Member Social Communications Policy And Guidelines

The Knights of Columbus Member Social Communications Policy and Guidelines apply to members and subordinate units of the Knights of Columbus when they choose to identify themselves as members of the Knights of Columbus or to discuss the work of the Knights of Columbus in social communications.  All officers should take the time to review the complete Knights of Columbus Member Social Communications Policy, which can be found here.  Agents should contact Field Management to obtain additional guidance regarding permissible use of social communications relating to the sale and servicing of financial products and services.

"Social Communications” refers to, among other things, the internet, World Wide Web, and social media.  “Social Media” includes blogs and microblogs, social networking sites, and picture and video sharing sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube, among others.  Social media also includes any website that embeds social media functionality and content, including comments sections on blogs and commercial sites, such as Amazon.com, as well as Facebook’s “like” button.

What follows below are guidelines that  summarize the main points of the Knights of Columbus Member Social Communications Policy. 

Member Social Communication Guidelines

• READ the Knights of Columbus Member Social Communications Policy. 
• Use prudent judgment and practice Christian charity.
• Honor human dignity and maintain a culture of respect, dialogue, and friendship in social communications.
• Uphold the reputation and good name of the Order, which depends upon you conducting yourself as a Catholic Gentleman at all times, both online and offline.
• Do not communicate with minors directly.  Always communicate with and through parents or legal guardians of minor children.
• Respect privacy, trademarks, copyright, and other applicable laws when posting content in social communications.
• Personal data, such as a person’s social security number, may not be disclosed or transmitted by way of social communications.
• Include the following disclaimer in all posts in social communications when identifying your association with and/or expressing an opinion about the Knights of Columbus or the work of the Knights of Columbus:  “The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Knights of Columbus."

Social Communications should be used by subordinate units and members of the Knights of Columbus to organize good works in the community and to promote the charitable mission of the Knights of Columbus.   Social communications should be leveraged to facilitate personal interactions in the community. Social communications should not be seen as a replacement for in-person human interaction.  When using social communications be sure to observe the principles of the Knights of Columbus:

Charity

• Organize good works and promote the charitable mission of the Knights of Columbus in the community through social communications.
• Social communications should not replace in-person human interaction, but should aim to facilitate in-person charitable action in the local community
• Do not post hateful, defamatory, racist, or pornographic content, which is offensive to human dignity and Christian charity.

Unity

• Resolve disputes and controversies privately and offline.
• Promote the teachings of the Catholic Church and the principles of the Knights of Columbus.
• Promote the Faith by including links from sites like The Vatican,  http://www.news.va/en, and http://www.vatican.va, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,  http://usccb.org, and websites maintained by the Knights of Columbus, including  http://www.kofc.org, http://www.headlinebistro.com, and http://www.fathersforgood.org.

Fraternity

• Observe the Laws and official policies of the Knights of Columbus when using social communications.
• Post petitions for prayer or request for help in assisting brother Knights or their families.
• Promote the Knights of Columbus by posting notices of regular meetings and events.
• Do not post or discuss in any way the ceremonials of the Knights of Columbus.
  

Rev. Feb. 2012