I found the most fulfillment at work not only when I could help someone with a problem, but also when I could establish a dialog with them and get to know them as people. For example, one of our customers from Ireland would report a technical difficulty, I’d write back, and in the course of our brief discussions we wound up talking about all the exciting things the Lord was doing in our lives. The joy of being a Christian would just spill over into my workday in marvelous and unexpected ways, leaving my spirit uplifted no matter how the rest of my day had gone.

Internet connects two countries.
One day our Irish customer and brother in Christ, Harry Toye of Five Fold Ministry Ireland, told me about an outreach he and his team would be hosting in America. “That’s great,” I told him almost absently. When I learned they were coming to New Hampshire, I immediately dismissed the idea of meeting the team. Airfare from my home in Florida to New England was beyond my budget. I wished him well and put the thought out of my mind.

Up to this point I hadn’t spent more than a few moments on Harry’s website, not because I didn’t care, but because with more than 7,000 OurChurch.Com sites there isn’t time to fully visit each one while responding efficiently to support issues. I didn’t know much about his team.

But God had other plans for me. Probably about a month after my talk with Harry, this strange thought came into my head: “You need to go to New Hampshire to meet the Five Fold Ministry Ireland team.” What? That’s crazy. I set the thought aside. Next day, the thought came again: “You need to go to New Hampshire to meet the Five Fold Ministry Ireland team.” But this is a customer! I don’t need to go to New Hampshire to meet a customer! Yet the thought persisted every day for two weeks until finally I couldn’t stand it any more. I had to tell my husband about it. His response was direct: “Then go!”

With that, I took the time to read the beautiful testimonies on Harry’s website and was absolutely amazed. I read this entire page and was filled with tears by the end of it, now fully convinced that I wanted to meet this team! I took my 22-year-old son Jason with me and we flew to New Hampshire the following Saturday.

Now you’d expect that a ministry from Ireland wouldn’t go to the trouble of traveling all the way across the Atlantic unless there were huge, expectant crowds waiting for them. But this was not the case at all. So sensitive to the Holy Spirit is this dedicated group that when I saw their trademark sign announcing “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever” posted on the front of a tiny clapboard church in the Middle-Of-Nowhere, New Hampshire, my heart swelled with love at their simple humility. No evangelist’s name was up in lights, no gigantic photo of a smiling man in an expensive suit, no limousines or fanfare, just Jesus’ name above all. The outreach was beautiful and the decision to travel to New Hampshire changed my life (and my son’s life) forever. Why? Because we experienced Jesus in a fresh new way.

Finding new ways to connect.
I have lots of Christian friends, but there is something extra special about friends who not only share your faith, but who “get it” when you talk about your own unique relationship with God. They are on your wavelength. You click. Plus they keep you accountable and strengthen your faith. That’s how it was with my new Irish friends. I wanted to do more than just send email, but who can afford international calling rates?

The Internet once more became a bridge. Harry told me about Skype, a fantastic Internet phone service that allows you to talk to anyone, practically anywhere in the world, absolutely free. The only requirements are that both parties have an Internet connection, a free Skype account, and earphones. Soon the miles melted away. You can learn more about Skype and stay connected with your friends, too!

OurChurch.Com goes to Ireland.
Since New Hampshire, my friendship with the Five Fold team has flourished. Now I wanted to actually visit them in Ireland and get to know each of them better, and to experience the Wednesday night meetings of which Harry speaks in reverent tones. Two years passed and finally, on May 2 of this year, I boarded a plane bound for Dublin.

I met Harry’s beautiful wife Maureen and reconnected with the team I had met in New Hampshire: Paul the evangelist and his amazing wife Mary, Nick with the gift of music, Mariead with her spirit of quiet helpfulness, and Maire (pronounced “Maura”) who at 83 is one of the wisest women I have ever met. I was also able to meet Nick’s talented sisters Martina and Joan. I was completely welcomed into this circle of dedicated Christians. And although she wasn’t present, I had previously met their faithful prayer warrior, Melissa, who lives in New York.

I witnessed physical healings, deliverance, and commitments to Christ in an Irish town with a name too long to pronounce. I felt radiant heat course through my own body as Jesus healed me of multiple sclerosis and began gradually clearing away my symptoms. As I grow stronger every day I am believing that God’s complete and total healing, which I know to be true in my heart, will soon become outwardly evident to all. I can’t thank Him enough! Even more important, God dealt with the most intimate details of my past along with issues at the core of my heart. I am still processing this amazing experience. Not only that, but this team that is head-over-heals in love with Jesus also knows how to have fun, and we often exploded with laughter.

How to go online when you’re reaaaaaaaaally in the sticks.
I guess you won’t think too highly of my supposed “expertise” any more because I admit that I was unable to get my own laptop connected to the Internet while in Ireland. I suppose I could have gone to an Internet café since my computer didn’t seem to want to accept the Internet connection at Harry and Maureen’s house.

However, I was fascinated by what I saw in Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. Our new friend Dominick, who with his wife Lillian runs a Christian bed and breakfast in Ballinskelligs where we stayed during the outreach, showed us how he connects to the Internet via satellite. The town is very close to the ocean, and to say that it’s a rural location is an understatement. When I walked outside at night and saw the millions of stars that only come into view when the city lights are far, far away, I marveled at how small our world has become through the power of the Internet.

This particular blog post has been less about Christian Web Trends than about the amazing things God can do with the tools we choose to use for His glory. Still, I hope you are encouraged! Your website can be the catalyst by which someone from a distant land discovers a fresh look at the Savior, renewed hope, and lasting friendships.

Pam Seibert

Pam has been providing support and website development at OurChurch.Com since 2003. She and her husband Ed have two grown children and one grandchild. Pam is a small group leader in her church and volunteers with the Extension Ministry. She enjoys writing and music. Her children’s songs have been published and distributed nationally for use in a vacation Bible school curriculum.

ourchurch.com

The post The next great Internet adventure: Will you be ready? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Thumbin’ through a Web site.
Pick up a magazine. Check out all the variations in color, text size, font selection and layout. It’s tempting to set out designing a website to look the same. You can come close, but there are some important differences. The Web depends on a monitor that essentially shows many fewer color dots per inch than a full-color magazine that is printed on paper. In addition, browser differences can make your page layout look different from one computer screen to the next (font size, column length, etc.) whereas a print magazine looks the same whether you’re in Alabama or Albania. Another important difference is the typography. You can use a rare font to print a full magazine article but the Web is better suited to common fonts. I’ll explain why.

1. Common Fonts.
Let’s say I have a font on my computer that I really like. Here’s one called  . I think to myself how cool it would be to use that casual handwriting font throughout my website. I call a friend to get his reaction, but he thinks it looks awful and says there are stray characters such as music symbols mixed in with the text. Some friend!

What went wrong? I used a rare or uncommon font. You see, I can print something on paper with the blzee font and it will show up just fine. But for the Web, if I want someone to see that same font from their browser, it must either be (a) embedded into an image or (b) a font that is installed on the other person’s computer. Otherwise the browser will guess at the intended font, which is why my friend saw music symbols instead of letters. Hint: The reason you can see the font above is because I created an image out of it. Here is some text that I deliberately styled with the blzee font so you can see how it looks on your own computer: blzee font. Unless you happen to have that font installed, can you see what I mean?

You could just create a giant graphic and put all your text on it, then load it to your site. You could use any font you want that way. But… your visitors can’t select text from a graphic with a mouse, you can’t easily make text changes without editing the graphic and re-uploading it, and your content will be lost as far as search engines are concerned.

The question, then: “What fonts can I use?” You can find out by referring to this list of browser-safe fonts. Bookmark it for future reference, and make it your habit to only use fonts that are universally installed on both Windows and Mac computers. Study CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to learn how to offer more than one font as a fall-back.
And finally, please be careful not to use too many different fonts on one page. A rule of thumb is to use one or two, with three being the maximum. When it comes to fonts, less is more.

2. Color.
Ah, color! Why is it that some people just have a natural flair for choosing color combinations and others of us are hopelessly lost and couldn’t pick out a tie if our lives depended on it? No time to discuss theory. Instead I’ll provide a tool for you to use. Your color harmony troubles are over!

3. Contrast.
It’s easy to see black text against a white background, but navy against black is an eye-strainer. People with poor visual acuity will leave your site in a hurry if they can’t read the text, so be careful to use light colors against dark backgrounds and vice-versa. And what about red against brown? For many people with color blindness, that color combo looks like one blob of color, with nothing readable.

If you’re blessed with good eyesight and perfect color vision, it may be difficult to discern what color combinations to avoid for people who are not so blessed. But you can simulate how your site might look to someone with one of the three main types of color blindness. Just enter the URL of your web page in the blank provided. The site also offers an explanation of color blindness, which they say affects roughly 1 in 20 people.

4. Clean.
Okay, this is a bit subjective but take a good hard look at your website. How many bright  colors are competing for your attention? Try to tone them down or eliminate some of them. How many animated graphics are jumping around at once? See if you can get rid of all but one. And that scrolling ticker: is it really necessary or could you try something static and get the same point across?

“That Pam is a killjoy!” I hear you say. “I worked hard to put all that JavaScript on my page and it looks reallllly cool!” A little movement on a website can be effective, and I’ve designed more than my share of Flash movies. But if you’re going to use animation, then make it work for your site, not against it. Use animation because it is essential, not just as a decoration or, worse, to take people away from your site and onto someone else’s. Remember that animations and graphics are resource hogs that make your page downloads sluggish. Are you prepared to lose visitors who leave in frustration because it takes too long for them to get to the main content of your site? At the very least, put all of your applets, Amber Alerts and animations on a separate page with a warning that the page is graphics-heavy for people with slow Internet connections. Try it and watch your homepage download times improve.

5. Consistent.
I’ll make this point quick and painless. Your home page should share the highlights of your website with clear navigation and minimal text. Perhaps it has a more prominent logo and drives home a briefly stated philosophy. The remaining sections can be more content-heavy while sharing the same color scheme, look and feel and a common navigation menu. Don’t make people think they’ve left your site because of a sudden design change!

Putting it all together.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Use the 5 C’s on your site. Find ways to use Common fonts, implement a pleasing Color palette with optimal Contrast, and opt for a Clean, Consistent design theme. Then sit back and Compare. Looks better, doesn’t it?
 

Pam Seibert

Pam has been providing support and website development at OurChurch.Com since 2003. She and her husband Ed have two grown children and one grandchild. Pam is a small group leader in her church and volunteers with the Extension Ministry. She enjoys writing and music. Her children’s songs have been published and distributed nationally for use in a vacation Bible school curriculum.

ourchurch.com

The post The 5 C’s of Intelligent Web Design appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

The world is cynical of churches due to long-held negative perceptions of “hellfire and brimstone” sermons, “Sunday” dress, lots of rules, money-hungry pastors, and according to the world, fanatical, intolerant members who are constantly judging them and who want to shove religion down their throats…while being hypocrites themselves. The plethora of televangelists with their emotional pleas for money hasn’t helped matters.

It’s also true that many adults can’t get past negative childhood experiences. I myself recall being just 12 years old when a mainstream denominational pastor cornered me (literally! I could not escape!) in his office and demanded that I be baptized. It was a terrifying, awkward experience that reduced me to tears.  No wonder it’s hard to get adults through the church doors!

If churches are to extend God’s love to those who don’t yet know Him, they must work hard to overcome these stereotypes.  They need to be, well, un-churchy. Please don’t misunderstand:  I’m not advocating a watered-down message from a wishy-washy church, but rather the truth spoken in love with a healing dose of acceptance, understanding and forgiveness… especially as it applies to your website.

Online but out of reach

Whatever your approach, this is serious business and the consequences for non-believers are grave. We need to share the life-saving message of Jesus Christ! But who will share the message? How can we reach people in the first place and counteract negative stereotypes of church and Christians in general (Romans 10:14)?

One excellent starting point is your church website. Is it appealing and inclusive to unchurched visitors? Take this brief quiz to find out:

1. Does my website use spiritual jargon that unchurched people rarely if ever use, like “fellowship,” “rejoice,” “congregation” and even “sin”?
2. Does my website – and in particular the navigation menu — use acronyms and insider terms that only members of my church would know?  (For example, let’s say you have a young adults ministry called “TNT.” Does your menu link say “TNT” with no explanation, or does it say “Young Adults” to get people to the right section, with an explanation of TNT, or “Tuesday Night Thing,” within that section?)
3. Is the main focus of my website on the facilities rather than the people? (Look at your website photos if you’re not sure.)
4. Is my website more concerned with programs or people?  (Are you just promoting events or telling people how they can get connected and make a difference?)
5. Does my website convey its members as real people who struggle with the same problems as the rest of the population, like divorce and alcoholism? (Yes, church members struggle, too. Learning to live under the lordship of Jesus is a process.)
6. Does my website provide opportunities for people to talk back (message board, blog, etc.)?
7. Does my website meet people where they are by being relevant and addressing today’s issues, or does it focus exclusively on activities within the church walls?
8. Is my website friendly towards visitors by providing newcomer information quickly and easily? Is it easy to find clear directions to the facility, service times, ways to get connected, and an overview of the church?
9. Does my website share the gospel of Jesus Christ in an understandable way? (Many do not share the gospel at all.)
10. Is my website more about the pastor and church leadership than it is about the people who attend or who are welcome to attend?
11. Does my website include stories of people at my church whose lives have been transformed by God?
12. If a person with a very disturbing past visited my website, would he or she feel welcome in my church?
13. Does my website offer resources or links to websites for people struggling with alcohol, divorce, or other major life problems?
14. Is my website regularly updated so that there is always something new to offer?
15. Does my site offer sections that are relevant to people of all ages and walks of life? Would a teen find any sections of it engaging?
16. Am I making sure my church’s real-life experiences ring true by making sure website visitors feel welcome when they visit my church in person? (In other words, is your church as warm and friendly as your website says it is?)
17. Is my website attractive? (More on this in a later blog article.)

I think you can draw your own conclusions from the above. And sure, there’s a balance. A church website should most definitely have sections that are relevant and useful to its members, and there’s nothing wrong with having information about church leaders or the physical building. The point is that many church websites can do a better job of making new, unchurched people feel comfortable and welcome.

Speaking in tongues

No, this isn’t going to be a discourse about spiritual gifts. Made you look! Instead I wanted to expand on my first quiz question (above) regarding the language your site uses to communicate with people. Ask yourself if it’s understandable and relevant to a non-believer. For example, compare “a great time of fellowship was had by all” with “we had a great time catching up with our friends.” Which one provides a better picture in your head? Here’s a list of Christian terms you may want to avoid unless you are explaining these terms as you go along.

Bringing in the sheaves. (Umm… what’s a sheave?)

Ha! I know that the singular of “sheaves” is “sheaf” and that it has something to do with harvesting something-or-other, but not everyone will be that (ahem) knowledgeable. That’s why we need to express things in a relevant, meaningful way. Our example is Jesus. What language did He use to reach people? Why parables, of course. “Consider the lilies of the field,” He said. I would imagine He was standing in a field of lilies at the time. “A farmer went out to sow.” That is something the people of Jesus’ day could identify with since, in order to eat, they had to plant seeds.

If Jesus told parables in today’s world, I expect that He might use references to computers, cars, and television because these are all things that surround us every day. That’s what we can be doing, too. It’s a matter of taking the religious-speak out of our sentences (Matthew 13:19). If you’re not sure how the language on your website is perceived by outsiders, ask an unbiased observer to look at it with fresh eyes and ask him or her to provide honest feedback. The OurChurch.Com forums are frequented by Christian webmasters who would be glad to offer a critique.

A popular song asks this thought-provoking question: “If we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching?” I know many churches are reaching out, and souls are being saved daily. Still, the challenge remains: How will your church effectively use the power of the Internet to change the world and reach visitors who are looking for real life, real answers, and the real Jesus… and not just religion?

Pam Seibert

Pam has been providing support and website development at OurChurch.Com since 2003. She and her husband Ed have two grown children and one grandchild. Pam is a small group leader in her church and volunteers with the Extension Ministry. She enjoys writing and music. Her children’s songs have been published and distributed nationally for use in a vacation Bible school curriculum.

ourchurch.com

The post How inclusive is your church website? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

What is a CMS? In a nutshell, it is website management software with optional, flexible modules such as web pages, forums, calendars, and newsletters that can be easily added, subtracted, moved around within the site, or held for later publishing.  A single administrative interface is used to manage all components and to assign “permissions” to various individuals and groups to include editing rights, administering other users, accessing only certain parts of the website, and more.

Change Makes Sense.

The idea of a CMS isn’t new. What is new is the way CMS’s have evolved into affordable, easy-to-use systems within the average church’s reach.  Here are nine advantages a CMS-based website has over a non-CMS-based site:

• A CMS provides an interactive experience. Your typical church website is a static, online brochure with text and images to describe your church. It may be lovely to look at but lacking in depth.  A CMS-based website provides an interactive experience that invites people to add comments about what they read, hear and experience (all within your control). This stimulates thought and helps the church and its pastors feel the pulse of the church and its website visitors.
• All parts of the site, including blogs, registration forms, and media, have the same look and feel. When you start trying to add new features to a conventional website, each is provided by a different program and therefore has its own look and its own navigation menu.  But since a CMS has all of these modules integrated, the CMS-based site has a consistent appearance and navigation menu throughout, making it easier for visitors to find their way around the site.
• The webmaster doesn’t have to be a web design professional. The typical church website is created by a professional or volunteer who is proficient either with HTML or website development software like Frontpage or Dreamweaver.  This severely limits who is able to change and update the site.  A CMS includes a user-friendly web-based text editor that works like a word processor and is built right into the website.
• The website can be maintained by multiple staff rather than a single webmaster.  Church websites usually have one webmaster who acts as “gatekeeper” to the entire site.  This can work well if a full-time staff member has expertise in this area, but that’s often not the case, resulting in frustration and delays.  A CMS is overseen by one administrator who has the ability to grant permission to individual staff and volunteers to update specific parts of the site.  The youth pastor can have access to update just the youth pages, the administrative assistant can have access to update just the church calendar, and the pastor can be given access to publish a devotional blog, but none of them are given access to change (mess up) other sections or the overall design of the site.
• The website is updated regularly and remains current. If all responsibility for updating a website falls on a single “gatekeeper,” the site often languishes with outdated information when the webmaster is busy, on vacation, or leaves the church.  On the other hand, since a CMS-based site can be updated by various staff and volunteers it’s usually updated several times a week or even daily.
• A CMS provides the means to offer not only public site access to designated areas, but also private, internal web pages, calendars, newsletters, and forums. The average church website has all content out in the open for everyone to see, but does nothing to improve internal communication and productivity among staff and ministry teams.  In addition to those public features, a CMS includes the capability to create private features to enhance the productivity of your leaders.  You can create web pages, calendars, newsletters, and forums that are only accessible to staff or specific ministry teams to foster better internal communication.
• Site design can be easily updated.  With the typical church website, a volunteer builds the site in FrontPage and no one on staff knows how to make edits. The problem can get complicated if the design is less than desirable but the site was donated to the church, making the staff seem ungrateful if they wish to change it to something more attractive and useable.  With a CMS-based site, content is housed in a flexible structure that grows and changes, with user-friendly web-based editing tools. Changing the look and feel of the site is as easy as switching out a template. Moving blocks of site content around involves a few mouse clicks.
• New functionality can be easily added in the future. If the church wants to add some additional functionality (such as an email newsletter) to a typical site, the webmaster has to go out and find new software, install it, configure it, add links to it in the menu, and so on.  With a CMS, new modules can be added with just a few clicks giving your website the ability to grow and change along with your church.
• Affordability. Until recently, only mega-churches could spend the thousands of dollars in programming and development required for a CMS. Plus, they would often spend hefty monthly fees for licensing and hosting. But today there are CMS programs available to the community at large. Joomla, Drupal and WordPress are just some of the free possibilities you can explore if your web hosting includes cPanel with Fantastico.

CMS Installed and Customized for You.

Churches that lack staff or volunteers with the expertise to configure a CMS can consider hiring a web developer to install and configure the software, design the template to their specifications, and provide training – often for less time and less money than a traditional, static website.  (Warning – blatant self-promotion…) OurChurch.Com’s Custom CMS Express for Churches is one such option.

Taste and see.

You can test drive a church CMS by visiting our Sample Church site. Now I’ll be the first to admit, this example is packed with far more bells and whistles than you are likely to want in one site. But it does help demonstrate a large number of things that are possible. The look and feel can be customized by a professional web designer to resemble almost any site you’ve ever seen on the web.

Remember, with a CMS, you are in the driver’s seat. You can keep what you want, get rid of what you don’t, and build your site content any way you like. So give it some thought. Take a good hard look at your church website. And decide for yourself if it could be doing more.

Note: Many thanks to Paul Steinbrueck for his substantial contributions to this article.

Pam Seibert

Pam has been providing support and website development at OurChurch.Com since 2003. She and her husband Ed have two grown children and one grandchild. Pam is a small group leader in her church and volunteers with the Extension Ministry. She enjoys writing and music. Her children’s songs have been published and distributed nationally for use in a vacation Bible school curriculum.

ourchurch.com

The post Nine reasons your church website should be a CMS appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.

Me: “So now that we know you’re interested in reaching out to the community through your website, how do you feel about adding a blog?” 

Joe Client: “A blog? What’s a blog?” 

Me: “Blog is short for ‘web log.’ Basically it’s an online journal but it can be much more than that. You post your thoughts, news, ideas and more. Then you give people a chance to comment on what you write; you know, give feedback. Having current, relevant content on your site is a great way to bring people back, and–” 

Joe Client (interrupting): “No, I don’t want that. I don’t want people to be able to comment on my site.” 

And so it goes, with me trying my best to explain the benefits of having a blog while the customer, who has never seen a blog before, wonders why I’m making such a big deal about it.  

Why blog? 

A better question might be, “Why not?” Take a look at some of these examples and you’ll immediately see just a few of the varied reasons behind them.  

• Pastor’s blog.  Pastor Ben Arment is able to incorporate news about his church along with family photos and his own personal reflections. Makes him seem very “for real,” doesn’t it? I’m sure he appreciates the feedback he receives from his readers, too.
• Hurricane Katrina Relief.  My church, Cypress Meadows Community Church, used this blog to share news from the field during hurricane relief efforts. The folks back home felt included and were able to cheer the team on. Paul Steinbrueck of OCC took part in this outreach. See if you can spot him in the photos, and read some of his input.
• Spiritual accountability.  This blog was designed by its author for “a challenge and accountability … during the season of Lent.” He invites people to join him in the challenge.
• Evangelism.  Here, an evangelical team reports on their work in the community. Perhaps you would want to create a blog that actually engages spiritual seekers in thought and conversation.
• Hobbies.  This lady likes to cook, so she shares recipes online. She hopes people will try her ideas and comment on them. For her, cooking — and blogging — are a lot of fun!

Now look at your own life, your own relational world, and the things that are important to you. You’re sure to discover something worth blogging about. Are you up to the challenge? Read on…

In the blog house. 

So let’s make a case for blogging. Try our short quiz to see if it’s right for you:

• Do you enjoy writing?
• Do you have something unique to say?
• Are you committed to writing regularly?
• Is there a specific audience that you would like to help educate, inform or enlighten?
• Are you about to embark on a trip, mission, or project for which people may want regular updates?
• Do you have an interest in common with others, such as a hobby, occupation, or spiritual study?
• Do you read the editorials in the newspaper and think, “Well somebody should have said…” or “That’s right, tell that senator what you think!” or “Right on, that’s how I feel about it!”

Scoring. If you said yes to:

1-2 questions – You should definitely consider blogging!
3-4 questions – What? You’re not blogging already?
5-6 questions – It’s an emergency! Get a blog NOW!
All 7 questions – Shouldn’t you be writing this article??

Going to the blogs.

The best way to learn more about blogs is to take the plunge. That’s right, just jump right in. Got a computer with an Internet connection? Good. You’ve already paid all the expenses required for having a blog.  

The most popular site offering free blogs is http://blogger.com/.  A great Christian site that offers free blogs is http://e-church.com/. If you already have a website, you may be able to install a blog in your hosting account.  For example, OurChurch.Com members with a Bronze package or better can install the very same blog program we use, WordPress, with just a few clicks in the Fantastico section of the cPanel control panel.  WordPress has wonderful community support where you can ask questions and meet other bloggers.

Leaving blog prints. 

Once you have a blog up and running and you’ve explored all of its many possibilities, you can start networking with your fellow bloggers and share information among each other. Visit other people’s blogs and comment on them. To find them, use Google’s blog search or Technorati.com.  Go to message boards and tell people about your blog.

Every time you leave information, be sure and provide a link back to your blog. But be a nice blogger. Don’t just put links on other people’s sites, and don’t use them for advertising products. Provide some useful information that will be a blessing to others. 

Keep your blog updated with relevant, useful information and before long, people will start showing an interest and add comments. Then they will tell others about you in their blogs! 

Puttin’ on the blog!

You can start blogging right now. That’s right. Simply leave a comment here. Read what others have written, too. See? It’s easy to be a blogger!

In His Service,
Pam Seibert
OurChurch.Com

Pam Seibert

Pam has been providing support and website development at OurChurch.Com since 2003. She and her husband Ed have two grown children and one grandchild. Pam is a small group leader in her church and volunteers with the Extension Ministry. She enjoys writing and music. Her children’s songs have been published and distributed nationally for use in a vacation Bible school curriculum.

ourchurch.com

The post Who, me? Blog? appeared first on Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO.