Web Resources
updated 6/27/2008
Three Ways to Easily Update Your Website
Using Adobe's "Contribute" software:
A number of churches and non-profit organizations, including the Interfaith Resource Center, have found an easy way to maintain their websites by using Adobe "Contribute" software. This $169 software package allows volunteers and staff to update their websites. Some of the people currently using this software are:
- Sister B.J., Anamchara Fellowship
- Dale Gregore and the Rev. Al Holland, Ascension Episcopal Church, Claymont, DE
- Paula Hartzell, Interfaith Resource Center (this website)
- Melissa Jackewicz, All Saints Episcopal Church, Rehoboth, DE
- Jill Jensen, Grace Episcopal Church, Wilmington, DE
- Chris Min, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Bridgeville, DE
Using browser-based updating on sites built with Joomla:
Bob Gilley at St. Thomas's Episcopal Parish, Newark, recommends building websites with Joomla. Websites created with Joomla are managed and updated via a web browser on either a Windows or Apple computer. There's a host of free modules you can add to the site, too. For example he's added a calendar and Google map to the St. Thomas's website. Below are three other sites created using Joomla.
Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
Episcopal News of the San Francisco Bay Area
St. Luke's, Des Moines, Iowa
Using browser-based updating on sites built by the Digital Faith Community:
Websites created by the Digital Faith Community (DFC) are currently being used by Trinity Episcopal Parish, Wilmington, and St. Peter's, Lewes. DFC creates websites that can be updated from any computer without any special software; all you need is an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox.
WEBSITE RESOURCES
- http://www.w2mw.org/ -- Priorities for website design. Websites should be easily maintained, have minimal Web rot, on-line event calendars, clear navigation, high search-engine rankings, etc.
- http://www.teledavis.com/ -- Be Web wise to free and cheap digital solutions. The Rev. Tom Davis lists links to software for websites, photographs, telephone, video, RSS feeds, wikis, calendars
- http://www.techsoup.org/ -- an Internet resource for nonprofits
- http://www.elexio.com/ -- Click and build church websites
- http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ -- Hartford Institute's guidelines for website design
- http://www.argylestudio.com/PMUG/home.html -- Princeton University Users Group - old but relevant
- http://www.webreference.com -- Web design tutorials - a mixed bag
- http://www.useit.com/ -- Jakob Nielsen champions ease of use and navigation
- http://www.usability.gov/ -- US Dept. of Health's guidelines to making websites usable
E-NEWSLETTER RESOURCES
Upload your list of e-mail addresses, upload your HTML newsletter, then send it. Each newsletter is e-mailed separately to everyone on your list.
- http://www.graphicmail.com -- a commerical service
- http://www.constantcontact.com - a commercial service
- http://www.mymailout.com/email/ -- a commercial service
- http://www.shelbyinc.com/ -- this clumsy but reliable church database software has mass e-mail ability. Your organization's software may have this ability as well.
- http://www.wpc.org -- example of a newsletter sent out every week
LISTSERV RESOURCES
- Using Listservs -- a resource on this website.
- http://www.siec.k12.in.us/west/edu/listman.htm -- Introduction to listservs for school teachers
- http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/ -- Introduction to listservs by U.S. Government Printing Office
- http://www.gracemadison.org/ -- Grace Church in Madison uses a listserv - see bottom of their Home page
- http://groups.yahoo.com/ -- Yahoo!'s free listserv
- http://groups.google.com/ -- Google's free listserv
ON-LINE EVENTS CALENDAR
- http://www.mychurchevents.com -- once set up, this on-line calendar is easily updated by anyone with the username and password. A great way to keep your church members informed and visitors as well. You can send e-mails from the calendar to invite people to events. And the map function works! $59.99 a year. Several Delaware churches using this calendar are:
- All Saints Episcopal Church, Rehoboth Beach
- Grace Episcopal Church, Wilmington
- Elsmere Presbyterian Church, Wilmington
- Concord Presbyterian Church, Wilmington
- Westminster Presbyterian Church, Wilmington
- http://www.ChurchArtOnline.com offers churches the above calendar plus its library of graphics.
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