks has potential positive, as well as negative effects, depending on how you use them. Examples of how social networks can affect you and your family are listed below.
Potentially Positive Benefits of Using Social Networks:
The benefits of using social networks can have a positive impact on you and your family. For example, social networks are a great place for you to connect with your friends and family and even share information that means a great deal to them. Social networks can also be a great place for you to share the gospel, meet new people, learn more about some of your interests, and reconnect with individuals whom you have not seen in a long period of time.
Are Social Networks Safe?
The answer to this question is “it depends.” Many social networks are quite safe. You, as the user, usually have the right to determine who can view your profile, see your photos, etc. Some social networks ask you to specify if everyone on the network can see your profile, or if you want to limit it to your family and friends.
When you upload a photo, some will ask you to whom you want to make the photo visible (i.e. everyone, friends, and family, or some will even allow you to send the photo to an email address).
Sometimes these profiles settings are referred to as public and private; public meaning that anyone can view the profile, and private meaning you choose who can view it.
In the areas where pictures can be posted, don’t include provocative poses or immodest pictures, and immediately hit the back button or close your browser, whichever is fastest, if you come upon inappropriate photographs or other material.
You should take some caution in the information that you decide to post on your social network because your profile could be viewed by anyone. For example, it would not be a good idea to include information on your profile such as your Social Security number (if you live in the United States). Some people are even cautious about listing their address or phone number, or even the maiden name of their mother. The key is to be thoughtful about what you post on your profile and to use the privacy settings provided if you don’t want just anyone to know your personal information.
You may also want to be cautious about the type of language you post on your profile. For example, many employers research and look at the profiles of the individuals whom they are seeking for potential employment. Therefore, if you don’t want your potential employer to see it, then don’t make it public.
If you are a parent with children in your home, you should know all of those individuals with whom your children are chatting. You should also warn them about the dangers of chatting online with strangers. Make sure you know them before inviting them to view your profile and talk with you. In many cases, individuals after meeting someone through a social network site will set up an appointment to meet. This can be a very dangerous idea, especially if you or your family member met the individual online through a social network. Many social networks have moderators for discussion boards and chat rooms, and if you or any member of your family feels that there is any misconduct in these areas, contact the moderator.
A lot of social networks connect you to friends of your friends. These “friends” have access to your information and you have no control over what they do with the information you include in your profile. Some social networks offer places where you can chat or post personal thoughts. You may want to share what you did at a party over the weekend, but remember that many people can potentially read any information you post.
You can select privacy preferences to control those who will view your Facebook or social network pages.
Invitation
At the close of Elder Ballard’s message on “Sharing the Gospel Through the Internet” he boldly stated,
“There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time…May the Lord bless each of you that you will have a powerful influence on those you come in contact with. As I said in the beginning, the power of words is incredible. Let your voice be heard in this great cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
As stated by Elder Ballard, there is so much good that can be done in the world through small and simple means. Social networks are tools that can help you do your part in sharing your feelings about the gospel, including the glorious message of the Restoration. Your sphere of influence can be expanded tremendously through the use of this tool. If you have not joined a social network yet, start today. Who knows who you will reach and the good you will do?
Beginner:
Join a popular social networking site, such as Facebook. Adjust your privacy settings. View other people’s profiles.
Advanced:
Comment on other people’s profiles. Post interesting photos, links and videos. Share your testimony of the gospel.
Learn how to use “Stumble Upon.”
Learn how to use “Delicious.”