Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting

Guidelines for Use of Technology

Approved in meeting for worship with attention to business

2/7/2021

We, the Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting, agree to the following guidelines for use of technology that allows us to present ourselves as a Meeting in a virtual format.

Technology that allows for communication in a virtual format should be used as a way to strengthen our ability to communicate both internally and with people who do not attend Meeting. Currently, the Meeting uses three main forms of virtual communication – the website, the Facebook page, and the email listserv. This policy, however, should guide the use of any technology that the meeting uses to communicate virtually.

As an underlying principle, the messages and content we express over a virtual format should align with how Friends communicate with one another in person – guided by a conviction that there is that of God in everyone, and consistent with the testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.

Although these principles remain the same, each virtual technology functions differently, and requires thoughtful discernment to develop specific rules of appropriate use. The work of considering how to best embody these principles in the specific virtual arenas should be taken up by the communications committee.

The committee can delegate the role of regular administration to an individual, who would have technological access to manage the communication and content in a virtual format, and would perform the regular and routine duties of administration. The administrator may or may not be a member of the committee.

The committee as a whole would provide oversight for individuals who agree to take on the role of administrators – the administrators would be able to ask for assistance if unsure how to proceed, and if others have concerns regarding the use of virtual technology, they could also contact the committee. The committee should retain the ability to access the administrative role in case the administrator is not available.

The committee should further determine the scope of their work after they have had some time of functioning and discerning the work that needs to be done. If needed, the committee could draft further policy for review by Ministry and Counsel and the Meeting.