From FaceTime to Zoom, the virtual meeting possibilities seem to be endless these days. But you know what they say — with possibilities come responsibilities, and this holds true for hosting board meetings in the digital age. In some respects, virtual meetings have made taking meeting minutes much easier: Simply hit that record button and download the audio file at the end of the meeting.
 
It’s so easy that corporations might be tempted to simply post the recordings of their meetings on social media so that all of their members can listen. While corporate transparency is commendable, posting recordings of board meetings to social media might not be the best idea, so consider the following before you hit that share button.  
 
1. First, define “meetings.” Meetings in executive session are only for those included in the executive session, so in this instance, posting the minutes or recordings in a public space like social media would be beyond inappropriate.
 
2. Recording laws differ from state to state (one-party versus two-party consent). So, you need to research your state legislation regarding recording of meetings and sharing those recordings. Remember: If one or more people participating in the call are from different states, you’ll want to get everyone’s consent to record the meeting to be safe.
 
3. Research your state statutes regarding recording meetings and publicizing meeting recordings. At the national level, we do not and would never post our board meetings on social media. We utilize social media platforms to share content carefully crafted by our professional team at ALA National Headquarters. We do this because we are all aware of the fact that social media is still, in many ways, like the Wild West — people shoot (metaphorically speaking) first and ask questions later. Things are easily taken out of context, and there are always people “trolling” to find things to spin in a bad way. So, National Headquarters would see posting board minutes to social media as an unnecessary way to open the organization up to all kinds of liabilities. 
 
4. Finally, what is the objective of posting recordings on social media? If it is for transparency, that can easily be achieved by posting the minutes on the unit/department website with “members only” access, similar to what is done at the national level with the MyAuxiliary member portal at www.ALAforVeterans.org. 
 
Do you have a copy of the National Constitution, Bylaws, and Standings Rules book? If not, it is available for download at www.ALAforVeterans.org or you can order it from American Legion Flag & Emblem Sales.
 
Do you want to learn more about Constitution & Bylaws, or have a question? Log in to the MyAuxiliary portion of www.ALAforVeterans.org.