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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Decent church websites
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
I don't know if this is the right board for this request ... but here goes.
For my sins, I've offered to help our parish church develop and revamp its website.
I'm recommending a structure based on a quick analysis of various audiences and their information requirements.
My question isn't about the techy aspects - we can cover those - but whether Shipmates can point me towards good examples of websites from UK churches of various traditions - with particular attention to clear navigation and where the style/aesthetics clearly matches the style of churchmanship ...
So, for instance, if it's evangelical, how that can be expressed without it necessarily saying, 'We are evangelical ...' or having huge Alpha buttons or banners - or if Anglo-Catholic, say, how that can be conveyed without them necessarily having a Forward in Faith logo or a photo of Walsingham ...
I'm particularly interested in sites that may convey 'flavour' and style without bashing people over the head with that ... you know, subtle cues and so on.
Thanks in advance.
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
Well, I don't know about Brit sites and their styles, but please, for the love of God, put all the basic, important stuff on the homepage: church address, phone number, e-mail addy, senior pastor's name, and even Sunday service times. Don't make people wade through a bunch of links.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Oscar the Grouch
Adopted Cascadian
# 1916
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Posted
Not sure I can point you to specific examples, but off of the top of my head, I would suggest a few photos of church services on the front page would be a good clue.
Does the church have pews or chairs? Is there a projector? Is it "traditional" looking or modern? What do the congregation look like? A few good piccies would give a visitor to the website a pretty good idea of what to expect, I say.
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Faradiu, dundeibáwa weyu lárigi weyu
Posts: 3871 | From: Gamma Quadrant, just to the left of Galifrey | Registered: Dec 2001
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Albertus
Shipmate
# 13356
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Posted
Is this one too in your face? It does have a photo of Walsingham, and lots of other stuff of a similar kind, but it also IMO lives and breathes the tradition of the place.
Posts: 6498 | From: Y Sowth | Registered: Jan 2008
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Please, for the love of God, put all the basic, important stuff on the homepage: church address ... and even Sunday service times.
You'd be amazed how many don't put those things, not on the front page or anywhere! Yet they may have loads of stuff about the history of the place or the specifications of the organ.
Another thing: keep your calendar up-to-date; I'm not interested in coming to your Michaelmas Service 2013 any more, but I might want to come along in a week or two's time. If you can't put too much detail, just put in the basics ..,. especially if a regular activity ISN'T happening on a particular date. It's no good just saying "Sunday service at 10 a.m." if you're going to a special service with the Bishop at your next-door parish: that will definitely be the one Sunday that a visitor shows up at your shack.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
Is this one too in your face? It does have a photo of Walsingham, and lots of other stuff of a similar kind, but it also IMO lives and breathes the tradition of the place.
They're lucky to have had someone to make the video ... but I think the whole site is good. Does it change colour with the liturgical seasons, I wonder?
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
Church websites were just discussed here last summer.
Albertus, is that website always so purply, or is it just for Lent? It made my eyes hurt. ![[Help]](graemlins/help.gif)
(Second paragraph crossposted with Baptist Trainfan)
[ 02. March 2015, 17:40: Message edited by: Pigwidgeon ]
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
P.S. To my earlier post: be honest and do not inflate language! If you are just a small group of folk who generally manage to muddle along together, please say so. Don't say that you are a "growing" and "vibrant" church with "awesome", "dynamic" worship and "inspirational" preaching - unless you want me to give you a wide berth!
[And be careful of both the positive and negative connotations of words such as "family-friendly", "inclusive" (which can mean more than one thing"), "traditional", "Bible-centred" etc.]
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Albertus
Shipmate
# 13356
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
Is this one too in your face? It does have a photo of Walsingham, and lots of other stuff of a similar kind, but it also IMO lives and breathes the tradition of the place.
They're lucky to have had someone to make the video ... but I think the whole site is good. Does it change colour with the liturgical seasons, I wonder?
I don't know, BT and Pigwidgeon, but I wouldn't out it past them!
I haven't been there for ages, though it's not far from me: I used to live in the parish and went there for weekday Mass sometimes. But recently they seem to have shifted into warp drive, IYSWIM.
Posts: 6498 | From: Y Sowth | Registered: Jan 2008
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
Regarding the OP, I don't understand why it's necessary to give the impression of being evangelical without using the word... evangelical.
Maybe the congregation only want to attract the sort of visitors who are skilled at reading between the lines. To be fair, though, most church websites require that skill.
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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Augustine the Aleut
Shipmate
# 1472
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by SvitlanaV2:
Regarding the OP, I don't understand why it's necessary to give the impression of being evangelical without using the word... evangelical.
Possibly because there are times and places where that is largely a statement about church (or secular) politics. Certain words require interpretation.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
I am not saying that we wouldn't use the word - I just think there are other - less jargony ways of conveying that.
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
Also, I think there are other cues on websites - that Anglo Catholic parish in Cardiff doesn't just tell us it is in the Catholic tradition it shows us in the design choices they've made - it creates a mood. Similarly, there are sites that convey an evangelical impression or an MoR one ...
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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Jolly Jape
Shipmate
# 3296
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Posted
This is from a Church not too far from you, Gamaliel, and I think it portrays the flavour of the church concerned in a pretty non-partisan way. Of course, it has plenty of media-savvy types there, as Didsbury is the haunt of many Media City denizens, but I think it demonstrates what can be done with a little inspiration and thought.
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To those who have never seen the flow and ebb of God's grace in their lives, it means nothing. To those who have seen it, even fleetingly, even only once - it is life itself. (Adeodatus)
Posts: 3011 | From: A village of gardens | Registered: Sep 2002
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Horseman Bree
Shipmate
# 5290
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Posted
Having had a bit to do with church websites, when I looked up the SJ&E site, I immediately noticed that the Men's activities were described
quote:
Men this Spring
A packed autumn schedule for men.
on the home page, although, TBF, everything was proper on the specific page (with a minor quibble about the Jan. 29 event)
and why do they have the calendars for January and February 2015 PLUS May 2014, but no calendar for the month we are in? (reflecting a comment upthread)
BUT , yes, this is a good readable website.
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It's Not That Simple
Posts: 5372 | From: more herring choker than bluenose | Registered: Dec 2003
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Oscar the Grouch
Adopted Cascadian
# 1916
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jolly Jape:
This is from a Church not too far from you, Gamaliel, and I think it portrays the flavour of the church concerned in a pretty non-partisan way. Of course, it has plenty of media-savvy types there, as Didsbury is the haunt of many Media City denizens, but I think it demonstrates what can be done with a little inspiration and thought.
This is a bit of a tangent, I am afraid. But when I looked at the website, I quickly came across the page about weddings, where I read this:
quote:
As part of your preparation for getting married at St James and Emmanuel we ask you to attend services with us at least twice each month for 6 months prior to your banns being called.
We will provide you with an attendance record card that you will need to get stamped and dated each time you attend a Sunday services with us.
Ummmm. I really don't know what to say.
First of all, if someone lives in the parish or has a Qualifying Connection, then there is NO obligation whatsoever to attend services. I know that they use the phrase "we ask", and so can slide out of any problems by saying "oh no, we're not demanding, just asking", but the clear impression given (including the utterly naff distribution of an attendance card!) is that this is required of couples wanting to get married there.
Secondly, even if a couple didn't already have a Qualifying Connection, the legal obligation in order to get "qualified" is to attend at least once a month for 6 months.
I am all for encouraging couples to come to church services and get to know the church and the congregation. But to be so manipulative and quite frankly deceptive seems utterly wrong.
If I were of a mischievous mind, I would send the link to the website page to the archdeacon and bishop and ask them what they were going to do about it.
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Faradiu, dundeibáwa weyu lárigi weyu
Posts: 3871 | From: Gamma Quadrant, just to the left of Galifrey | Registered: Dec 2001
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
I am not saying that we wouldn't use the word - I just think there are other - less jargony ways of conveying that.
I think most practicing Christians in the UK will have an idea of what 'evangelical' means! Perhaps the problem is rather that different people may have different expectations of the word.
If the church is mainly trying to attract non-Christians, nominal Christians or Christian immigrants then presumably you just want to come across as a friendly, 'normal', engaging place of Christian worship. Trying to find new ways of hinting at evangelicalism in that case doesn't seem terribly relevant.
Anyway, perhaps you could look at the websites of the other churches in the area to see what they're like. You might want to emphasise any ecumenical links.
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
There is an enormous range of site quality. All too often though a casual visitor will find it almost impossible to find out the schedule for Sunday services, let alone mid-week ones. Even the address can be hard to find. If you look at the sites given on the Sites new to AO on the Anglicans Online main page you'll see what I mean. The worst offenders seem to be multiple-church parishes.
Our old website was very good - a photo of the sanctuary that left no doubt as to the churchmanship (but a good verbal description of that on the About page), and a series of easy to work tabs to give service times and details, past sermons, parish bulletins and so forth at a single click.
The new site promises to be even better, following the same general format. It's still a work in progress though, so I shan't give a link to it.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
Posts: 7028 | From: Warrawee NSW Australia | Registered: Jun 2008
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Ricardus
Shipmate
# 8757
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Well, I don't know about Brit sites and their styles, but please, for the love of God, put all the basic, important stuff on the homepage: church address
And if the real address is significantly different from the correspondence address, then include a postcode for the real address too so that people who rely on putting postcodes into their satnav don't end up in the wrong place ...
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Then the dog ran before, and coming as if he had brought the news, shewed his joy by his fawning and wagging his tail. -- Tobit 11:9 (Douai-Rheims)
Posts: 7247 | From: Liverpool, UK | Registered: Nov 2004
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
Not my own church but I'm told that St John's Church, Watford has a good website - (source was a godchild looking for wedding information and advice; my brief squint at the relevant section confirmed his assessment).
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
Gamaliel, I'll e-mail when I get a minute - but I've given up ours - and the person who was supposed to be taking over last September when I asked, and said they'd do it from Christmas hasn't yet!
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Stephen
Shipmate
# 40
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Albertus:
Is this one too in your face? It does have a photo of Walsingham, and lots of other stuff of a similar kind, but it also IMO lives and breathes the tradition of the place.
Well it's fairly obvious what they stand for and I think that's fair enough. I think though I would be more comfortable in St.John's in the city centre or possibly Llandaff Cathedral
They don't seem to follow the Church in Wales Lectionary though. Last Sunday was St.David's Day and because he's our patron saint it takes precedence even over the Sunday. I know - I wasn't sure so I checked....!
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Best Wishes
Stephen
'Be still,then, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations and I will be exalted in the earth' Ps46 v10
Posts: 3954 | From: Alto C Clef Country | Registered: May 2001
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Oscar the Grouch:
quote:
Originally posted by Jolly Jape:
This is from a Church not too far from you, Gamaliel, and I think it portrays the flavour of the church concerned in a pretty non-partisan way. ...
This is a bit of a tangent, I am afraid. But when I looked at the website, I quickly came across the page about weddings, where I read this:
quote:
As part of your preparation for getting married at St James and Emmanuel we ask you to attend services with us at least twice each month for 6 months prior to your banns being called....
Ummmm. I really don't know what to say.
...
Well, I can't comment on the legality of all this. But at least they're telling folk straight how they work, which is to be commended - so is it really "deceptive" and "manipulative"? I can't make a judgement on this, as I'm not an Anglican!
And I did also find this, which I liked:
"St James and Emmanuel Joins a Growing Band of Churches re-Thinking Inclusion: We believe in an inclusive Church – church which does not discriminate on any level, including: economic power, gender, mental health, mental ability, physical ability, race or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes, accepts and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”
[ 03. March 2015, 08:20: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
Gosh - I don't know what happened then - I went to copy part of SvitlanaV2's reply and ended up copying a whole load of stuff ... it was asking me for my password and so on too ...
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Anyhow - thanks Jolly Jape. Yes, I agree that the church website you directed us to does convey the flavour of what that particular parish is all about ...
Meanwhile - @SvitlanaV2. I'm sorry, but I think you're taking a rather overly literal approach to my OP.
I was simply using terms like 'evangelical' and 'Anglo-Catholic' as convenient short-hand terms for different types and flavour of churchmanship.
I wasn't intending to get into a big debate about what they'd mean to churched or unchurched people ...
Having said that, I am interested in how particular 'flavours' can be conveyed through visual syntax and so on - choice of colour, the mood conveyed and so on ...
That doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend using terms like 'evangelical' or 'Anglo-Catholic' on websites where appropriate. Our parish is trying to reach out to unchurched or nominally churched people so tends to try avoid using loaded or jargony expressions - although, of course, it can't avoid doing so - none of us can.
As for looking at the websites of the other churches in my local area - well duh ... don't you think I've thought of that already?
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
I'm not a web techie or particular specialist, but I have undertaken 4 or 5 web-project management and consultancy projects over the last few years as part of my freelance work.
So it's not as if the principles are new to me. I'm simply interested in the churchy applications here ... I've worked on websites for universities, colleges and other organisations and I edit a few blogs/basic websites for voluntary groups.
What I was after here wasn't indepth debates on web content or the way particular churches conduct themselves - whether they stick to the lectionary, have a particular policy on sexuality, require people to stand on one leg for 35 minutes at a stretch before they read their banns of marriage or whatever else ...
What I was after - and Jolly Jape clocked it - was examples of sites where the visual language - tone, mood, colour etc conveyed something of what they were about alongside the written descriptions.
So thanks to Jolly Jape and others here who have done that.
If there are other examples, please let me know - I'm aiming to produce a short discussion document for the church with a few examples of websites from churches of different traditions and stripes - with a short commentary in each case as to what I think works well and what works less well.
In addition, I'm also doing some nuts-and-bolts work on suggested architecture, wire-frames and user-journeys - as well as a content audit to identify gaps and so on.
I can do all of that because that's the sort of thing I do professionally - among other things.
What I'm interested in here is how 'branding' and more 'affective' cues, hints and visual language works in the context of church web development.
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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betjemaniac
Shipmate
# 17618
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Posted
two from Oxford:
Pusey House isn't bad - it shows what you can do if someone has a grip of the internet.
Then there's http://www.stmaryandstjohn.org/ which is a bit thin at the moment because they're in interregnum but it's overall a good site.
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And is it true? For if it is....
Posts: 1481 | From: behind the dreaming spires | Registered: Mar 2013
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betjemaniac
Shipmate
# 17618
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Posted
One more, if you're in the difficult position of trying to do one website for a group of churches ranging from Trad BCP through MOR to snake-belly low, and a range of congregation ages this is about the best one I've seen.
http://www.kidderminstereast.org.uk/
And, yes, I will now go and practice shortening codes again in the styx, but I do it so rarely I always forget how.
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And is it true? For if it is....
Posts: 1481 | From: behind the dreaming spires | Registered: Mar 2013
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Sipech
Shipmate
# 16870
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Posted
A friend of mine did a doctoral thesis on church websites. I did point this thread out to her, but don't think she's replied.
She contributed to this site for quite a conservative anglo-catholic parish.
At the other end of the spectrum, I would cite my own church's website, which got a facelift last year.
You could also look at the websites shortlisted for the Christian New Media Awards.
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I try to be self-deprecating; I'm just not very good at it.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheAlethiophile
Posts: 3791 | From: On the corporate ladder | Registered: Jan 2012
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The Rogue
Shipmate
# 2275
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Posted
No links but my advice is to Keep It Simple.
The more detail that goes in a website the more effort needs to be spent in keeping it updated and the worse it looks when the update isn't done.
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If everyone starts thinking outside the box does outside the box come back inside?
Posts: 2507 | From: Toton | Registered: Feb 2002
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
Gamaliel
Well, you didn't mention what you'd learnt from looking at your local church websites, but I suppose discretion prevents you from sharing your opinions on those.
I hope you manage to produce something attractive, informative and easy to negotiate. And let's hope that noone who reads the website will take things as literally as I do! The Methodist websites I know of reduce the possibility of misunderstandings by focusing on contact info and service times and keeping everything else fairly basic.
[ 03. March 2015, 11:59: Message edited by: SvitlanaV2 ]
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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Spike
Mostly Harmless
# 36
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
She contributed to this site for quite a conservative anglo-catholic parish
Interesting. Looking at the site, it looks neither conservative, nor Anglo-Catholic
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"May you get to heaven before the devil knows you're dead" - Irish blessing
Posts: 12860 | From: The Valley of Crocuses | Registered: May 2001
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
Yes, looks more liberal catholic than Anglo-Catholic to me ...
I dunno - these Ichthus types can't tell their albs from their anglos ...
Meanwhile ... yes, @SvitlanaV2 - I do intend trying to get our local parish to keep things simple and focus on the basics and creating something that can be updated quickly and easily.
All that's a given.
The main thing I've been angling for on this thread is how to convey 'tone' and 'mood' and so on on - which is a parallel exercise and not unrelated of course.
There have been some good examples cited.
I think this one is a good site too - I think it does a good job of being informative and also creating an impression of the 'feel' of the place.
http://www.altrinchambaptist.org/
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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Sipech
Shipmate
# 16870
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Spike:
quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
She contributed to this site for quite a conservative anglo-catholic parish
Interesting. Looking at the site, it looks neither conservative, nor Anglo-Catholic
Not sure you're looking at the same website. Vicar in fancy robes, a procession of a cross. Classic hallmarks of an ecclesiastically conservative, high-up-the-candle church. Unless you're splitting hairs, of course. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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I try to be self-deprecating; I'm just not very good at it.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheAlethiophile
Posts: 3791 | From: On the corporate ladder | Registered: Jan 2012
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Albertus
Shipmate
# 13356
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Posted
Nope, none of the things that you've identified (processional cross, standard eucharistic vestments) are conservative or especially high up the candle by contemporary CofE standards: and a woman vicar would set it apart from what might conventially be regarded as conservative Anglo-Catholicism. Traditional and eucharistic and a bit higher than MOTR, sure, but nothing to frighten the horses.
Posts: 6498 | From: Y Sowth | Registered: Jan 2008
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Gamaliel
Shipmate
# 812
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Posted
It only looks stratospherically 'high' Sipech if you're so low that you've dropped out of the bottom and are wallowing in the mud ...
![[Biased]](wink.gif)
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
Posts: 15997 | From: Cheshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2001
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
http://www.altrinchambaptist.org/
This website isn't 'simple' by the standards I'm used to, but it is user-friendly. The vibe it sends out is one of busyness and efficiency. It does church for people who want church to be done in a professional manner (unless you go to Messy Church, perhaps, but the website doesn't explain what that is).
From my point of view it's a bit impersonal. Despite all the different pages there are very few pictures of people or the natural world. It's not a 'cuddly' website. The debt and poverty relief work is the first thing you see on the home page. Seriousness is the order of the day, and the aim is clearly to attract serious people.
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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chris stiles
Shipmate
# 12641
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
It only looks stratospherically 'high' Sipech if you're so low that you've dropped out of the bottom and are wallowing in the mud ...
It looks more 'vague' to me than anything else.
Posts: 4035 | From: Berkshire | Registered: May 2007
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mdijon
Shipmate
# 8520
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
Yes, looks more liberal catholic than Anglo-Catholic to me ...
But with an alpha course?
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mdijon nojidm uoɿıqɯ ɯqıɿou
ɯqıɿou uoɿıqɯ nojidm mdijon
Posts: 12277 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2004
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Albertus
Shipmate
# 13356
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Posted
Not common, but not unknown.
Posts: 6498 | From: Y Sowth | Registered: Jan 2008
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chris stiles
Shipmate
# 12641
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Posted
In retrospect - and in response to the the OP, on reviewing the various websites it's interesting the extent to which a particular photographic style tends to be the strongest language used.
After the obvious 'Alpha Course'/'Christianity Explored'/'Emmaeus' logos and other markers like symbols for the likes of New Wine, the thing that predominates most is the style of the photographs (if any) on the front page. Different types of churches tend to ape each other in style (hygenic looking young families, the white surburban audience with token ethnic minorities, the all age 'family' style, the charismatic jumping crowd, etc.). Even when churches *don't* fall into one of these categories it becomes 'obvious' what kind of church they are from which element of style they transgress the most.
[ 03. March 2015, 19:36: Message edited by: chris stiles ]
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Gamaliel
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# 812
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Posted
I think those are fair comments on the Altrincham site. I know people there so that 'softens' it for me. On the photos thing - I'd rather see real people rather than models.
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Let us with a gladsome mind
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chris stiles
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# 12641
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
On the photos thing - I'd rather see real people rather than models.
At least in the UK, I doubt if many of the photos are either stock, or posed by models. Generally they did look like they were of the congregation of the church itself albeit always posed along similar lines.
More of an observation rather than a prescription - though going back to this and the logo thing, if people use these (consciously or not) as visual cues, it may be useful to reflect it in some ways - unless you want to be obscure.
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Gamaliel
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# 812
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Posted
Sure - I don't think the site should be obscure, but I am interested in the ways that churchmanship and flavour can be conveyed by non-verbal cues.
Take the Altrincham Baptist site, for instance. I know people there so I know the flavour, but I think this comes out from the site without it having to 'spelt out' verbally.
Conversely, in the case of an Anglo-Catholic parish, say, it's probably best for them to state their case up front - to nail their colours to the mast. 'We are a parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition ...'
Or, as with St Martin in Roath, have a video and visual cues - icons, 'Celtic' style typography, the use of deep blues and purple - that convey a sense of what they're about. You know exactly what to expect.
Equally, I think Sipech's Ichthus site has a visual style that 'fits' with its particular flavour and ethos.
You know you're not going to get High Mass with all the trimmings there ...
Sadly, from what I think I may have seen him post as the Alethiophile in the past, you might not be guaranteed to hear sound, Trinitarian theology either ...
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
But then, that's by no means guaranteed in historic churches with a more explicit creedal basis.
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
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Gamaliel
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# 812
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Posted
I s'pose what I'm saying is that in the case of Altrincham Baptist, whilst the style and ethos is certainly illustrated - the shot of the services ('gatherings' as they call them) shows some people raising their hands charismatic style - it isn't so 'in your face' ie. it's not the first thing you see when you click on the site.
I've seen charismatic church websites where the first thing that greets you is a close up of someone's face wrapt in worship ... what I often call 'spiritual gurning' ...
Increasingly, these days, though, most of the trendy or well-resourced churches seem to be going in for illustrated panels that lead to details of some particular group or activity or other ...
The Ichthus site does that, so does Holy Trinity Brompton's ...
Mind you, when I see something like this (and it won an award last year) I wonder whether I'm dealing with a large 'corporate' rather than a local church. The first thing you see is an in-yer-face instruction to download their Annual Report:
See: http://www.kerith.co.uk/
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
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Augustine the Aleut
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# 1472
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by chris stiles:
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
On the photos thing - I'd rather see real people rather than models.
At least in the UK, I doubt if many of the photos are either stock, or posed by models. Generally they did look like they were of the congregation of the church itself albeit always posed along similar lines.*snip*
One website developer told me that the consent-to-be-photographed for publicity rules vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and in some places developers prefer to use stock photographs to avoid legal complications.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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Gamaliel
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# 812
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Posted
During my trawl of local church websites I came across one on our patch which was definitely using stock or library images of 'representative' people in the header - although the rest of the photos on the site were clearly taken in situ and featured people in the congregation.
I suspect it's more common in the UK that Chris Stiles suggests ... particularly among those churches which use off-the-shelf packages like Church Edit or which are towards the more Pentecostal end of things ...
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Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is kind.
http://philthebard.blogspot.com
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Bishops Finger
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# 5430
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Posted
I don't think anyone's yet mentioned the C of E's 'A Church Near You' facility. IMNSHO (and I should know, as I maintain our place's ACNY pages), it's well worth employing. Free, user-friendly, easily updated - what's not to like? There's a chance to add photos as well, though they do have to be kept fairly small and compact.
We also have our own 'personal' website, created by a member of our congregation, and which was morphed into a 'Forward-in-Faith' corporate style. Since Windows 8.1 (damn its eyes) won't allow me to update that site, I've passed it on to our Churchwarden.......
But yes - keep it simple, up-to-date, and, if possible, descriptive of what one may find if one crosses the church threshold......
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
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Baptist Trainfan
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# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gamaliel:
Mind you, when I see something like this (and it won an award last year) I wonder whether I'm dealing with a large 'corporate' rather than a local church. The first thing you see is an in-yer-face instruction to download their Annual Report:
See: http://www.kerith.co.uk/
True. But (a) I don't think that will be on the home page for ever; and (b) it does tell you quite a lot about the church.
My quibble with that site is that it doesn't tell you where the church is (i.e. in which town), not even in the "About Us" section, except right down at the bottom and in one tiny event panel. Why can't they put "BRACKNELL" in the top header bar, along with the church name?
I bet some Anglicans do the same: "Welcome to St. Mary's!" - but which one? And I could imagine a similar thing happening with "High Street Baptist Church" etc.
[ 04. March 2015, 14:34: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
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leo
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# 1458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
I don't think anyone's yet mentioned the C of E's 'A Church Near You' facility. IMNSHO (and I should know, as I maintain our place's ACNY pages), it's well worth employing. Free, user-friendly, easily updated - what's not to like?
Not that easy to update - the format is inflexible for input.
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Baptist Trainfan
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# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
I don't think anyone's yet mentioned the C of E's 'A Church Near You' facility.
The title does tend to suggest that "other denominations" don't count ...
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Albertus
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# 13356
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Posted
Would you expect a similar site maintained by BUGB to tell you where your local CofE or RC, or even Methodist or URC, shack is, then? Surely it's just about sticking to what you are responsible for.
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