The document discusses the Chilwell Road Methodist Church website, including its purpose, content, contributors, usage statistics, and challenges faced by the editor. It aims to provide information about the church, present its characteristics, preach messages, and provide an outlet for members' skills. The website sees growing usage, but the editor lacks a formal role and struggles with content appropriateness, promoting interaction, maintaining style, and ongoing commitment.

1. The Chilwell Road website: putting
the church on the wwworld map

2. Chilwell Road’s website
• who is it for?
• what is its purpose?
• what should it look like?
• what is in it?
• what is the editor’s role?
• Etc!

3. Using the web: beginners’ guide
–find a church
–latest news in the Recorder
–take a holiday at Willersley
–buying from Wilkos
–what’s on at the Showcase?
–looking for people

4. Aims of a church website
• provide information
• present analysis of church characteristics
• preach a message
• teach/train members
• publicise members’ individual views/interests
• provide outlet/opportunity for display/use of
skills as writer, designer, analyst etc

5. Parallels for the church website: local
• Church Notices
• Church Newsletter (including Junior Church
Newsletter)
• Church notice-board
• Church information published by Beeston
Express/Nottingham Post/Methodist Recorder

6. Other parallels for the church website
• Other websites
– Circuit website
– District website
– Connexional website
– Other local church websites
• Methodist Recorder
• National newspaper coverage of church issues
• Shop window
• Wayside pulpit

7. Current contributors
Page compilers Frequent updates
• Music • Weekly notices
• Youth work • Services
• Front page
• Events/concerts • Blog posts
• Church charity
• History
• Photographs of church
Overview
• Insurance
• Editor
• Technical consultant

8. 10-min Exercise: write 100 words
for the church website about
• The Wesley Guild in Beeston
• Sunday morning’s service [pulpit exchange]
• The Carol Choir or Benevolent Society
• The pastoral work of the church
• Why we need a Family Worker
• Beeston Methodist Churches together

9. Website visitor numbers
Previous website
Relaunch, Easter 2011
Fewer than 100
visitors per week
• Slowly rising usage since re-launch
• Currently around 175 visitors each week,
more than attend morning worship
• 3,386 people have visited the site last year
• Best day recently recorded 34 visitors

10. Website visitor characteristics
• Half have visited only once (so far)
• Just over half leave the site immediately
[bounce]
• Average visitor looks at 2 to 3 pages
• Average visitor spends two minutes on the site

11. Popular pages visited
• Home page 687 19%
• Concerts 544 15%
• Visitors 449 13%
• Premises photos 398 11%
• Services 396 11%
• Find us 338 9%
• Contact [church office/minister] 292 8%
• Events 245 7%
• Minister 235 7%
• Total of 9 most popular pages 3584 100%

12. CRMC website: practical issues
 Audience/readership: who is it for?
 Resources available: cost, expertise,
inspiration, authority
 Guild entry [fixed page example]
 Events and services [contemporary
page example]
 Sally’s blog [rolling page example]

13. Current problems for editor: I
• No formal appointment; no line
manager; no terms of reference
• Shared management [responsibilities,
control]
• Appropriate content [complaints about
blog posts on Royal Family and ASBOs]

14. Current problems for editor: II
• Promoting interaction with church members
[comments; guest blogger]
• Appropriate style
[broadsheet v tabloid; church v chapel; local
v (inter-)national]
• Keeping going
[enthusiasm; discipline/timetable]