A workshop at Vestry University 2011. For questions, please contact Nina Nicholson at nnicholson@dioceseofnewark.org or 973-430-9907.
Easy Tools to Launch or Improve Your Website
Ideally, a website should be the “hub” of your communications efforts. All news and events should be posted there first, and then can be linked in both internal and external communications.
The web-based website applications listed below can be used to create a simple website or add content to an existing one. All are free, or have a free limited version with expanded features for the paid version. Also, all are “in the cloud” – meaning they can be accessed from any computer and shared by several people.
Weebly http://www.weebly.com
An easy drag-and-drop website builder requiring no technical skills. Free with an unobtrusive ad at the bottom of the page, affordable rates for ad-free version.
Examples: http://allsaintsmillington.weebly.com and http://stpetersmtarlington.weebly.com
Blogger http://www.blogger.com (owned by Google)
Free, easy blog creator which can be used for a simple website, or add content to an existing website. Content can be tagged for easy reference - for example, link to all sermons tagged “Black History Month.”
Example: http://st-georges-sermons.blogspot.com
Google Calendar http://www.google.com/calendar
Free; can use stand-alone or embed in an existing website.
Examples: http://slechurch.org/aboutus/calendar.html, http://goodshepherdfortlee.org/calendar and http://www.saintjohnthedivine.com/calendar.html
Picasa Web Albums http://picasa.google.com (owned by Google)
Free; can embed a rotating photo album on your website; can set up private online drop box for easy photo submission via email.
Example: http://www.stgeorges-maplewood.org/#FeaturedPhotos
YouTube http://www.youtube.com (owned by Google)
Free; videos can be embedded on your website or shared. Maximum video length has been increased to 15 minutes, longer if your account is verified and in good standing.
Example: http://www.youtube.com/user/dionewark
Google Docs http://docs.google.com
Free; can embed a document or spreadsheet in an existing website, which can be updated by multiple people by “sharing” the document with them.
Example: http://www.slechurch.org/servers.html
Wufoo Online Form Builder http://www.wufoo.com (bought by http://www.surveymonkey.com this past year)
An easy drag and drop online form builder requiring no technical skills. Forms can stand alone or be incorporated into a pre-existing website. Free for up to three forms with up to 10 fields each; non-profit rates available.
Example: http://stgeo07040.wufoo.com/forms/announcement-submission
If you're feeling especially adventurous...
Use Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics, free) to track which pages of your website are being visited most often, and how people are finding them (direct link, referral from another website, or search engine).
Tips to maintain your website AND your sanity…
Start small, and add only what you can manage. A one-page website that’s accurate and clean-looking is ALWAYS better than a large, complicated website that’s messy and/or out-of-date.
Duplication is the death of websites. Any piece of information on your website should be posted in ONE place. You can link to it from multiple locations, but don’t put yourself in the position of having to update it in multiple locations.
Keep track of what you’re using. Have all your church’s website applications set up using one church email account (not an individual’s). If you’re using many Google applications, use the associated free Gmail (Google mail) account – just don’t publish it unless you want to receive email at it. (The same applies to e-newsletter applications and social media, below.)
Social Media: Building Community in a Facebook World
Social media allow you to place your news and events right in front of followers – which they can then share with their friends.
Facebook http://www.facebook.com
Make sure you create a church page, not a group or profile, and create a user name (see http://www.facebook.com/username).
Multiple administrators can be assigned and allowed to post.
Suggestions of what to post:
Photos (make sure you have permission!)
Videos (ditto)
Announcements
Event reminders, a couple days before
e-Newsletters
Sermons
Online articles about your church
Online articles or blog posts about your community, or issues important to your congregation
News items from the diocese or The Episcopal Church (Ahem. Are YOU following us at http://www.facebook.com/dionewark and http://www.facebook.com/episcopalian? You can also follow our Bishop at http://www.facebook.com/MarkMBeckwith and http://www.twitter.com/NewarkBishop.)
If you have an active youth group, consider asking the youth leader to get older teens involved in generating ideas for the Facebook page
Twitter http://www.twitter.com
May generate more followers if the account is associated with an individual (for example, your priest) rather than an organization (your church).
Facebook and Constant Contact can both be configured to automatically “tweet” Facebook posts and e-newsletters.
If you're feeling especially adventurous...
Use a social media dashboard such as HootSuite (http://www.hootsuite.com, free in limited, single-user version) to manage your social media in one place. Useful functions include ability to schedule posts in advance, and shorten URLs for Twitter.
Tips for the savvy social media user
Select one logo or photo of the church and use it in the profile of all your social media. This is especially important with Facebook as it visually identifies your posts in members’ news feeds.
Select a unique user name and use it for all your social media. The diocese uses http://www.facebook.com/dionewark and http://www.twitter.com/dionewark.
Display “Follow us” icons on your church website linking to your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts (feel free to download the icons used at the top of http://www.dioceseofnewark.org), and include a prominent link on your social media profiles to your church website.
e-Newsletters: An Easy Way to Have a Polished Appearance
Constant Contact Email Marketing http://www.constantcontact.com
Allows you to:
Create electronic newsletters using color and graphics. Multiple templates to choose from and personalize.
Have different mailing lists for different groups.
Embed a subscription form on your website.
Track how many people read your e-newsletter, and which links in it are clicked.
Low cost with non-profit rates; free trials available; $30 credit (for both of us!) if referred by the diocese.
Example: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs057/1102692382496/archive/110795753...
Popular competitor: Vertical Response http://www.verticalresponse.com.
Tips for the savvy e-newsletter editor…
Get your e-newsletters to do double and triple duty by purchasing the separate archive functionality. This easily turns them into web pages you can link to from your website and post on Facebook and/or Twitter.
Make sure all your e-newsletters contain prominent links to your church website, any social media, a “forward” option and a “join our mailing list” option.
Hyperlocal News Websites: Reaching Out to Your Neighbors
A new paradigm for online journalism in which a website focuses on a specific community, publishing local news, events and business listings, and providing a forum for online discussion.
Their business model is based on content actively solicited from the community, including announcements, calendar events, photos and videos. They WANT your news!
The giant is Patch http://www.patch.com , owned by AOL, which is in dozens of NJ towns with more being added constantly; it is one of the largest hirers of journalists in the US. Editors actively build relationships with local organizations, including churches, often joining email lists and Facebook pages to collect news.
Smaller enterprises include The Alternative Press http://www.thealternativepress.com , Baristanet http://www.baristanet.com and various independent sites, for example Maplewood Online http://www.maplewoodonline.com and My Verona http://www.myveronanj.com .
Tips for savvy online PR…
Make sure that everything you submit for online publication contains a link to your church’s website, as well as your church’s Facebook page (or other social media) if you have it. You never know who might visit and discover other events that appeal to them, sign up for your e-newsletter or “like” your church’s Facebook page.
If your release gets published (yay!) be sure to post the link to the article on Facebook and/or Twitter, and send it to me via http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/send-news for possible publication on the diocesan website, Facebook and Twitter.
And while I have your attention: Security Issues
Mozy Backups http://www.mozy.com
Automatic, off-site backups in case of fire, flood or theft of your church computer(s). Up to 2G free.
It’s easy to set up an individual account, but if you want to back up multiple networked computers, it can get more complicated, so consider enlisting the assistance of the person who set up your network.
Email Hacking
Whatever else you do, do NOT use your own name as your email password. Make sure your email password contains a mix of upper and lower case, letters, number and punctuation. Two easy ways to do this:
Come up with a sentence meaningful only to you and use the first letter of each word. For example “I secretly love to watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’” could become isl2wDwt$
Use a random password generator such as this one provided by PCTools: https://secure.pctools.com/guides/password/
Also, export your email contacts to a backup so you have them in case your account is hacked.
Web Browsers
Using the most up-to-date web browser can protect you from security issues, as well as help all the online applications described above run more smoothly.
Many people use Microsoft Internet Explorer simply because that’s what came installed on their Windows-based computer. However, Mozilla Firefox http://www.mozilla.org) and Google Chrome (www.google.com/chrome) are technically superior, and can be downloaded for free.
If you do use Internet Explorer, please make sure you’re using the latest version (version 9 for Windows 7 users, version 8 for older operating systems). Turning on automatic Windows updates (Start / Control Panel / Automatic Updates) will include Internet Explorer updates.
