![\"Social-Media\"](\"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Social-Media1.jpg\")
<\/a>\nWe are witnessing a daily assault against Israel from any and all types of media. Even terrorist groups have web pages, online videos and social media that generate false news stories and distort events. These can be spread by those consider\u00a0 anything they find on the internet to be factual. The internet was developed almost in harness with video technology and all too often websites of all kinds can produce cleverly designed and executed video, audio and photo-shopped images that are extremely convincing. The speed at which messages and comments are shared is held hostage to the urge to be first to move something and fact checking is becoming a thing of the past. Even news corporations which should be operating under a serious journalism code of ethics too often rush online with inadequately verified postings to keep\u00a0 ratings up. Today, profits and page rank are replacing accuracy in reporting.
\nChristians must hold to a different set of rules and cannot deviate for any reason: good ends do not allow for questionable means. One way to lend social media support for Israel is to \u201cfriend\u201d or \u201clike\u201d any pro-Israel social media pages to which you already belong. You can expand that organization\u2019s reach by sharing posts and comments with your own audience and ask them to do likewise. Posting well constructed,\u00a0 grammatically correct and succinct posts will draw traffic and increase the reach of the site. The social media environment is expanding at an unbelievable pace, so new pages are a daily reality.
\nBe careful to associate only with pages and organizations that are legitimate and\u00a0 do not have a negative reputation. Check out the page owner\u2019s reputation. Your comments or posts should be well\u00a0 thought through and you need to be ready to quietly defend whatever you write, you are acting as ambassador for Israel. It is also a reality that negative comments and direct attacks do occur, if this is not the best venue for you then it\u2019s wise to select another way to help. Consider being selective in what to post and where to make a constructive comment. There are no guarantees of anything on the internet. It\u2019s still smart to pick your battles. Keeping up to date security software and malware on your computer or personal device is a necessity.
\nHaving your church group develop an Israel support social media page is a corporate decision and will involve permission from the church governing body. Drafting policies such as who is in overall charge, who will post or respond on the site, what material is acceptable, and what conditions govern removals, cancellations and the like will be essential formal decisions. At this point there are legal concerns as well as ethical ones and someone should be delegated responsibility for due diligence in assembling the proper information for decision making.
\nTimeliness is an issue that often escapes many page owners for social media sites. In a time when distorted statements can go viral almost constant vigilance is a part of the risk assumed when using social media. Topics such as Israel draw many viewers. Unfortunately many of these viewers have negative and poorly formed opinions and express them confrontationally and often crudely. The site may be open to site security attack so a careful examination of security protocols is in order.
\nThe opportunities offered by social media for persons and organizations to lend their support for Israel are\u00a0 plentiful. Careful thought and planning, anticipating negative responses and returning well worded and positive replies can turn around hostile attitudes. This is a new environment and not everyone has quite learned to use it well. The potential is worth the risks involved. Support for Israel is\u00a0 a serious matter and deserves our full attention, online and off.<\/p>\n
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