Talk to Wesley Guild in January 2012

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

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

3. Using the web: beginners’ guide
–find a church
–latest news in the Recorder
–buying from Wilkos
–what’s on at the Showcase?
–looking for people [Google]
– Switch to URLs tabbed Beginners’ Guide

4. Church websites explored
• Neath & Port Talbot Circuit
• Wollaton Road Methodists [see address]
• Bramcote Parish Church
• Nottingham churches
• Sudbury Methodists
• Trent Vineyard

5. What are the aims of a church website?
• provide information
• preach a message
• teach/train members
• communication medium for members
• contribute to wide debate about church
issues
• provide outlet/opportunity for display of
skills as writer, designer, publicist, analyst etc

6. Parallels for the church website: local
• Church Notices
• Church Newsletter (including Junior Church
Newsletter)
• Church notice-board
• Church brochures, e.g. Welcome pack
• Church information published by Beeston
Express/Nottingham Post/Methodist
Recorder/Beestonia

7. 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

8. 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

9. 8-min Exercise: write 100 words for
the church website about one topic
• The Wesley Guild in Beeston
• Sunday morning’s service [pulpit exchange]
• The Carol Choir or Benevolent Society
• Beeston Methodist Churches together
Add text to draft post(s) already prepared, then publish

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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%

13. CRMC website: practical issues
 Audience/readership: who is it for?
 Resources available: cost, expertise,
inspiration, authority
 Balance between:
o fixed pages; e.g. Guild entry
o contemporary page; e.g. Services
o rolling page; e.g. “blog” [web-log]

14. 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]

15. 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; succession]