Where to begin? Website help...

[nettogirl]

Greetings and blessings to you all!

Can you please give me some advise on what I need to start a website for my church? I have recently been asked if I could get this going, as I have done our church newsletter successfully, as well as announcements, etc. I have some experience with html, but limited experience with css, yet I have a couple templates as a jumping board that I can go from...

what I need to know is, what kind of software do you all use? I have Dreamweaver, but haven't had the need to use it till now, but since my learning curve will be the same for all programs, I'd like to start on what will give the most longevity as far as design and such. I am familiar with Adobe PS and InDesign, but with web site development, I'm not too sure which would be the best platform to start with.

What have you all used as you've developed your church websites? What servers/hosts do you recommend for hosting? Also, what can you tell me about securing a domain name and such?

Any and all suggestions and advice is greatly appriciated!
God Bless You!

Being Filled,
Monica

[David Gillaspey]

Hi Monica,

Thanks for posting. I encourage you to browse the threads on this forum. You'll find that your questions have already been addressed to one extent or another in many posts. For example, the subject of this Conversation Starter

http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27

is the tools such as software that church webmasters use.

This thread,

http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/forums/showthread.php?t=606

provides information about hosters.

Here's a list of all the approved domain name registrars:

http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html

but I use GoDaddy.com and so will recommend them. (Some people object to their advertising, however.) Do a search of the forum for "domain" and you'll find various threads that discuss domain names, registrars, etc.

Next, I'll include some information that (to be honest) is adapted from emails I have sent to people offline in the past.

**********

The question is, how does a browser know where to find any webpages on your domain? That has to do with Domain Name Server (DNS) information.

Wherever you choose to have your church website hosted, once you establish a hosting account (which takes just minutes and is done online these days), you typically can expect to receive one or two emails from the web hosting company that will contain a lot of useful information about your hosting account. Usually (but not always), you get the DNS information for the web hoster's servers in one or the other of those emails. (With my current hoster, I had to go looking forward it, however.) It will look somewhat like this:

ns7.ixwebhosting.com -> 71.18.255.99
ns8.ixwebhosting.com -> 71.18.216.3

There's always two: a primary and a secondary, and each comes in written out form and in numerical form, which are equivalent. Every web hoster has a unique Domain Name Server info.

Now, perhaps you decide to let your domain name registrar also host your church website. In that case, the above is sort of taken care of already, on your behalf. Most people, however, have a separate company host their website. In that case, you have to inform or give your domain name registrar (from whom you bought the domains: Godaddy or whomever) the Domain Name Server information provided in the emails from the hosting company. The domain name registrar takes that information and submits it to some official entity on the internet, which is a big database. From there the information is propagated to other, similar databases throughout the internet. It takes about 24 to 48 hours for this process to be completed.

It is those databases that tell browsers where (on which hosting company's computers) any given website and its files are to be found.

(But, when you set up a hosting account, those emails I mentioned also provide a "backdoor" way to view your site even before that 24 to 48 hour period has elapsed.)

***********
Adapted from another email I sent, this time to a pastor.
***********

Even if you create a website for your church, you have the problem of who's going to keep the website up to date, and what happens when that person leaves? That's where a web Content Management System (CMS) can be invaluable. Once set up, a CMS makes it easy for individuals to add content to, remove content from, or edit content already on, a website, through a browser-based text editor.

I list a large number of vendors of proprietary web content management systems (programs) here:

http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/CMS_main.php

Most of these rely upon stock template designs (for better or worse); some include custom web design for free or for additional cost. The advantage of a web content management system is that it helps to make keeping your website up to date much easier.

The above references a list of CMS programs that cost money. A number of open source (free) mySQL + PHP based web content management systems are listed and reviewed (by users) here:

http://opensourcecms.com/

For most such open-source solutions, there are template-based designs to be found on the web.

Consider also the Web Empowered Church initiative:

http://webempoweredchurch.com/

but I myself was unable even to get the files for this program installed on my web hoster's server, so I can no longer recommend their software package.

Finally -- and here's the "shameless plug" -- you should consider joining my website. For the price of a couple of meals at a fast food restaurant, you can browse the home pages of 500 churches around the country (and world).

http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/membership_info.php

This is important because you'll want to make sure that the design of your church website is up to current standards.

Hope this is helpful.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites
(forum host and administrator)

[nettogirl]

Thank you for the awesome answers and start you've given me, as well as links. After I had posted, I had found some helpful threads on the forum which have given me much food for thought (too much maybe ;) ). So much helpful information, that I am going to have my work cut out for me!

You mentioned joining here had the ability to browse other church websites... that seems like it would be really helpful in the way to get ideas and the like.

I really value the help you've given me! Thank you again!

[flutem3]

Hi, to the two of you who are beginning websites for your churches,

Before you begin with the technical stuff, there are some questions and comments you need to consider yourself even if no one else does:

1. Why are we building a website? Sounds silly, but it is important to know specifically instead of a vague idea.

2. Who is going to read this website? Is it being built for the membership, for outreach, etc. In other words, what is the target audience?

3. What is the pastor's role in the website...or does he have one? My pastor gives me free rein to do as I want to do. However, if I am at all uncertain about something, I run it by him.

4. Do you have content that is just "screaming" to be placed on your website?

5. Who is responsible for getting the information to you in a timely manner? That needs to be determined as early and as firmly as possible. Many of us, including me, have a difficult time getting information.

6. Who decides what goes on the website? Is it you alone, is there a website committee (if so, keep it small)?

7. How many people in your church have computers and use them actively? After I worked diligently on our website, I discovered that half of the membership did not have computers. Of the other half about half of those people used their computers occasionally. In other words, check it out carefully. But no matter how many people look at a website, it is worth doing. I have found that my faith increases the more I work on the website with the sermons, scriptures, etc. because I am constantly being surrounded by the Word of God.

8. Do you have a couple of specific goals in mind for the website? I started with two main one and a minor goal which has since become major. A website needs to be as well crafted as a thesis, but most of us aren't there yet...or even close.

9. Everything that is on a page needs to have a purpose for being there. If it doesn't, leave it off. You will have a better page for it.

10. Remember that your church website is your church's face to the world. It is not just some kind of local entity which doesn't matter. It does matter because the entire world potentially could see your church website. What is special about your church that you want to present to the world? Why would a person want to attend your church based upon what he/she sees on the website.

That can happen. We rarely have any idea who it is, but I know that it matters. On April 15 I met a woman and her husband who decided to attend our church based on the website. I was absolutely flabbergasted! I tell you this only to make the point that we don't know what people will do. But it behooves us to present our church as it truly is. It is every website editor's prayer that the website will in its lifetime make a difference in one person's life. For some reason God granted me the privilege of knowing that it did indeed happen. I don't think I have ever been so happy in my entire life!! What a gift I was given! :D

By the way, how much computer experience have the two of you had? That will give us a bit of an idea how to advise you. But no matter how wise (LOL) we sound, listen to your own inner being as well.

You know how much time you have to devote to a website. We do not know what your time resources are or your monetary resources. For example, our church has no budget for our website. I am trying to remedy that, but it has not happened yet.

Just remember that we all started from the ground floor. I started at zero. I didn't know there were such things as church websites. That is about as "zero" as you can get!! You may get all kinds...and perhaps too much information at the beginning. Remember, I didn't know any of this stuff except that I knew I needed goals, and I knew I need some kind of organization. I knew those because I write...not because I knew a thing about websites.

Be encouraged and have fun. I am almost 66. When I started using a computer, I had never even watched anyone use one. I got a computer and used the "Dummies" books to figure out that I wasn't just to hit the off button to turn the thing off. And I discovered not to change default pages until I knew what I was doing. :) And I taught myself how to do websites the same way. I have a long way to go, but I am not a novice any longer. I am about a beginner ++. The wonderful thing is finding forums like this one and UMConnect for Methodists. Check out the website of your denomination and see if they offer free hosting. I know the Episcopal Church does as well. If you are Methodists, check out:

http://gbgm-umc.org/churches/ and check out the information on free hosting. There are tutorials there as well.

Bless you as you embark on this wonderful, frustrating, gratifying journey,

Carol

[David Gillaspey]

You mentioned joining here had the ability to browse other church websites... that seems like it would be really helpful in the way to get ideas and the like.Sorry, I should have been a little more specific. You've registered as a member of the forum, which is a free membership. There's a separate, paid membership for my site, the chief benefit of which is full access to a database I maintain of the best of church website design. I just upgraded the search and results pages, to display some new features that I've added to the database. Now I'm midst of updating the database by reviewing the websites of 5,000 churches on a list I bought from a list broker, American Church Lists. Check out the database for yourself by clicking here (http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/results.php?sR=Yes&Display%21=Display+churches%21&sT=&bS=1&showCount=10&sortOrder=ASC).

(Yes, that's a crass commercial plug, but because I host and administer this forum, occasionally you'll see me mention or otherwise promote the database.)

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites

[David Gillaspey]

Hi, to the two of you who are beginning websites for your churchesAll,

Carol is referring to this thread:

http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/forums/showthread.php?t=606

I've copied the post to that thread also.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
Forum admin

[nettogirl]

Thank you Carol for the awesome list of questions! I shall go over these with the Elders of my church and see if they help us to pin down some more definitive answers. Currently our church is in the process of looking for a new Pastor, as our last retired after 18 wonderful years with us... now he and his wife are going to travel and go where the Lord leads.

Anyway, I appriciate your time and comments very much!

Also, David, I understood what you referred to in your origional "shameless plug" and was just commenting that indeed it sounded like a good resource to compare our design with the design of other effective church sites. :)

Again, thank you both for your help... I feel like I'm swimming in deep water here, but thankfully I love the computer, so already I'm excited to discover the how to's.

His,
m