guild talk
TRANSCRIPT
Chilwell Road’s website
• who is it for?
• what is its purpose?
• what should it look like?
• what is in it?
• what is the editor’s role?
• Etc!
Using the web: beginners’ guide
–find a church
–latest news in the Recorder
–take a holiday at Willersley
–buying from Wilkos
–what’s on at the Showcase?
–looking for people
Aims of a church website
• provide information
• present analysis of church characteristics
• preach a message
• teach/train members
• publicise members’ individual views/interests
• provide outlet/opportunity for display/use of skills as writer, designer, analyst etc
Parallels for the church website: local
• Church Notices
• Church Newsletter (including Junior Church Newsletter)
• Church notice-board
• Church information published by Beeston Express/Nottingham Post/Methodist Recorder
Other parallels for the church website
• Other websites– Circuit website
– District website
– Connexional website
– Other local church websites
• Methodist Recorder
• National newspaper coverage of church issues
• Shop window
• Wayside pulpit
Current contributors
Page compilers• Music
• Youth work
• Events/concerts
• Church charity
• History
• Photographs of church
• Insurance
Frequent updates• Weekly notices• Services• Front page• Blog posts
Overview• Editor• Technical consultant
10-min Exercise: write 100 words for the church website about
• The Wesley Guild in Beeston
• Sunday morning’s service [pulpit exchange]
• The Carol Choir or Benevolent Society
• The pastoral work of the church
• Why we need a Family Worker
• Beeston Methodist Churches together
Website visitor numbers
• Slowly rising usage since re-launch• Currently around 175 visitors each week,
more than attend morning worship• 3,386 people have visited the site last year• Best day recently recorded 34 visitors
Previous websiteFewer than 100 visitors per week
Relaunch, Easter 2011
Website visitor characteristics
• Half have visited only once (so far)
• Just over half leave the site immediately [bounce]
• Average visitor looks at 2 to 3 pages
• Average visitor spends two minutes on the site
Popular pages visited
• Home page 687 19% • Concerts 544 15% • Visitors 449 13% • Premises photos 398 11% • Services 396 11% • Find us 338 9% • Contact [church office/minister] 292 8% • Events 245 7% • Minister 235 7%
• Total of 9 most popular pages 3584 100%
CRMC website: practical issues
Audience/readership: who is it for?
Resources available: cost, expertise, inspiration, authority
Guild entry [fixed page example]
Events and services [contemporary page example]
Sally’s blog [rolling page example]
Current problems for editor: I
• No formal appointment; no line manager; no terms of reference
• Shared management [responsibilities, control]
• Appropriate content [complaints about blog posts on Royal Family and ASBOs]