Communications

Website Guidelines

Introduction

www.syrdio.org is the official website of the Diocese of Syracuse and a key communications tool to further the message and mission of the local Catholic Church. The Dioecse of Syracuse's website is designed to encourage Catholics to become more engaged in and informed about their faith, and to allow non-Catholics to explore our faith and message. The following are a set of guidelines for information posted to Diocesan and Parish websites

General Guidelines

• 1. Content and recommended resources should always be consistent with the teachings of the Magisterium and should reflect the mission of the Diocese of Syracuse.

  2. Content should be reviewed, approved and submitted by the relevant director of an office, with approval from the director of communications. Unsolicited material or links are not accepted. Pastors and Parochial vicars should also approve and review content posted to Parish websites.

  3. Information should be accurate and timely, and proofread carefully before being submitted. Information should be reviewed by departments and parishes on a regular basis.

  4. Posted events should be sponsored in whole or in part by the Diocese of Syracuse, or one of its entities, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or the Vatican. Requests for exceptions should be made to the Director of Communications.

  5. Care must be taken at all times to ensure the security of individuals. This includes but is not exclusive to the following:

• • • 1. home phone numbers may not be posted without prior written permission from the individual(s)

      2. last names of minors may not accompany photos.

• 1. Graphics, photographs and content from outside sources must have proper approvals and permissions, including copyright and trademark permissions, if applicable. The department or parish submitting the information is responsible for obtaining the permission if necessary.

  2. Biblical quotations must come from the New American Bible, Revised New Testament (NAB). The Diocese of Syracuse has requested copyright permission for limited use of the NAB on its website.

  3. Diocesan Offices may not establish separate sites without permission from the office of Information Technology and Office of Communications. We are unified as one local church and want to encourage visitors to explore different areas of our faith through a unified site. Individual Parish ministries should not establish separate sites without permission from the Pastor or Parochial Vicar. Parishioners should be able to strongly associate the outreach of each parish ministry with the parish itself.

  4. Parishes who maintain a website that is not hosted on Diocesan Servers should abide by best practices as outlined in the IT Guidelines of this manual.

How should information be posted?

• 1. General Content: A director of an office or a parish representative submits updated or new content to the Office of Communications.

  2. Routine Parish Changes: Changes in address, phone, email, or staffing are considered to be routine changes and do not require approval from the Office of Communications. A representative from a Parish Office, with permission from their Pastor or Parochial Vicar may contact the diocesan webmaster directly with such changes.

  3. Online questionnaires or forms: A director of an office or parish representative, should contact the Office of Communications for assistance.

  4. Parish/agency links: Pastors or parish staff are to submit official parish/agency website addresses to the Office of Communications for posting.

Guidelines for External Links

Links to the following organizations are authorized:

• 1. Vatican and its related organizations

  2. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and its related organizations (e.g. CLINIC, CRS and CNS)

  3. Diocese of Syracuse agencies, parishes, schools and campus ministries, and seminaries serving the Diocese of Syracuse

  4. Official government websites that provide general citizen information (e.g. a list of elected officials; information on how to obtain a birth or death record.)

  5. Links to purchase recommended Catholic books and resources, following the content of the guidelines listed above and posted in the Resources section of the website.

Authorization to link to the websites above may be revoked by the Director of Communications at any time. Pastors and Parochial Vicars may also revoke authorization to link any material on Parish sites they believe is contrary to the mission of the Diocese.

Guidelines for Social Media

USCCB guidelines: http://www.usccb.org/about/communications/social-media-guidelines.cfm