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E-Ministry: A Step By Step Approach. Marlene Plumley. Agenda. Purpose: This focus group is intended to provide more information on setting up a website: Purpose of having a website; Planning a website; Tools and Rules; Tricks of the Trade.
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E-Ministry: A Step By Step Approach Marlene Plumley
Agenda • Purpose: • This focus group is intended to provide • more information on setting up a website: • Purpose of having a website; • Planning a website; • Tools and Rules; • Tricks of the Trade. This focus group is not intended to be a technology based guide on how to develop websites.
What purpose does a website serve? 1. Improves church communication; 2. Provides an online ministry; 3. Expands your ministry to your community, 4. Empowers lay volunteers; 5. Provides for additional ministries.
How to Plan Your Website • Before you begin building the web pages that will make up your site, do some preliminary planning and organization: • Draft a Site Plan; • Draw a Site Map; • Organize files into folders and directories; • Assemble your content.
Developing a Site Plan TEXT TEXT TEXT
How the Web Works Server Email User Webmaster
Basic Rules for Design • HOME PAGE. You have 5-7 seconds • Don't make your readers struggle. Your fonts should be a legible size and no more than 7-10 words on a line. • Background colors. Be sure to select a text color that’s complimentary and easy to read against the background. • Fonts. The most common fonts are: Verdana, Arial, Times New Roman and Courier.
Basic Rules for Design (continued) • Every element on the page needs a purpose. • Consistent layout. • Keep the important information above the scroll. • Make it obvious what's important on the page. • Use the best images possible, the fewer the better.
Basic Rules for Design (continued) • Visual aids communicate more quickly than blocks of text. Tables, charts, and graphs are easier to grasp quickly than a block of text. • Simple designs have more punch than complicated ones. • Your web site should be easy to find. How are your visitors finding you online? • Your web site should be quick to download.
Basic Rules for Design (continued) • Search engine ready. Each page has proper meta keywords and meta description. • Search Optimization Tools. • Avoid Deceptive Advertising. • Do not use a guest book or message board unless it is really essential. • Sometimes you need to hire a professional.
Basic Rules for Design (continued) • The only thing worse than not having a church website is having a website that is outdated!
Marketing Your Web Site • Submit your site to search engines. (Google and Yahoo are top rated search engines and are free to submit.) • Use meta tags. • Advertise other than just the Web.
Contact www.MPSmallBusinessSolutions.com Admin@MPSmallBusinessSolutions.com Phone: 202.210.3738
Works Cited Careaga, Andrew. eMinistry: Connecting with the Net Generation. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2001. Fish, Timothy. Church Website Design: A step by step approach. BookSurge Publishing, 2007. Stephenson, Mark. Web-Empower Your Church: Unleashing the Power of Internet Ministry. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006.