A few weeks ago when we announced the launch of our new WP-EZ Website Builder, one person who uses our old NE1 Website Builder commented:
I am completely happy with the NE1 site builder, and quite honestly, don’t have the time to learn something new, again. Why not leave well enough alone?
Great question!
In the announcement, I explained 4 reasons I you’re going to love our new WP-EZ Website Builder, but I realize I have not adequately explained…
4 Reasons Continuing NE1 is Impossible
1) NE1 Requires Obsolete Software
To keep NE1 running as long as we have, we have to run other software on our server which went end of life in 2014.
2) NE1 is Not Secure
Because NE1 runs on obsolete software for which updates are no longer provided, that makes it a security vulnerability.
3) We Cannot Update NE1
We do not own the source code for NE1. The people who developed the source code have abandoned it and are not providing any updates.
4) NE1 is Not Mobile Friendly
Websites built with NE1 are not mobile-friendly. Not only is this incontinent for visitors to NE1 sites, but it also means NE1 sites don’t rank as well in Google’s mobile search results.
We are glad to hear there NE1 has some loyal fans, but for these reasons, we will not be able to offer NE1 or much longer. Fortunately, WP-EZ resolves all of these issues. It runs on the latest server software, it’s secure, it’s mobile-friendly and we can update and improve it any time.
Get WP-EZ Now!
As we mentioned in the announcement, WP-EZ is available now now with all new hosting accounts. You can order a web hosting package here.
NE1 to WP-EZ Coming Soon
For those of you with NE1 sites, we are finishing up the development and testing of a migration tool which will make it possible to copy your NE1 website into WP-EZ. It should be available in April.
Last Call for Beta Testers
If you currently use NE1 and would like to beta test WP-EZ and provide us with feedback, post a comment and let us know immediately. I will be contacting beta testers tomorrow.
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
20 Comments
On April 1, a new look for our organization's web site will go on line. Now, we have to change again, but that's O.K. We will take the time to learn and understand the new program, then make the change. We look forward to new and better templates with more opportunities to customize.
Blessings,
Mid-South District, Lutheran Women's Missionary League
Hi George, WP-EZ is definitely something to look forward to! 🙂
how do i convert to the new system on my web site
Gary, as mentioned in the post, "For those of you with NE1 sites, we are finishing up the development and testing of a migration tool which will make it possible to copy your NE1 website into WP-EZ. It should be available in April." We will explain the migration process, when it becomes available.
i have been wanting to redesign our church site. would love to test/use the new website builder. let me know. Thanks Sally Green: thelordshipchurch.org
Great Sally! I'll be in touch later today.
Hello I am administering and revamping our church website as well, I have been trying to gain access to cpanel. I would still like an answer regarding access to it. However, I would definitely be interested in beta testing the new WP-EZ design software. wearefreetoworship.com
Hi Alfonso, since Pastor Lisa is the contact person listed on your account, I sent the cPanel login info to her. Please let us know, if you need any further assistance with that. I'll be in touch with another email about beta testing.
I would also be interested in testing the new WP-EZ design.
Excellent Deb! I'll send you an email in a little bit.
Will I need to build a new website or will our current one on NE1 get moved to WP-EZ?
We are developing a "migration tool" which will copy the content of your NE1 website into WP-EZ. There are a few things that won't copy exactly, so you will have the opportunity to review and tweak the WP-EZ site before you activate it and make it your live site.
We have been wanting to change over to WP for some time but the learning curve was more than time would allow. I would be happy to help in the testing. http://www.newcovenantgj.org
Awesome Richard! I've sent you a couple emails about beta testing.
Hi Paul, I'm concerned about the WP-EZ conversion tool and how it will handle converting my current NE1 site. I've been a loyal member since 2002 and used a lot of non OCC template formatting over the years (ie..my own coding, embedded sources, etc) to build my site. After converting to WP-EZ, will my site will be lost or dis-functional in those respects? Will I have to go back and rebuild sections of my site? I've seen a lot of good improvements over the years, but praying earnestly OCC all will make this change user-friendly to loyal members like me.
Hi John, great question! If by "embedded sources" you're referring to HTML used to embed content elements like videos, images and tables, these things should automatically transfer to WP-EZ. If you're referring to HTML used for formatting/styling, because the themes are different, even if the HTML is transferred it won't look exactly the same as your current site and adjustments will have to be made.
Rest assured that we are doing everything possible to make the transition from NE1 to WP-EZ as easy as possible, and the end result is going to be a better website that looks better and functions better.
I sent a reply regarding the same concerns as John (above) but am still waiting for a response. I notice others have expressed the same worries. Can you not make these replies available to all as the problem hasn’t been explained yet.
Hi Ray, sorry just seeing your comment now. I'm not quite sure I understand. Can you explain what you mean by, "Can you not make these replies available to all as the problem hasn't been explained yet." And if there's anything you think hasn't been explained yet, can you let us know specifically what it is? Thanks!
OK I can't seem to find the instructions on how to migrate my NE1 site to the New WP-EZ site. can anyone help me?
Hi Chris, there's a video in the WP-EZ Migration FAQs post that walks you through the process – https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/wp-ez-migrat… Let us know if you have any other questions or if there's anything else we can do to help.