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.

Groups are always challenged with keeping everyone informed of changes to upcoming events and notifying them of new events that have been added. Using features built into XOOPS and ImpressCMS, your task just got a lot simpler.

Introduced in Church Websites 101: Easy. Not Simple, we're now going to dig deeper into the strategies you can employ to build and maintain a more effective website for your church or ministry.

The easy fixes are things you have, or should have, direct control over - the content is yours. This is all about what you post online. Examine your topics, your schedule for posting and updating, the language you use and your presentation. Do it now and keep doing it - establish a discipline (be a disciple) for your ministry.

A short guide to installing and configuring the Article module

The Web is a great place to find something to read. But, with so many choices placed in front of Internet users - what do they decide to read and how to they find it? The Internet is used to expand one's social, intellectual and even spiritual experiences. Just as your church buildings do not serve only as a tribute to the craftsmanship of the builders, your web site's primary function is not to highlight the skill of the programmer, but to reach people. How can you reach people online?

3rd in a series introduced in Church Websites 101: Easy. Not Simple. Last time, we fixed the easy stuff - now you'll need a little tech savvy to take care of some of these things. If you've selected a good CMS, most of this will be easy. If you're having to edit the pages or configuration directly - not so easy.

If you've gotten this far, you are well ahead of the majority of non-profit organizations. You have overcome the hurdle of publishing online and have developed a discipline for regular updates. Now, you're getting into some of the finer details of effectively sharing content online. You may also find your choice of tools is helping or maybe it is limiting your efforts.

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

People lead busy lives and calendars are seemingly easy ways to help keep you on track. The problem is, many people tend to put everything on their calendar and then try to manage what's there. What impact would adding an events calendar to your site have?

Calendars, especially online calendars, create a high expectation for timeliness and accuracy. They also provide a nice overview of your organization's activities and opportunities to connect. But, they can also be high maintenance items. We'll examine a few options for modules and an approach that may work for you.

If you don't know where you're going, you'll never get lost. And, you'll see a lot of new places!

Setting goals is all about knowing where you're going and knowing when you arrive. We all have heard about S.M.A.R.T. goals - now is the time to put them work. Goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Let's see how that applies to our church website and the strategy you are developing.

This addition to Church Websites 101 will step away from the technology for a bit, because this is actually more difficult to master than the technology.

There are a variety of skills needed to build and maintain a church's web site - technical, editorial, graphical, planning, teaching and leading. Rare is the person who has all these skills AND has the time to devote to your church's web site. Clearly defining the roles and skills needed will help you build a team you need for your web ministry.