FPCAnnounce Acceptable Use Policy

Policy # 005  Revision # 003

I. POLICY STATEMENT

FPCAnnounce is the Electronic Mailing List of the First Parish Church of Stow and Acton created to be the primary announcement medium for communicating with the members and friends of FPC using electronic mail.

II. SCOPE

  1. FPCAnnounce is a resource for members and friends of the First Parish Church of Stow and Acton. It provides a quick way to distribute news and information about events occurring within the church and the UU denomination which are likely to be of general interest.
  2. FPCAnnounce is also a vehicle for the minister to communicate with the congregation.  First Parish recognizes that the minister's freedom of the pulpit includes the freedom to communicate by electronic means.   Because of the minister's unique role of being called by us to freely express "values, views and commitments," and recognizing that he/she is bound by the UUMA Code of Ethics, announcements from the minister will be labeled as such and will be forwarded to the congregation (or to all subscribers to FPCAnnounce) without review by the moderators.

III. RESPONSIBILITY

The Communications Committee is the responsible committee. It has delegated operational responsibility to the subcommittee known as the Electronic Communication Committee.

IV. DEFINITIONS

FPCAnnounce - The name of the Electronic Mailing List.

Moderator - The person or persons responsible for maintenance and management of the FPCAnnounce Electronic Mailing List. Moderators are members of the Communications Committee or one of its subcommittees.

FPCAnnounce membership - Anyone who expresses an interest in FPC may apply for membership to the list. This includes, but is not limited to members, friends, others in the community who are interested in the church, ministers of other churches as well as visitors to the FPC Church of Stow & Acton website who may subscribe. Membership is approved by the moderator.

V. REFERENCES

FPCAnnounce Guidelines (See Attachment 1).

VI. APPROVAL SIGNATURES

[Only included in printed version]

Attachment 1

FPCAnnounce Guidelines

Below are the guidelines which shall be used in administering the FPCAnnounce electronic mail group.

FPCAnnounce is a moderated list. This means that all messages to be published on the list are subject to approval by one of the list moderators. Anyone may send a message to the list, but it will only be approved if it meets the criteria established for the list. Similarly a moderator must approve an application for membership on the list. Moderators are appointed by the Chair of the Communications Committee.

FPCAnnounce membership criteria:

  1. Anyone who expresses an interest in FPC may apply for membership to the list. This includes, but is not limited to members, friends, others in the community who are interested in the church, ministers of other churches as well as visitors to the website who may subscribe.
  2. A moderator must approve membership.
  3. Anyone applying for membership must provide their name and if requested their reason for their interest in being a member of the list.
  4. List members may be removed from the list by the list Moderator.

FPCAnnounce message criteria:

  1. Primarily, messages should pertain to church business or Unitarian Universalism providing a quick way to distribute news and information about events or issues which are likely to be of general interest.
  2. Examples: Reminders of general church meetings; cancellation of church events; announcements regarding church fund raising activities; committee calls for volunteer help; announcements of Denominational news or events such as GA or district meetings; reminders about other church activities that involve a significant number of members.
  3. Other items not about church business that may be of interest to many members may be posted at the discretion of the moderator. Examples: An announcement regarding a social action project or concert sponsored by a nearby UU church; information about non-political community events that would be of significant interest to members; information about a project sponsored by the church such as the Food Pantry or the Senior Meal Site.
  4. Postings pertaining to political issues will not be accepted for publication. Examples: A message asking members to contact their Senator regarding passage of legislation even if it is likely that it would be supported by a majority of members; information about a local candidate for election; a message encouraging attendance at local elections or town meetings to support an issue.
  5. Postings that are primarily commercial in nature will not be accepted for publication. Examples: Announcement of the opening of a business; notice of a yard sale to be held by a member.
  6. Postings for convenience of members in communicating personal information or relating to private social events will not be accepted. Example: Announcement of a private party ; announcement of the change of email address by a member; request for sponsorship; help wanted or position wanted notices.
  7. Birth and wedding announcements will not usually be accepted, but the moderator may make exceptions if appropriate. Death notices of members and friends or of their family are posted from the minister or lay minister. Information about illness of a member should also be posted from the minister or lay minister. Exceptions are made if the moderator is assured either by direct contact with the subject individual or a close family member, or by contact with the minister that the subject of the notice approves of the publication.
  8. Messages that apply to only a small number of members will not be posted. Examples: A committee Chair calling a meeting for 4 or 5 members.

 

Guidelines for message content.

  1. Announcements should be succinct, well-organized, and polite;
  2. Announcements should include a concise description in the subject line.
  3. If a reply to a posting is requested it is preferable to list the sender's email address in the body of the message and request replies be directed to the sender.