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Google eBooks on the iPhone/iPod Touch
I like the Google Books app, but I have a problem with it.
I like having different eBook stores I can buy from — like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and others. Competition is good and (hopefully) will drive prices down (but I doubt it, because the book makers will set the prices).
My problem with the Google Books eReader App Thingy is that I can’t bookmark pages. How do I return to a page I was reading? I don’t want to scroll 30 pages to pick back up where I left off. Even if you click things in the table of contents, it can still take a while to find your spot again.
They’ll have to fix this problem before I actually buy something from them.
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9 Ways to Ruin Your Church Web Site
1.) Use animated gif’s
Honestly, they’re just tacky.
2.) Don’t include your service times
Yes, I made this mistake once. A couple people called the church (on a Saturday when nobody is usually there, but luckily someone was making copies for Sunday School the next day) and asked the service times because they were not on the web site.
3.) Skip the “What We Believe” section
Doctrine is important. Just ask Mark Driscoll, the pastor of Mars Hill Church. He and Gerry Breshears wrote a book about it. I’m in the process of reading it. I highly recommend it.
4.) Forget to put your location
You’ll need the address and a map. There’s more than one First Baptist church in the world. In fact, I bet we have multiple Calvary, Faith Temple, and Grace churches. What do you think? I know I’ve personally been searching for a church in Texas and found one with the same name in Maine. It’s easy to forget things.
5.) Use the church web site for political statements
Certain things are okay. Backing the Bill of Rights is good. Defending marriage is good. Freedom of Religion is of the utmost importance. Just be wise in what you put on your church web site. Make sure it is nice and legal in your jurisdiction. And if you’re in an area where Christians are persecuted, you might want to be careful of what you put on your web site (or if you even have one) to begin with.
Just be smart about it. It’s up to you to make sure your web site is helpful, legal, and not detrimental.
6.) Don’t use graphics or bullet points
Graphics and Bullet points make text easier to read. They make web sites more aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable. Use graphics on every page, but not to excess. Use them in moderation and use them consistently.
7.) Rarely update your site
Regular updates are important. People in the community want to know what’s going on in your church. Prospects are more likely to come to events if they know when they’re happening. If you’re doing something awesome for the Glory of God — put it on the web site so people can see how God is working and make his name famous.
8.) Assume web sites are only for younger generations
We recently had a retired couple come to our church because they saw our Thanksgiving feast on our web site. They not only came to church, but they brought a couple covered dishes for the potluck lunch. How awesome is that?!? We loved worshiping God with them and they really knew how to cook too!
A lot of elderly people have computers to keep up with their kids, grandkids, and friends. I know a lot of people who didn’t grow up with computers who use them regularly.
9.) Use boring headlines
Headlines catch people’s attention. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t use them. Check out copyblogger.com‘s advice on Creating Headlines. They really know what they’re talking about. It’s not targeted to churches, but it’s easily adaptable.
A good headline could draw in a prospect from google or somewhere else. Other people might also link to your page if you’re doing something cool, so make the headline count.
Any other ideas? Let me know in the comments!
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3 Keys to a Great Church Website
1.) Good looks
First impressions are important and for many people, your web site makes that first impression. Your web site needs to be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. I’d like to say “less is more,” but I’m afraid somebody will take me literally with a white background, black text, and no graphics.
Don’t do something overly flashy. Just make it simple and beautiful.
Please don’t use animated gif’s (like the one above). Ever.
2.) Good content
What’s the point in going to a web site with nothing on it?
At a minimum, you need your service times, location, doctrinal statement, contact information, and a few pictures of your church. Note: These pictures should be of the church, not the building. So when you do your fall fest, youth event, or picnic lunch, snap a few photos for the web site. You might want to have a couple photos of a worship service too, just so people know what to wear.
You don’t want somebody to see a pretty front page, but not learn anything about you. They’ll just move on to the next web-site.
3.) Regular updates (this is most important)
If your church’s web site looks like it hasn’t been visited since 1994, your pews might look the same. No, the web site may not be what’s keeping people from the pews, but that is the perspective that new prospects might have when they look at your site.
“Wow, the last sermon in the archive is from 2003. Maybe they’re between pastors, honey.”
Right. So, if you’re going to have static content, make it basic. Add some “about our church” and “beliefs” sections and you will especially need the service times. Don’t promise to have weekly sermon updates by creating a podcast or sermon archive. If you have a link to the “sermon archive,” you’re silently promising regular updates. It’s not nice to break your promises here. Either do it regularly, or don’t do it.
Any other ideas? Let me know in the comments.
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Mega Church IT on a Country Church Budget
You may not have 1000 members in your church — in fact, there may not be 1000 people in your town — but you can have quality Information Technology in your hand and on the cheap.
I don’t know you. You could be the pastor of the church, the youth pastor, or the sound guy. You might be retired and computers could be your hobby. Maybe you’re just reading this because you’re bored.
No matter who you are or how big your church is, you don’t have to settle for status quo. We need to give God our very best work, so let’s up the ante on the things you publish. Whether you need a better bulletin, a nicer newsletter, or a wonderful web site, you can do it yourself and it’s easier than you think.
You don’t need to pay someone $25 per month for a 1997 looking web site built by somebody who can barely turn on a computer.
I know you’ve used the same MS Word Template for your bulletin for the past 10 years. Change is hard, but you can have an amazing Sunday Morning Service Bulletin that glorifies God with minimal effort.
You can send out a useful and beautiful e-newsletter for free.
If you don’t know much about technology — that’s okay. In the next few articles, I’ll show you how to build a quality web site quickly, easily, and cheaply. We’ll put together a great looking bulletin that gets the job done. If you stick around long enough, I’ll also show you how to put together an e-newsletter that looks as good in your email inbox as it does on paper.
Until next time think about this: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” Colossians 3:23 ESV.
PART 1: “3 Keys to a Great Church Website”