Commenting at Church Communications Pro

Hello everyone!  I wanted to take a few of your moments to address a couple of things that have been on my mind lately.

First of all - THANK YOU! Thank you to all of you who read Church Communications Pro, that show us link love and support, and who dialogue with us.  Thanks to our guest writers and even our critics.  We appreciate all of you!

Second, I want to discuss commenting on CCP. We love it when people get involved in the conversation and share what’s on their mind.  We really do!  However, there has been a growing trend lately of some companies trying to promote themselves through our comment sections (and believe me, you can tell the difference between honest conversation and shameless self-promotion) that I have had to make a difficult decision.

Starting immediately I will no longer allow comments to be posted that appear to be strictly promotional in nature.

Since we now offer advertising to companies who want to promote on CCP, I want to provide our sponsors with the best opportunity to reach others with their quality services and products.  Self-promotional comments take away from that.  I also dislike that some people are just plain selfish and only take part in the conversation for recognition…so from now on if a comment gets submitted that falls under what I believe is only a self-promotion deal, it will be immediately deleted and flagged as spam.  Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fill in your website information when submitting a comment, but rather to not include twenty links back to your website. : )

I know that this new rule may sound harsh but I am asking for your understanding in this delicate matter.  Thank you!

- James Dalman, Editor Dude @ Church Communications Pro

July 1, 2008 · Filed Under CCP Talk & News

5 Comments 

Come On Out to MinistryCOM!

Join me for MinistryCOM 2008 - Living On The Edge - September 18-19, 2008 in Oklahoma City

I’d like to do a plug and invite all of you to join us for the upcoming MinistryCOM, September 18th - 19th, right here in my backyard of Oklahoma City! Some of the sessions will be lead by cool peeps like Mike Foster, Kent Shaffer, and Michael Buckingham and there will be many other great presenters there as well.

I had to cancel my plans and sponsorship last year due to work and was really bummed.  This year I’ll definitely be attending and I’d love to meet any of our readers who make it out here.   So look me up and I’ll buy you a cup of Java or maybe take you cruisin’ to Bricktown in my ‘66 Oldsmobile Delta 88.  Air conditioning is not optional (it doesn’t work).

Don’t wait…check out the MinistryCOM website and get signed up today for one awesome get together!

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James Dalman specializes in church branding, church consulting, and church marketing. He’s the new editor at Church Communications Pro and will be the first person to capture a live Bigfoot.

June 30, 2008 · Filed Under CCP Talk & News, Church Marketing, Church Media, Church Ministries, Resources and Links

2 Comments 

Content Management System (CMS) Providers

Since we just wrapped up a three part series on The Pros and Cons of Website CMS, I thought I would throw my personal recommendations for CMS providers and web development companies that I have worked with through the years.

  • Ekklesia 360: It has been a while since I worked with this system but when I partnered with Church Plant Media a few years ago, this was a great Content Management System.
  • Faith Connector: I designed the Dialogue Church website and then we had Faith Connector implement their CMS into the layout. It works extremely well, but to me, it’s more cumbersome than the rest.

This also reminds me of some advice to pass along on this topic.

If you have a designer create the website branding or layout-or if you do it yourself-make sure to communicate every aspect and detail of that design to the company who is going to set up your website to ensure it’s EXACTLY the way you want it. A couple of the designs I previously sent off should have been modified to meet web standards (I’m not a programmer or CSS guru) and when the site was launched it didn’t quite have that great lookas they should have. This can also be attributed to companies who just churn and burn the work out. It’s not their fault but when you rush out so many designs per week, it opens up the chance for missing important details like columns being too small for human readable text!

Please check out these companies if you need a website or Content Management System!

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James Dalman specializes in church branding, church consulting, and church marketing. He is the editor at Church Communications Pro and wants Holland to win Euro 2008.

June 18, 2008 · Filed Under Church Marketing, Church Websites, Web 2.0, Web Site Design

6 Comments 

Uploading Your Sermons to WordPress Blogs

In case you haven’t heard about it there is a plug-in for WordPress blogs that allows you to upload your sermons.

Mark Barnes recently sent me an e-mail about his Sermon Browser WordPress Plugin that allows churches to simply upload sermons to their WordPress website, where they can be searched, listened to, and downloaded. It is easy to use with comprehensive help and tutorials.

While I haven’t tried it out personally (because I’m a WordPress dummy) - it sounds really cool!  Feel free to check it out for yourself.

June 16, 2008 · Filed Under Blogging, Church Media, Church Websites, Web 2.0

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The Pros and Cons of Website CMS (Part Three)

In part one of this series we discussed what a CMS actually is and in part two, the advantages and disadvantages of Content Management Systems. Today I’d like to wrap up the Pros and Cons of CMS series by talking about what you should consider when choosing a CMS platform.

Budget

There are two main budgetary concerns with CMS’s: set-up (or design) fees and monthly hosting charges. A custom designed CMS, like the one we use at Calvary Church, can be pretty pricey. With the extra expense comes more custom functionality and future expandability. There are less expensive set-up options in the form of plug and play CMS’s. Most of the CMS companies targeted at churches only charge a small set up fee (if any) and a monthly fee. With these, you typically do not get a custom design, but rather get to choose from a selection of templates that you can tweak yourself. Typically you should budget more for monthly hosting of a CMS than for basic web hosting.

Custom Templates

Most CMS’s operate using templates to maintain the design of the site’s pages. Consider whether the CMS has a wide selection of templates from which to choose, if you can design your own templates, and explore whether the templates are easy to change.

Features

Another factor to consider when selecting a CMS is the list of features. Do you only need to design static web pages? Will you need email forms? Is there an easy way to upload and edit images? Do you plan on streaming audio or video? Will you be selling items in an online store (e-commerce)? Does the CMS provide tracking statistics for your site? Will you need forums, chat rooms, or a live chat support tool for your site? Do you need a WYSIWYG editor or is a basic text editor sufficient? Along with the consideration of the list of features the CMS currently has available, you should consider whether or not the CMS has the capability to add custom features for you should you need them in the future.

Support

Most CMS providers will help you get your initial site set-up and designed (as mentioned above, some may charge you a hefty set-up fee, just for that purpose), but what do they offer you once you’re up and running? Consider the number of support hours you anticipate needing a month and look for a CMS that has double that amount. Other support considerations include on-site training for users of your system, online documentation, and an online knowledge base or user forums.

FTP Access

With basic web hosting, pages are updated using FTP access. Most CMS hosting plans do not include FTP access to your site. This can be problematic if, for example, you need to bulk upload pages or images, or if you ever need to migrate your site to another provider. Look for a CMS provider that will offer you FTP access to your files, or at minimum some FTP space on their server in another location.

Ownership vs. Leasing

Most CMS providers retain the rights to the structure of the CMS (while you own the content that you place within their system). In other words, they’re leasing you their software application. If you need to own your CMS, expect to pay a lot more money and make sure both you and the CMS provider are clear on the need. Don’t assume that a custom-designed CMS will be yours to own.

Ease of Use for Advanced Designers

Another consideration is the ease of use for an advanced website designer. Chances are, the volunteers who step forward to help maintain content on your CMS will have some web design experience. As such, if they’re restricted by a CMS that doesn’t allow them to “do their thing,” they might be frustrated. Look for a CMS that has, at minimum, the capability to edit the source code for the page.

Trial Period

Does the CMS provider give you a trial period or unlimited demo login so that you can take the CMS for a test drive before you commit? If not, keep looking. You might want to have potential web volunteers take a look at the CMS as well.

This list of things to consider isn’t exhaustive, but hopefully it will give you a starting point in selecting a CMS. Carefully evaluate your needs and don’t hesitate to ask lots of questions to the sales person at the CMS provider you’re considering. Making a successful choice of which CMS to use can take you a long way towards having a website that is successful in drawing guests to your church and intersecting with members of your congregation.

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Chuck Scoggins is Creative Communications Director at Calvary Church in St. Peters, MO and President of 374 Designs. His latest project is Serve15 and you can email him at chuck@374designs.com.

June 16, 2008 · Filed Under Church Media, Church Websites, Web 2.0, Web Site Design

3 Comments 

How to Keep a Great Name.

Last month I received a panicky call from a concerned Search Engine Optimization expert named Chris that regarded one of my client’s domains that somehow got placed on the auction block. Chris has no connection to me or my client – he’s just a Christian who didn’t want to see a great church unknowingly loose their domain name. His concern revealed that my client had let the domain expire on accident and here it was getting bids for over $500 by hungry SEO wizards!

Why would so many people be bidding up this church domain you ask?

Domain authority, age, and Google page ranking. This site was a few years old with a lot of incoming links and was well ranked with Google. Any person who purchased it would have the immediate benefit of a well ranked domain (for a little while) by using a common strategy that involves putting up some quick content pointing to the SEO wizard’s target site; the site they want to be higher ranked.

Long story short, we were able to rescue the domain from the auction block just in the nick of time before it would have been gone, and I’m sure, at the mercy of some hefty ransom to get it back.

Domains are an extremely vital piece of your church website, yet for some reason they go un-managed or ignored until there is a problem. I’d like to share a few tips for making sure your domains are safe and secure -hopefully eliminating the potential risk of your domain being stolen, expiring, or being lost.

1. Consolidate

If you are like me or many other churches you probably have a handful of domains such as the main domain, the alternative spellings, the youth domains, and the events of the past. Get all of your domains transferred to one single account. There is nothing worse than hunting around for five logins and passwords just to renew one domain

2. Access control

Who has access to your domains? Who is responsible for making sure they get renewed? It may be you or someone else, or even someone you may not even know! Whatever the answer, get your domain management on someone’s job description and under the control of a key executive leader. This person needs to be around for the long haul, dependable, and trustworthy. I would also suggest having access to this data be shared with an emergency back up person.

3. Track your expiration dates

Knowing when a domain expires is your job – not the web company! Don’t rely on when your registrar tells you either. Sure it’s in their best interest to remind you for a renewal but technology glitches happen. Add your domain renewals to your calendar. Even if you registered it for 5 years, check on it every year to be safe. Review your contact info and ensure that the person responsible for managing the domain name is keeping up with it.

These simple steps and a 15 minute check each year can save a lot of heartache and money! Build your name, protect it, and keep it!

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Matt Adams runs factor 1 studios, a web design firm dedicated to building awesome websites for churches, non-profits and small businesses across the country.

June 4, 2008 · Filed Under Church Media, Church Websites, Internet Ministry, Web 2.0

1 Comment 

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