wfn.org | PCUSA - Using social media at the General Assembly

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

> Using social media at the General Assembly
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> Posted at
> June 11, 2010 4:16 p.m.

Social media has become a normal and integral part of our lives as a 
society. It covers an ever-evolving collection of programs and 
devices like Twitter, email, texting and Facebook. It might be 
tempting to dismiss these new technologies as tangential to a meeting 
of the General Assembly. They can be ignored, banned, or 
acknowledged. What we can't do is to expect that social media is not 
a normal part of life for many commissioners, advisory delegates, and visitors.
Social media is not a fad, it is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

Location no longer defines the number or immediacy of those with whom 
we are in communication. Social media gives people a chance to share 
ideas and think aloud with many different communities. People 
engaging in social media are potentially listening to, talking, and 
reflecting with many people at the same time. Being present with 
someone engaging in social media does not necessarily mean that you 
are the person getting their primary attention.

Image by Knowtebook.com

In contrast with this shift in the way we communicate are the 
principles of Presbyterian polity and governance.

A major affirmation of our faithfulness together is a trust in the 
power of discernment when men and women gather to speak and listen to 
each other and to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our governing bodies 
are clearly defined in membership and in method. At a particular 
General Assembly we believe that the commissioners and advisory 
delegates who have gathered together are uniquely set aside for the 
decisions they will bring forth at that particular time.
The guiding principle for using social media at a General Assembly is 
to be attentive and present to the community gathered immediately 
around us and to the mysterious and wondrous movement of the Spirit 
of Christ in this place.

Whatever our thumbs may be doing, our commissions call us to engage 
our hearts with each other in the moment during the business of a 
General Assembly.

* Please do not make using social media the primary focus of 
your attention during meetings of the Assembly.

* Cell-phone conversations will continue to be banned from the 
floor during plenary.

* Through live video streaming people throughout the world will 
be watching the proceedings as they happen. Do not serve as a proxy 
for those outside the assembly who wish to ask questions or make 
motions. The commissioners and advisory delegates with whom you serve 
trust that your words are a reflection of your own heart and convictions.

* Remember that anything you write can be copied and 
distributed. Please do not make a comment about the proceedings that 
you would not make in person to other commissioners and advisory delegates.

* Participants in the assembly should identify themselves in 
their username. As a courtesy, profile information or the username 
should represent who you are and your affiliation with the General Assembly.

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