Webwatch

Webpage content & design

In the past two columns, we have been discussing building a website for your parish. In this installment, we will look at content and organization, overall design, and marketing strategies of a parish website. You should consider looking at each according to three criteria: accessibility, content, and presentation.
Your site should be accessible to people of different cultures and backgrounds. Parishioners should be able to find out basic information such as Mass times, what the youth group is planning, or the upcoming schedule for adult education classes. They might be encouraged to give feedback on these and make suggestions for future programs. Newcomers to the site should not get confused by Catholic lingo, e.g., "RCIA." Abbreviations and theological terms should be explained in a way that people not familiar with the Catholic tradition can understand.
How can you help people feel truly welcome? This happens not only by what you say but how you say it and how you present it visually. A cluttered page with too many type styles, too much text, or too many graphics might confuse the eye and not feel inviting. Remember, like this magazine, the headings and layout of a website should be designed to let you glance for content and to entice you to read further. A logical organization of the different ministries of the parish is good. The pastor might have his own section for a weekly letter or for his past homilies. Each staff member might have his or her own areas to post events of interest. There might be a glossary of terms to explain some of the jargon.
The reader should be able to go as deeply into the content as he or she wants. If readers of your webpage see that the traditional choir meets every Thursday night for rehearsal, they might then be able to click to find out the kind of music the choir sings. They could then be led to an article on liturgical music on the Internet, or they may see that the choir is accompanied by an organ. They could then follow a link to a recording of organ music or to an organ manufacturer's site. Choir members might find a link that leads to software to help with ear training. A parish music director from another state might be able to find out about mailing lists for pastoral musicians that exist by on-line subscription.
Finally, consider the technical aspects of your site's presentation. Too many graphics that are too large will cause even the fast connections to slow down. Consider creating a "thumbnail," a smaller picture that can be clicked upon to reveal the larger, more detailed, image beneath. Some sights use a lot of animated graphics. One or two of these can spice up the look of a page, but too many bog down the site and are hard on the eyes.
Consider your color scheme. Certain colors just do not go together on a computer screen. The more current browsers handle color and images better. I get e-mail about my personal webpage complaining that the reader cannot see the text against the background texture. The problem is not with my color choices but with the older browsers.
A small MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file that plays while the visitor is reading the text can be a fun thing to add. Be careful here; sometimes these too can bog down the site. I do not suggest putting them too early in the code of the page because you have to wait for the MIDI file to download before you can read any text. Put it lower in the code; the MIDI file will start later but people will not have to wait for the text, which is really why they are there.
As an overall strategy, the simpler the better. Much information and many links can be packed into an uncluttered presentation.
Finally, do not post your site until you are sure that everything works. That is called "debugging." All Internet sites are under construction so it is not necessary to tell everything. There is a fine line between telling us what is to come in the future and providing the reader with links that go nowhere.
Experiment, listen to informed critics, and keep poking at it. Many fine examples are already on the Internet to inspire you. Use them as models to follow. Your parish site will, with time and effort, become more than a picture with Mass times. It will be a whole world of information that gathers communities and unites people in Christ.