There are numerous web sites devoted to the technical, design aesthetics and usability aspects of web sites, but few help you with the editorial aspect (content) of your site. We start a discussion about what (and what not) to put on your church's web site.

A short guide to installing and configuring the Article module

open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open.

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions - we've become accustomed to looking for them on web sites we visit. But, should we? If everyone is asking, why didn't we anticipate the questions? Here's a look at answering and anticipating the questions your visitors are probably asking.

FAQ sections are good signs your original content is bad.

Print formats have fixed physical dimensions - 8.5" x 11", 4-page, 1/2-page folded - and the temptation is to fill every available square inch of space in an effort to get the most for your money. The web has no boundaries and pages are not limited by a fixed format, but the temptation still remains - publish everything, including the filler. The result? Lots of web content with little impact. We look at some of the consequences of continuing to follow the print mentality when publishing on the web.

Carnuke's short and basic FAQ about the Article module based on forum posts, Q&As and his own testing, as well as a brief introduction to "Article" template management

As a web master, at some point you will undoubtedly begin to work on your search engine optimization, or think you need to work on optimizing your site for the search engines. Before you do, read this article and stop to think about who's more important - your readers or the robots?

Creating and maintaining a personal website is far simpler than doing the same tasks for a church or ministry, or any organization, for that matter. Even when you acknowledge this, the reality is often times harsher that you expect or imagine. When you start to feel overburdened, take some time to gather yourself and gain some new perspectives for your situation. Then, work together with your leaders for a sustainable ministry solution.

Photo credits: I found the image for this article on Flickr and it was made available under a Creative Commons license - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The web has changed. In the beginning, it mimicked print media's "Publish and Read". In a relatively short time, however, the web has become dramatically different - instead of a few publishers, everyone is contributing content to the web. Internet users no longer just consume content, they also create content. Position your site to be one of the 'Net Generation's places to be.

Being responsible for at least one web site, if not more, there are things you may not give much thought because they seem beyond your control, of little interest, or of any value to your users. Security usually falls in this category.

In spite of all that, anyone who maintains a site has the task of taking the initiative when it comes to security. If you don't, your visitors may find one day a new version of your site - a defaced one. Or, your host may suspend your account because a script on your site is causing a high server load. So, you have to do something.

Where do you start? Most of us will need guidance when it comes to security, server configuration and optimization. There is good news - help is readily available, if you ask for it! I spent some time reviewing the security notes for the different aspects of running a web site and spoke with a few people to get some useful tips to protect your investments of time and effort.