A recently leaked draft of a guide for how Mormon missionaries can use technology and the internet reveals that Facebook is the only authorized social media platform to use.
Facebook rules for Mormon Missionaries includes:
- Always sit where you can see your companion’s screen
- Be aware of your companion’s contacts, message, and communications.
- Do not post, comment, or message anything without your companion reviewing it first. (This does not apply to letters to the president or emails home.)
- Use a profile picture that reflects your sacred calling. Show your name tag, and wear appropriate mission attire. Use an individual picture of you, not a group photo
- Do not access any Facebook applications of games
- Leave groups that do not reflect your calling as a representative of the Lord.
- Remember, the Church is politically neutral. Your posts and interactions with others should reflect the same political neutrality.
- Do not engage in conversations with individuals whose only goal is to destroy your testimony. “Unfriend” or “block” any individual who is only interested in arguing with you, destroying your faith, or undermining the progress of investigators. Talk to your mission president for his guidance if you encounter such circumstances.
- Adjust your news feed so that those who would be a distraction to your work do not appear on it.
On the one hand I'm surprised that the church is even allowing Facebook access. On the other hand, the LDS church has always been pretty accepting of technology. And, like it or not, Facebook is a weird phenomenon. It has its fingers in our culture in a way that is hard to ignore.
I think it will be a long time before we see any other social networking stuff being approved for use by missionaries, since every dumb tweet by a missionary will be passed around the internet as official church doctrine. Disallowing that sort of thing saves a lot of headache, I'm sure.
I'd welcome Kopimists here.