Creating a Church Web Site Tutorial
Chapter 7: Photos: A picture is worth a thousand words
Almost every local church
Web site online today features a photo of the church building
on the home page. And while this may not be a bad thing, churches
need to think about posting pictures of people as well! People
doing mission, worshipping and learning will tell the story
of your church far more effectively than a photo of the steeple.
How do you get pictures on to your Web site? It gets easier
every day. You can use a digital camera to take photos that
can be downloaded directly to your computer. You can use a
scanner to scan in existing photos. Or, when getting film developed,
simply ask to have the photos put on CD as part of your order.
[For reviews of digital cameras and scanners, visit www.pcmag.com]
While photos are a good addition to any Web site, don’t
overdo it. Too many photos and/or graphics on any one page
can be overwhelming, and will also increase the time it takes
for your Web page to load onto the viewer’s computer.
Studies have shown that when pages take longer than 10 seconds
to load, visitors often give up and move on to something else.
Perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to
photos is security. One of the most common questions churches
ask when setting up Web sites is: do I need permission to post
photos of people, particularly children? The short answer
is: yes! The long answer is that your church should adopt some
basic guidelines, such as:
- Ask permission before posting photos in which anyone is
recognizable, especially children. This can be done after
the photos are
taken, but before they are posted. Or, if photos are to
be taken at worship or another event, an announcement can
be made
beforehand that the pictures will be used online; anyone
with objections can be asked to speak to the photographer
or other
church staff person. Finally, for any event in which a
parent must sign a permission or registration form, a notice
can be
included on that form that says the parent, by signing,
is granting the church permission to use the child’s
photo for publicity purposes.
- Do not post people's name or
other identifying information with their photos, except
possibly for staff persons or special
event speakers.
As for other design considerations, there are many books
and resources out there about what makes a Web site design
attractive,
so we won’t go into too much detail here (see Chap.
12: Bibliography). But a few basic things to keep in
mind:
Color. The colors you choose on your site will convey a certain
feel. Sites with black background, for example, tend to be
entertainment-related. Browse the Web for color combinations
that make you feel warm and welcomed. Also, make sure that
if you use a background with a certain color or texture that
it does not make the text difficult to read.
Fonts. Stick to common fonts - users can
only see fonts that they have installed on their own computer,
so if you choose
something unusual, chances are that not too many people will
see it. Remember that so-called sans serif fonts like Arial,
AvantGarde or
Verdana are easier to read on a computer screen than serif
fonts, like Times
New Roman.
Next: Chapter 8: Organization is the key to navigation
|
|
