The church website would include standard copy like a home page, contact page, schedule, media, bios, mission statement, etc.
Ideally the church will have a central theme already that can radiate throughout the site making its message distinct and search engine-friendly. Search engine optimization (SEO), forms and graphics are integral parts of this category.
#1 by Joe - April 2nd, 2009 at 21:08
R,
I am getting ready to watch a movie with Rhonda. Are you around tomorrow/Friday?
Let’s work on your timeline for the next three weeks and exactly what we need to do or decide, specifically, starting with tomorrow, and make sure I know exactly what you want done, beginning with…
1) Do you already have a plane ticket? Both ways? Do you need a ticket to get back?
2) Can I ask what you are doing in LR? I know you said it had something to do with a Hendrix alum…if I remember correctly?
3) I can’t imagine you won’t be online or out of touch during that time, so I assume we could still be communicating while you are in LR working?
4) Do you know when exactly you will be up here? Do we need to make arrangements to get you up here or back to wherever you are leaving from?
5) Do you have any recommendations with respect to continuing with our current domain host or any questions I need to ask as to whether we should stick with it or not? Once I get your reply, I will work on this pronto…
Thanx,
jc
#2 by admin - April 2nd, 2009 at 21:58
Item #5 needs to be decided right away (within 2 weeks) so that I can put up a framework for the site that we begin to build. That framework will serve as a guide for what needs to be done on your side (i.e. contact information, event schedule, sermon media offerings). You’ll see a list of these under Website Intro on the blog at http://Spiral.prodigalweb.net.
The other thing that needs to be decided quickly is what message do you want to convey (”imperfect church”) through the site and anything else we undertake (writing articles). What is it that you genuinely want to communicate about the church that will set it apart?
(1) I don’t have tickets. I was hoping the church was getting them.
(2)I’m doing enterprise application consulting (Microsoft Dynamics GP). There’s a guy I met in LR that is a fellow Hendrix alum from about 10 years earlier. I do database management mostly. This is what I’ve done for a good chunk of my two decades in corporate America.
(3)We can still communicate while I’m in LR. My schedule will be tighter.
(4) I’m assuming that my trip to Branson will be April 23-26, give or take a day. I think that’s the original date range we discussed.
(5)If you trust the source that is hosting now over the long haul, then stay where you are. If there’s any doubt, get a new host and move the domain. Hosting is cheap, so starting with a new host is no biggie.
#3 by Joe - June 10th, 2009 at 01:03
Okay, I am back. Where are you? Shann is very busy. Very…Here is what I have gotten from him. If I come over, we can pick some pics outs. I suppose I will have to drive over and set at his desk and hold his hand to get this done. I guess I need to know…I mean tell me, the baby, exactly what you need now. I really really want to get this going. Am I at the right place to send this to you. I found this in an email. I am not even sure where I am at the moment…within this website.
#4 by Prodigal - June 10th, 2009 at 16:53
A graphic of your choosing that is this size would be a great start: 735 x 279
This image will be your lead image on the home page.
I’ll email you one that I use as an example.
#5 by Joseph Cross - June 15th, 2009 at 02:08
So what’s the latest status on our graphic…and what did we decide to keep this website at?
#6 by Prodigal - June 19th, 2009 at 21:14
A site to admire http://www.blogconsultingllc.com/2009/06/whole-foods-market-a-first-impression-social-media-case-study.html
#7 by Joe - November 19th, 2009 at 19:09
Here we go. Open the floodgates. Here come the questions/thoughts.
I picked up my old web file when we thought about building a website awhile back–before you. Here are some of my original thoughts, some of which are still confirmed after gazing at a few of my favorite other non-church websites, such as CNN, ESPN, Google News, etc.
1) In my original design, I wanted to have a constant template that ran through out the website, so no matter what page someone was on, they could immediately click on one of the main links and not have to back track, making for quick access of basic information for me as the writer and for the reader as well. If I referred back to our purpose statement or one of main 101 purpose statement pages, such as one of the Ships…Worship or Discipleship for example, then they could quickly and easily access what we are saying about this. I am aware that this can be done via hotlinks as well, but that is dependent upon the writer. What if as a a reader want to refer back to what Fellowship says on worship, even though I the writer haven’t mentioned it or hot-buttoned it. Our philosophy is so critical. I want it quickly available–the basics.
With that in mind…this is what I designed way back…
Links would surround the template on all four sides in some form or fashion.
In the middle would be that page’s main content. (Another thought I had at the time was that the middle would be like a book page in which a hot button could be hit to go to the next page. Thus we could make the web page like reading a book. The advantage of this would be that I would not have to cram a lot of words on a page. I could go with less words, but more pages. The reader then could go as far as they wanted, like reading a book, whether the content was one page or fifty [I know fifty sounds like a lot. We could do chapters. I just like the idea of reading a book, something most people are familiar with. Okay something to talk about/discuss.)
Back to the middle of the page.
2) Like a news front page, can it be changeable. Why? People love pics. Shann could keep supplying us a steady stream of updated pics. Why? Even my people would return to see the update pics.
3) I would also like to include links or feeds to news stories, youtube videos, other pastors or churches websites, anything that I thought might be helpful. I want people coming back to the website to check it at least several times a week, if not daily. I think I can do this with some of my own updated stuff (blog, video, pod cast, Bible study devotion, etc.) plus the other stuff mentioned above. Can I do this legally? I want this site to be an evolving resource, not just an advertising piece for our church. Find me a way to do this.
4) Back to the border templates…Nothing is set…this is just what I designed at the time…
On the right side I had
• Quote on the Meaning of Fellowship
• Welcome
• Fellowship’s Philosophy of Ministry
(offset, indented all below))
• Form Follows Function (in all of life)
• The Church’s Function (Eph. 4)
• Fellowship’s Purpose Statement
• Fellowship’s Biblical Environment for Spiritual Growth
(offset, indented)
• Worship
• Discipleship
• Fellowship/Stewardship
• Despite Hardship
(back to first indent)
• Fellowship’s Spiritual Growth Bridge to Maturity
(indent)
• Home Churches
(back to first indent)
• Fellowship’s Theological Foundations
(indent)
• Fellowship’s View on Charismata
(back to first indent)
• Fellowship’s Philosophy of Giving
• Fellowship’s Philosophy of Servant-Leadership
(indent)
• Elders
• Deacons and Deaconesses
Thus people at any time on any page would be able to access Fellowship’s Philosophy of Ministry or Core/Foundational Beliefs…whether you have attended twenty years or never attended…
Upper Left Corner
• Home page
Across the top
• Fellowship Drawing…
Top Menu
• Meeting times
• Ministry Leadership Staff and Elders
• Location, Map
• History (although this could go lower far left)
• Bible Web Site…
Far Right corner…Giving…
(This would be a means of online giving)
Bottom (left to right) template
Perhaps double stack boxes…
•Podcasts, Message Boards
• Counseling, Children’s Learning Center
• Pastor’s Teachings, Weekly Learning Center Lessons
• Jumpstart Devotionals, Pastor’s Blog
• Fellowship Updates, Prayer Updates
• Youth, Home Churches
• Weddings, Facility Usage (including as submenus: Entire Facility, Gym, Ballfield usage calendars)
• Far Bottom Right…some kind of login Directory perhaps
From top to bottom down far right side (What’s Going on…this could also be where newsfeeds–but not real news feeds necessarily, but more like top stories, but stories not just about Fellowship…as I asked about or discussed above…could be a link to any number or other news story sites) ending with Fellowship Calendar