If Jesus Had A Website

While site design does play an role in the longevity of a site, it is often not the determining factor. However, one of the key factors is often a site's usability, or the ease in which a user can use your site. The simple reason for this is that people are lazy. While that may seem like a derogatory statement, the underlying truth is that people want to do things as simply and easily as possible.

For example, let's take a look at a site like Digg. In the past, when you found an interesting site, you'd have to e-mail or IM the link to your friends and explain to them why you thought it was worth the visit/read. Now, you can simply click on a "Digg This" button and have it added to your profile, so anyone who knows about your profile can see what you're recommending. In the past, it could also be difficult to find up-to-date information on the internet that was interesting. You'd have to sift through Google results or rely on the main media websites like CNN or ESPN. Today, you can just hit up the main Digg page that lists all of the "hot" stories in the Diggscape. In essence, Digg has created a very active site and dedicated user base thanks to it's ability to make sharing preferences easier.

Now, you're probably not planning on making your church's website into the next Digg, but there is a clear lesson to be learned here: People tend not to use things that are unclear or difficult. So when we look at our sites, we want to make sure it is easily usable for the average user. Are navigation menus clearly organized? Is key information in a logical place? Do the features you may have added to the site, such as maps, Flash animations and podcasts, make the site easier to use, or are they too complicated to be useful for the average visitor? If you have dynamic content, is it easy enough for the church staff to use? Make sure to take your audience into consideration here as well, as the usability for a site may be different for a group of teenagers than it is for a group of 40-somethings.

If we take these usability factors into consideration when we put our church websites together, then it is less likely that we will have to do major reworkings on the site in the near future, thus lengthening the site's redesign cycle.

Well, I was contacted late last week by a reporter with Point Park University's News Service here in Pittsburgh being asked to give my opinions on the role of church websites in church marketing after she found my article over at Church Marketing Sucks. I have to admit that it was an interesting experience, even with just a small publication, since I don't even consider myself an authority at this point. We'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

I'll let you all know when I see the results of the interview, and can share them here.

With the start of a new year for IJHAW, I've recently been thinking more about some of the keys to site longevity. This idea is important when it comes to church websites because most churches can't afford to have a webmaster on staff full-time to constantly be making updates to the sites, so we must focus on making our sites viable in the long term. The question then becomes, "How do we do so?"

There tend to be four of factors that play into extending site longevity: design, usability, utility, and technology. Over the course of this series, we will be exploring ways to improve our sites for the future in these key areas.

When it comes to the design of your site, the one thing that can force a redesign quicker than anything else is an appearance that does not have universal appeal; the dreaded "I don't like how it looks". While it is appropriate to design towards a particulary audience in some cases (Youth Groups, Women's Ministry, etc.), the majority of the time we want to put together a neutral design that appeals to the masses. A neutral design also tends to extend site longevity because there will be less of a need to keep up with the Jonses'. So, if you've got a new design idea, make sure to pass it by a few different people of different backgrounds and ages to make sure it will fly, or else you'll find yourself at the drawing board again sooner than you'd like.

With your design, you also want to consider the following factors:

• Readability – How easy is it to read the text on your site? High contrast is desired, especially in case a colorblind person were to reach your site. Poor readability can quickly cause people to stop visiting your site.

• Attention – What areas draw your attention the most when someone visits your site? Are those the places where the most important information is? They probably should be. Otherwise, your site won't be a effective as your church may like.

• Speed – Does your design load up quickly, or does it require a lot of images and scripts to get the look you desire? Remember, people are impatient, so quicker is usually better and increases lifespan, even if it may not be as visually engaging (as del.icio.us has helped prove).

There are other aspects of your design that will play roles in the longevity of your site design, but these will probably be the main factors that every church webmaster should investigate. Take the time to evaluate these for yourself, or ask others their opinions on it (and be specific about the feedback you'd like, as people may not give you much more than "it's OK") to get a better feeling for the current state of your site, and where it needs to go. If you can improve the longevity of your design, you'll also take some work off of yourself in the future (something I'm sure we can all appreciate).

I happened to read this article from Jeremy Wood over at BlogMinistry, and felt an obligation to address it myself. I'll let you read his comments yourself, but basically Kevin Denee of The Restored Church of God (which originates from the Worldwide Church of God, which had some questionable doctrine itself) takes blogging to task, basically claiming the majority of blogs as dangerous, vain and rooted out of boredom.

The truth is that most blogs originate for one of two reasons:

1. A Desire To Express One's Self – A lot of people just need an outlet to express themselves.
2. A Desire To Help, Guide, and Inform Others – Sharing expertise to help others be able to do more.

For him to throw blogging under the bus like that shows a lack of understanding of the technology and fear that it will do something to the people. Truthfully, some of his concerns are earnest, but he's pointing the finger in the wrong direction. Blogs and personal homepages can be potentially dangerous if their users do not use them properly, but so can your debit card if you write your pin number on it and start walking around in crowded streets waiving it around. The finger must be pointed at the individual, and not the tool (unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring problem for Christian leaders to blame the "new things" in a world of advancing technology that they may not fully understand).

Yes, there are some blogs which are focused around getting attention or make the mistake of keeping a personal journal in a public forum. But to classify the vast majority of blogs as such shows a real lack of understanding in the power of blogging and social computing in reaching a world that is eager to learn more.

After all, if blogging was as evil as he makes it out to be, I'm pretty sure IJHAW and the numerous constructive Christian blogs out there would not be here today.  But we are here…working to do the will of God.

It's amazing to think that it was one year ago today that I finally got this site off the ground with my first post. Admittedly, I started out very raw and with just a vague idea of what the site should be. However, the site has come a long way since then, and things have come much more into focus.

I'd like to thank everyone who's helped to make IJHAW what it already has become, including both those who have read and contributed on the site through comments and other feedback. Besides wanting to make church websites the best they can be, it's you guys who motivate me to bring my best to the site.

Thanks everyone, and I look forward to making IJHAW even better in the coming year!

Well, the month of September has come and gone already, so it's probably time to look back at last month's poll.

When you were asked what the primary function of your church's website was, the majority of you let me know that information was the key component for your church. Coming in a close second was the do-it-all approach, where the site is meant to do a little bit of everything.

Interestingly enough, socialization received a total of zero votes. With the advent of social websites and interactive functionality that has arisen amongst web 2.0, I expected to see a vote or two here. While I agree with the majority of you and feel that the main purpose of a church website is to disseminate information, I can't help but wonder if we're missing an opportunity by being behind the technology curve. After all, today's church is constantly pushing the "it's not a religion, it's a relationship" approach, so are we not focusing enough on creating relationships online? I'm not sure what the answer is, but it's definitely something to consider.

In the vein of the results of September's poll, October's poll asks " How big a role does your church website play in the church's distribution of key information?" If you're a feed reader, swing by the main page to make sure your voice is heard.

(Oh, and on a bit of an unrelated note, I got my hands on FireFox 2.0's Release Candidate 2, and I have say I'm pretty impressed. The program seems to run smoother, and it does automatic spell-checking for form fields. If you, like me, are a blogger, that comes in really handy!)

Last year, I wrote an article about the problems of making too much information available on your church web site. It all still applies today, but one safeguard I failed to include is the idea of a Photo Policy.

What brought this to mind was the Worthington Christian Church Photograph Policy, which is an exellent policy for the presentation of photos on it's website. It's clear, specific, and isn't filled with "lawyer speak" (though there is a touch of it):

Worthington Christian Church Respects Your Right to Privacy

All photos used on the site are property of Worthington Christian Church unless otherwise noted. Professional photos are used only with written permission from the copyright holder. All other photos were taken by, and belong to, Worthington Christian Church.

Including the images of our church family on our website can be a great way to motivate and encourage individuals to become more involved. It is also an excellent outreach tool to the visitor who may be curious about what our events and activities are like. It is for these reasons that we feature personal photographs on the Worthington Christian Church website.

However, we realize the importance of maintaining the privacy of the individual(s) pictured on this site. To this end, the Worthington Christian Church website ensures:

• The last name of a pictured individual is never published alongside a photograph
• Anyone listed as a contact will be an adult (21-years-old or older)
• No identifying information will be posted on the internet (see our privacy policy)
• In the case of a group photo, first names may be mentioned, but we will not disclose which individuals are standing where in said photo

Worthington Christian Church reserves the right to amend this policy at any time.

Questions or concerns regarding this policy should be addressed to the site webmaster or site maintainer.

Excellent work there guys! I'd encourage anyone who was looking to develop a similar policy on their site (and if you're not looking to and using photos on your site, you should probably look into it) to take a look at this one as a template for doing so, and then enforce that policy across your site. It'll be worth your time, will help to protect the members of your congregation, and it shows a professional approach to your church website when you have your act together as well as they do there in Worthington, OH.

IJHAW has chosen to go pink in October in order to help raise awareness about breast cancer. Since my mother is a survivor herself, it's a cause I'm more than happy to get behind.

I encourage everyone, whether you know someone who's dealt with breast cancer or not, to help support this cause in any way you can. It'll be well worth your time!