Communications Policies - Unitarian Universalist Congregation of

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UUCA Communications Policies
Major Communications Vehicles
All UUCA teams write their own publicity.
1. Cliffhanger
All article submissions must be sent to cliffhanger@uuca.org by Tuesday noon each week.
Articles should not exceed 75 words and be written in complete sentences (see writing
guidelines below). Priority of placement is given first to UUCA events happening that day, then
to UUCA events over the next two weeks. General interest and FYI articles (that is, non-event
articles) are placed only when space is available. Articles for non-UUCA events, even if they are
held at UUCA, are ordinarily not included.
The Administrative & Communications Assistant will confirm receipt of your submission by email.
If you do not receive that email, your submission has not been received.
For ongoing, week-to-week articles, space for a short description is available in the back page
calendar listing but usually not on the front page. (This description may be changed week to
week, though, by emailing cliffhanger@uuca.org.) Exceptions to the front-page rule can be made
for special programs that lie outside the usual week-to-week programming (such as a special
out-of-town guest or a major change in an ongoing class’s curriculum).
Ongoing programs that are not open to drop-in participations (that is, sign-up required programs
like individual covenant groups) are not listed in the Cliffhanger.
Because of tight deadlines and limited space, all articles are subject to editing for style and
content without notification.
Verbal and hand-written submissions are not accepted.
2. Weekly Email Update
The contents of this email and priorities of placement mirror the Cliffhanger, so a separate
submission for inclusion in the Weekly Update is not necessary. Because of time restraints,
separate submissions of different versions of an article to the Cliffhanger and Weekly Update are
not accepted. Subscriptions to the Weekly Update are managed by individuals; instructions for
subscription changes are included in every week’s Update.
An archive of recent Weekly Updates is posted online at uuca.org.
3. Monthly Print Newsletter
The deadline for the Newsletter the third Sunday of the month unless notified otherwise. All
submissions must be sent directly to newsletter@uuca.org. Articles should be written in
complete sentences. Maximum length for most articles should be 100 to 125 words. (Please see
the writing guidelines below.)
Priority of placement is given to UUCA events happening that month and to regular columns.
The Administrative & Communications Assistant will confirm receipt of your submission by email.
If you do not receive that email, your submission has not been received.
Because of tight deadlines and limited space, all articles are subject to editing for style and
content without notification.
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Verbal and hand-written submissions are not accepted.
An archive of recent Newsletters is posted online at uuca.org.
4. Newsletter & Cliffhanger Writing Guidelines
All article should be written in complete sentences. Articles for the Cliffhanger should not
exceed 75 words long, and Newsletter article should have a maximum length of 100 to 125
words. Longer articles will usually be edited for length first. Common exceptions to the length
rule include special all-congregational news (for example, the pledge drive) and columns in the
monthly Newsletter.
Give your readers all necessary information, including date, time, location, and contact info.
Assume your reader does not know the basics about your program; a one sentence description
will usually suffice. If space is an issue, info for all but the first contact listed in the article may
be deleted; let us know in your original submission if listing more than one contact is absolutely
necessary. Contact info must include last names plus a phone number and/or email address.
Avoid the use of exclamation marks. Avoid phrases such as “Come on down, everybody, it’ll be
fun!” (We can assume that all programs want everyone to come and that their participants think
their event is fun.) Do not write in all capital letters or use bold or other special formatting (even
headlines). Publications and book titles should be in italics.
When first mentioning it, avoid the use of insider abbreviations, such as UUA (Unitarian
Universalist Associations), MSD (Mid-South District), UUSC (Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee). UU and UUCA are fine to abbreviate though.
5. Why We Make Edits to Your Articles
UUCA is a busy place with lots of great things going on every week. To help get the word out,
we try to balance three priorities: (1) helping leaders communicate with the larger congregation
about their programs, (2) producing professional publications that put UUCA’s best foot forward,
and (3) doing so in a way that helps office staff complete their work in a reliably timely fashion
while juggling the demands of other important, competing responsibilities.
Because of these priorities, we may make edits for any of the following reasons:
a. We correct grammar and spelling errors.
b. We may cut all but the bare bones, essential information from articles so that there is just enough room
for one more article on a page, an article that could not be published otherwise due to space
limitations.
c. We may make changes in order to present information in a consistent style that helps readers easily
find the info they need regardless of idiosyncrasies of individual authors’ writing styles.
6. Email Announcements List
A Yahoo Group is used for last minute and week-of announcements. It is located at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuca_announcements. Users may manage their own
subscription by logging in at that webpage. The list is moderated for spam; please allow up to
two business days for your posting to be approved. Postings should be sent to
uuca_announcements@yahoogroups.com.
For non-news items, a networking email list is available at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uuca_networking. Several groups also maintain their own
Yahoo Groups.
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7. A Tip When Making Space Requests
Space reservations must be made online at uuca.org. When making space requests, be sure to
include a description of your event—many people go to the web calendar expecting to find
program information. Writing a short description of your program (a Cliffhanger article is a good
model) will make it easier for people to find out about your event, especially at the last minute.
8. Website
The primary audience of the UUCA website is newcomers, followed by members, friends and
then congregational leaders. Website content is organized on the basis of this priority of
audiences.
Only official, ongoing UUCA programs and activities may be included in the main content
sections of the website. Descriptions of programs should be clear and brief and include contact
information. Programs will be grouped with similar programs (such as social justice programs or
generational fellowship groups) as often as possible. One-time events can be listed in the
Newsletter, Cliffhanger, Weekly Update, and Calendar of Events but not in the main content
sections of the website unless they qualify as Special Events (see below).
The Calendar of Events is intended to be a listing of all UUCA programs and activities. The
Calendar of Events is based on room reservations. To be listed on the calendar, leaders should
fill out a Facility Reservation Form online; the form includes an “offsite” option for events not at
UUCA that do not require a room reservation but where an online calendar listing would still be
helpful.
Events listed on the Special Events page should anticipate participation from over 75 people.
The Blog contains columns from the Newsletter plus other special articles.
Audio files of sermons are posted within two days. Sermons text is included whenever provided
by the author.
Websites with independent domain names (that is, domains other than uuca.org) are prohibited,
except in the case of the Atlanta Progressive Preschool and the Underground Theatre, which
need separate websites in order to do business. As an alternative, the creation and use of
Yahoo, Google, and Facebook groups, etc. is highly encouraged for ease of group
communication, file sharing, project coordination, etc. A program’s Yahoo (or other) group may
be linked to from that program’s description in the UUCA website in addition to or in
replacement of other contact info.
More detailed website policies are available in a separate document.
Other Communications Vehicles
1. Coffee Hour Tables
Tables for publicity during Coffee Hour should be reserved online at uuca.org.
2. Information Kiosk/Credenza
The Information Kiosk/Credenza is in the north hallway across from the childcare rooms. Printed
brochures and literature about UUCA and UU programs can be placed here. Other literature
should be approved by the Director of Welcome Ministries.
3. Order of Service Inserts
Order of Service inserts are approved by the minister preaching that Sunday.
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4. Verbal Announcements During Worship
Verbal announcements during worship are rarely done and are approved by the minister
responsible for that service.
5. Events Calendar Bulletin Board in Front Lobby
The front lobby Events Calendar bulletin board is reserved solely for the events calendar. The
calendar is a listing of all room reservations.
Event cancellations may also be posted here but should not be hand-written unless absolutely
necessary. A volunteer computer is available in the office workroom to make flyers. Exceptions
must be approved by the Director of Welcome Ministries.
6. Welcome Table
Because the Welcome Table is for welcoming Sunday visitors, it is not an appropriate to place
fliers and handouts. Better alternatives are the Info Credenza in the north hallway or a table at
coffee hour.
If you use the Welcome Table for a non-Sunday event, put the Welcome Table back in order so
that it will be ready for newcomers who drop in during the week. Programs should supply their
own name tags labels and not use the supplies in the Welcome Table, which are exclusively for
use on Sunday mornings.
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