David Russell

One of the greatest innovations of the dynamic web is the content management system. It is easier than it ever has been to publish Web content. Today’s web applications give us power over our content we only dreamed of back in 1995. In fact, anyone who can interact with a Internet-connected computer can publish to the Web using a wide range of tools, from a simple blogging service to a feature-rich CMS. There is no longer the need to know HTML and CSS to create and style web content. The CMS handles that for you.

So with the advent of the modern CMS we can now forget about depending on a hired service or developer to update our content. Instead, we control and maintain it. Of course, service providers and web developers still need to eat too and there will always be a market for content management at that level. Even though we enable many people in our church to publish content to theaterchurch.com, I’m still publishing a large amount of content by hand and I’m constantly developing new web applications and systems for our content to be delivered through. A CMS is not a replacement for a good web developer. But it can be a tremendous aid to everyone, including the web developer, in keeping content fresh and accurate.

There are a few content management systems that stand above the rest:

• ExpressionEngine: In my opinion, this is the best CMS on the market, especially within a similar price range. It does require some up front development to really open up the power of the system. But once it is set up, EE offers the kind of flexibility found in systems that cost 100 times as much. I’m dead serious. For non-profits, a license for ExpressionEngine is $100. Dirt cheap. The Core Version, which has fewer features, is totally free. Even dirtier cheaper.


• Drupal: Another flexible system, Drupal really shines in a community-driven environment. Drupal can do a lot and the latest version is really fantastic. It is open source and free.


• Textpattern: Though I’ve had relatively little experience with Textpattern personally, I can recommend it based on the experience of friends who develop with it. I’ve seen some amazing Web sites powered by Textpattern and the community behind this system is strong. It is very much worth considering. Textpattern costs nothing.


• WordPress: I’ll probably get a few hate emails for calling WordPress a CMS; many people consider it purely a blogging platform. But WordPress is powerful and very user-friendly. And it can handle the basic necessities for managing a full-fledged site. I have built many sites with WordPress and it continues to shine. The drawbacks to WordPress are few…

Create a Web site that is usable. Don’t add function or flair for the sake of it. Add function or flair to enhance the user experience. The first step in creating a usable site is just a matter of sitting back and evaluating whether or not you can navigate through the pages. Then, gather a group of people to test the site and measure usability. Watch as real visitors interact with your site for the first time. Don’t guide them; instead, evaluate their actions and make notes of the problem areas. Usable sites keep modern (and even not-so-modern) Web conventions in mind. Here are a few practical tips to help you measure up:

1. Splash pages are a complete waste of time for everyone. Do not use them.


2. Use includes, single files repeatedly embedded into each page of the site, to produce a consistent header—including your logo—navigation, and footer on every page.


3. Have a link to the site Home page in the main navigation area. Many visitors use the Home button as an escape when they’d like to “reset” their experience to zero and start again through the site.


4. Make sure your logo or banner links to the Home page.


5. Keep main navigation simple. You can easily add all those pages you’ve lovingly crafted if you think carefully about the major sections and how other pages fit in the sub-navigation.


6. Create a good 404 error page. Most sites just allow their server to harshly inform the site visitor that a page isn’t there. Take control and build a 404 page that includes your branding and some navigation. Offer a few commonly requested pages for the visitor to browse.


7. Make contact information easy to find. Some sites place it in the footer of every page. Include a general email address (info @ yourdomain . com is a common standard) and a contact form that can be filled and submitted on the page. And make sure that contact form data gets to a human!


8. Please, oh please use simple link structures. You’ll never be able to explain to a site visitor how to get to http://yourdomain.com/index.asp?p=j22445&c=9Cu3R14AohPnfLsaId0N98K. But if you told them http://yourdomain.com/about, you can be certain they’ll get where they are going. If you are using a content management system that doesn’t produce clean URLs, hire a programmer to fix it or get a better content management system. Search engines will love you more, too. Another way to keep it simple is to never use spaces in links; use hyphens or underscores for character separation. And be judicious with capital letters.

[tags]web, usability, tips, how to[/tags]

Not every church or organization has access to a Web server. Web hosting companies provide a service that leases servers or server space for Web publishing. There are service plans that range from a few U.S. dollars per month, to several thousand dollars. Most hosts will allow you to host several sites within a single plan or account.

Many of the lower-end plans are perfect for smaller churches and organizations. These plans are inexpensive because they take advantage of shared hosting, where several different hosting accounts (websites) are located on the same server and rely on the same system resources and bandwidth. If another site on the server has increased traffic, your site could be affected and respond slowly to visitors. However, there is no real “connection” between the various sites running on the same server. In terms of data, security and awareness of one another, they are exclusive. You should never see other account data or any Web sites except your own on a shared hosting plan. If you do, find a new host.

Other hosting plans provide different types of functionality. Modern virtual hosting uses an innovation called virtualization to provide a server that runs and feels exactly like a full physical server, but is actually deployed on a high-powered machine that runs other virtual servers simultaneously. Though it is nearly identical to the environment of a physical server, it is less expensive because less hardware is needed. This is an excellent solution for medium-sized churches.

The top-tier hosting plans normally involve leasing a full physical server providing the most reliability, bandwidth and system speed. If you have a high-visibility site or have particular data transfer needs, a physical server might be the solution for you.

Within each tier of hosting plans, there are other options to consider. Primarily, you’ll want to choose a server operating system that is right for you. Linux is far and away the most popular Web server OS. I highly recommend almost any flavor of Linux to power your Web server. Windows is typically the other option. (And there are still other options like OSX, Unix or FreeBSD.) Don’t feel like you have to choose the server OS because you “know” Windows or “like” OSX. You will not interact with the Web server the same way you interact with the computer at your desk. More than likely, you will never see the desktop or command line of these systems. You’ll manage the server in a friendly, web-based control panel built by your host. So no worries about any Linux learning curve.

It is also important to consider which programming language to use. This is a big decision. Websites can accomplish different things according to which programming language the…

Well, the results are in on the latest JPG magazine and the editors (with the help of the community) selected my photograph Disconnect to be published in Issue 11. I must admit that this comes as quite a surprise. But I’m thankful for the honor and I appreciate everyone who chipped in (and signed up) to cast a vote. I’m even being paid a small stipend for my efforts! I’m really not sure that I qualify as professional just yet, but perhaps on the technicality.

Recently, there has been some turmoil at JPG. It’s a long story and I won’t outline it here. But as a result of this, I feel a bit torn now. One one hand, I’m stoked that I have a photograph published in a popular photo-centric journal. On the other, I hate the sound of the stories that have emerged about JPG’s new leader and the unethical way he is purported to have assumed that role. And the response from the community has been incredible. No matter what the truth of it is, the matter is delicate.

In the end, I’ve decided to allow my photo to be published. And I pray that better days are ahead for JPG and Derek and Heather. (Derek has already alluded to something nifty.)

Special thanks to Sean Sperte for encouraging me to submit the image to JPG.

A domain name is really just the representation of a numeric IP address that is assigned to a server that delivers files over the Web. Thanks to the Domain Name System (DNS), we can use alphanumeric addresses to browse the Web rather than clunky numeric strings. So our Web server can be reached by browsing to http://82.165.250.148—but it can also be reached by the simple domain name, http://theaterchurch.com.

By far, registering the domain name is the most important step of communicating over the web. Design changes. Code changes. Hosting changes. However, the domain is the cornerstone of it all. If you mishandle the domain name or fail to maintain proper registration of a name, you could lose it. Once a domain is up for registration, it is open to nearly anyone. That means anyone with any intention could take the domain you lost and use it for anything. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the detriment that is possible.

Register your domain name with an ICANN-accredited registrar. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) helps moderate all addresses on the Web. They help protect consumers from failing or fraudulent domain registrars. Be cautious if someone offers to register a domain for you. Even if the person you are dealing with is trustworthy, verify that they will register the domain with a registrar in good standing and that they will assign the ownership of the domain to you and/or your organization. Never allow someone to register your domain in their own name. In most cases, it is best to register the domain yourself. The task is easy enough. 1and1.com is an excellent registrar (and Web host). Network Solutions is a popular and stable registrar, though pricing there is not necessarily competitive.