Goals

• To provide congregation members information on church activities and organization.
• To encourage participation in fulfilling our mission.
• To provide information to visitors.

Suggestions

• Add a guest book for web site visitors to sign
• Add some pictures

Guidelines

Here is a collection of web page development guidelines (not rules), collected from a variety of sources.

• ELCA web page guide
• People visit a web site to get information, not to be impressed with gee-whiz graphics. Web page should be underwhelming.
• Do not put large pictures or graphics on the main pages. Probably the majority of visitors use dial up connections, and will have to wait too long.
• Don't use too many links to other sites - results in information overload which is discouraging to readers. Consider whether link leads to useful information pertinent to the current page. If not, forget it.
• Flashing graphics can be annoying.
• Don't use "new" buttons. "New" is relative, and gets "old" fast.
• Do not use "under construction" signs.
• Proofread! If your going to to publish something to a few hundred people. You should at least reed yourself once.
• Let the site sell itself, do not write "we have many, many ..." or "we have a wonderful program of ..." or "etc". Instead, list the "many", describe the "wonderful", and list the "etc".
• Do not link to the page you are on.
• Backup the current page, in case you have to backout a change.
• Dated material - do you have any plans to update it on the expiration date. Be careful about statements like "next week we will ..." or "next month we will ..." How to keep up to date, avoid out of date?
• If you use web page construction software, make sure a copy is available for installation and re-installation by other developers on the team, in case computer has to be re-installed.
• Use an HTML verify tool.
  • HTML validator from W3C
  • Style Sheet validator from W3C
  • HTML validator from WDG
• Use a link checker. The sitemap is a good page to start from, since all or most links you are interested in checking are at the same depth = 2.
• Put images in the images subdirectory. Why?
• Don't use frames.
  • ... says Jakob Nielson
• Web page design guidelines
  • Top Ten Mistakes in Web Design per Jakob Nielsen