Keeping your site fresh with new content

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  • #483
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    So, this forum has been going for a few months now and there have been quite a few problems, queries and stumbling blocks overcome and solved. There seem to be fewer posts now than there were and I was intrigued as to why that might be. Personally, I think (and hope) that it’s because people have now got their sites set up more or less the way they want them and that they’re running smoothly and as expected – more or less guaranteed with the sturdy iChurch package of course! 😉

    So how is your site? Is it running smoothly or have you got fed up with a niggle that you just can’t fathom? Are you getting lots of interest in and traffic to your site? If your website is stunningly successful perhaps you’ve got some secrets you could share with the rest of us.

    I’d also be interested in hearing about any frustrations you’ve had and how you might have overcome them. For example, getting other people to contribute to the sites I manage is a constant frustration. Most of our content is created by me mining the noticesheet and magazine for information, even though I’ve asked I just cannot get people to send things to me in the way that they send them to the noticesheet and magazine teams. Anyone else suffered this way?

    Looking forward to your responses,

    Andy

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 37 total)
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  • #713
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Technically the site is running smoothly. Getting a lot of activity one day and then quite quiet for a few days. Like you Andy the main frustration is getting others to contribute.

    #715
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Great question, Andy. I’m hiding behind the sofa to find out what the answers might be….! Seriously, though, I do want to know how it’s going for everyone – personal interest as well as professional. How’re things with you, Andy? The Coventry group site in particular looks great – we keep using it as our top example of a group site (which is a question we get asked more and more, as you might imagine).

    I did a presentation on Saturday about iChurch for some NW Synod, so I used examples of sites from around NW, and it was really satisfying and exciting to see how many interesting and different things people are doing with iChurch. You guys are great 🙂

    #716
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Hi
    Re content
    Although this is targeted at “work”, there may be an odd nugget that could help….
    http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34064/How-to-Cultivate-a-Content-Culture-at-Your-Company.aspx?source=Blog_Email_%5BHow%20to%20Cultivate%20a%20C%5D
    Andy G

    #717
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Great link, Andy, thanks for that. Glad to see that someone spends even more time on Hubspot than I do!!

    #718
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    What is amazing is that some of it is so good, some of it so technical (well for me anyway) and then you get bits that are written by what I can only assume to be a 12 year old!
    Anyway – back to Nick Cave thanks to the BBC’s Glastonbury – unfortunately most is NSFW!
    Blessings
    Andy

    #719
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Thank you for that link Andy, just skimmed it and will read it properly once I’ve tidied up the house ready for my wife coming back from a few days away! 😉

    I’m satisfied with the set up of both sites – layout, content structures and general feel. There are a few bits I’m really proud of actually, the calendar on the joint website works nicely as does the random display of the churches on the front page. But I feel like I’m struggling uphill, against a gale force wind, dragging a couple of tons of weight behind me trying to get anyone else to do anything for the sites! For West Orchard this isn’t a huge problem, I can and do scour the magazine for info because I get sent it but I have no sources for the other churches and therefore the joint website. Emails have been sent around, requests for content made and the existence of the website advertised to ministers and secretaries but to no avail. However, I suspect this simply reflects issues around the group working together as a single entity.

    Excitingly I have persuaded our church administrator that MailChimp is a good idea! I just need to spend some time working out how to use it fluently before I can make it simple and clear for him to use. I really was surprised when he was positive about it.

    Andy

    #720
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    Quote from Andyguts on July 4, 2013, 16:12
    What is amazing is that some of it is so good, some of it so technical (well for me anyway) and then you get bits that are written by what I can only assume to be a 12 year old!

    Perhaps written for 12-year-olds?

    #721
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Oh, wonderful about the Mailchimp, Andy – it is soo much fun!! I hope you really enjoy it – I just love being in their ‘hands’ as it were – great support, and they bring real fun to it too 🙂 I’m looking forward to hearing how you get on….!

    The group calendar is a great feature, and one you certainly should be proud of. We love showing it off!!

    I hear what you’re saying about getting other people to contribute, and I think it’s probably a problem quite a few people recognise – not just webmasters but also church newsletter editors etc, although you have it magnified because of having two sites, and one of them being for a large diverse group. Perhaps you need to just work on one person for now, create an ally, who’ll then add their voice to yours in the campaign for content…? Or…run a competition, guest blog posts? Err…maybe that could go horribly wrong!! Hmmm. I’ll be interested to hear what other people think.
    Ooh, you could always get them to come to the Windermere Centre for our Church Communications course – then they’ll be inspired to write all sorts….! Oh, and perhaps get the kids to make some stuff for you – they might be up for that….? Do you have an official ‘Churches Together in Coventry’ type person – maybe you can tap into their stuff a bit….?

    #722
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Hi
    Content – One of our local Primary Schools has a “Blogger of the week” award – maybe you could get Sunday School interested?
    What do you call a surfeit of Andys?
    AndyG

    #723
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    A good opportunity to get creative with nicknames? 😉

    #724
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Ooh, I believe this is the first topic to get to a second page! Definitely to be celebrated:
    MP900430475copy.jpg

    #725
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Ooh, and…
    290px-Crunchie_bar.jpg
    …of course. It’s Friday!

    #726
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    I wonder if this topic ought to be under ‘Being a Webmaster’ really….

    #727
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    I agree with other comments about the difficulty of getting content – the frequent situtation is that someone asks if they could have a page on the site, then I say something like ‘yes of course, just what we need, could you give me some information to put on it, and hopefully a couple of photos and I’ll sort out the rest’ – nothing happens!

    #732
    Dan Morrell
    Keymaster

    Ann, if only I could generate that much interest! Having tried to bring the site to people’s attention what I have received is a number of positive comments. Nice though they were no-one expressed any interest in doing anything with the site. I think it’s viewed as being for people outside the church and I suppose that primarily it is a tool for communicating with the wider community. I do so wish I could get people to see how valuable it could be in that capacity! I might try the line of getting the kids involved though. That could be fun 🙂

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 37 total)
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