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[C390]Change Is In The Air

by Kurt Steinbrueck, Kur

One of the most important things you can do for your website is keeping it up to do date. I've even seen some articles include this as one of the ten commandments of a church website. It is absolutely essential for the effectiveness and value of your church's website. Change is a part of life and our church websites need to change as well.

No church website has been effective with information that is 3 years old:

If you haven't updated your church's website in the past 6 months, then it's probably out of date and not very useful to visitors. If you haven't changed the information on your church website for more than 6 months and the information is still accurate, then you aren't using the website to its full potential. Some think of their church website the same way they do the front page of their bulletin. They put the name of your church, the address, the service times, and a pretty picture on the site. What more do you need? But, of course, a website is much more versatile than a bulletin, giving you the opportunity to have schedules, calendars, blogs, interactive discussions, Bible studies, recorded sermons, etc. All this needs to be updated regularly.

At a minimum your website needs to change as much as your bulletin. That means:

• Updating announcements
• Updating schedules and calendars
• Keeping sermon themes or notes current
• Removing old information
• Anything else that's time sensitive

All this should be done at weekly, just like your bulletin. In my experience, not keeping the website updated is one of the most common issues with the church website, but it doesn't have to be a big deal, especially if the same person who does your bulletin updates your website. Both can be done at the same time and most information can be copy/pasted between the bulletin and the website. If you have recordings of sermons, online Bible studies, and other more involved elements it may take a little more time, but it's crucial to keep your website up-to-date both for your members and new visitors. As a Church Marketing Perspective article puts it:

“People on the web are now passionate to make sure that the information on a website is up-to-date — if there is ANY inkling that your website was created a couple of years ago (or more!), and not updated since then, they will flee faster than a cricket when he sees a can of Raid.”

Keep your church site relevant:

Another important aspect of maintaining a church website is the need to change a church website to keep it relevant. What looked good 5 years ago may not look good now. What got peoples attention 1 year ago, may not get people's attention today. We're not talking about changing the message; we're talking about changing the way the message is delivered. This should be done both in your website design and also in your church marketing efforts, including search engine marketing.

One thousand years ago, when a person went to church, they would most likely be listening to a service in Latin. If that were the situation today, at least in my case, this would not be such a good thing since my Latin doesn't go much beyond E Pluribus Unum. Today, when I go to church, the sermon is spoken in English. The message of Christ's love for us and His saving grace hasn't changed, but the way the message is delivered has been changed to a means that will be more effective.

Being relevant is done through the words you use, the pictures you choose, the types of features you offer, and everything else. The key is to know the people you are trying to reach through your website and design your site to reach them. That's not the end of the story, though. Keep in mind that the people you are trying to reach will change and so your website will need to change with them.

Change is a part of life. As keepers of the message of salvation for the world we need to be up-to-date and willing to adapt how we deliver that message (not change the message itself) so that we can reach as many people as possible for with the message of Jesus Christ.

The common American household watches over 8 hours of TV per day. For a person who lives alone it is estimated to watch over 4 1/2 hours of TV per day. Americans love their TV and studies show it is not going to slow down anytime soon. So what will happen to my old TV set and will it still be working in six months?

Do I have an analog TV set and what happens six months?

February 17, 2009 is the day analog TV will end. That is the day the FCC has mandated that all broadcast TV stations stop sending out over the air analog signals. So what does this mean to me who has had the same old analog set for the last 10 years? Or a number 2 or 3 analog TV set in other parts of my home. You first might be asking yourself - what is an analog TV set? And, do I have one? If you still get TV programming from rabbit ears you have an analog set. If you use cable or satellite and have what is known as 4:3 TV (the square TV shape) you most likely have an analog TV set. One way to tell if your TV set is analog, is to look and see if the TV has a hook-up for an outside antenna?

I have an analog TV set what do I do next?

First I suggest you call "Sanford and Son"and have them take it away or two, you can keep your present set running with a digital set-top converter box*. The FCC is offering coupons to all Americans (limit 2 per household) to buy a new digital converter box. Below is the Announcement by the FCC how to claim your big $80 so you can keep your old analog TVs working after February 17, 2009.

Analog TVs Will Need Additional Equipment to Receive Over-the-air Television When the DTV Transition Ends!

Consumers who depend on antennas (including outside antennas and "rabbit ears") to receive over-the-air broadcast signals on TV sets having only analog tuners will need to obtain separate digital-to-analog set-top converter boxes* to watch over-the-air TV. These boxes receive digital signals and convert them into analog format for display on analog TVs. Analog sets connected to such converter boxes will display digital broadcasts, but not necessarily in the full, original digital quality.

Converter Box* Coupon Program

Right now and until March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has responsibility for administering the coupon program. More information can be found at DTV2009.gov or by calling 1-800-DTV-2009.

So what should I do? Buy a new HDTV or keep my old analog TV set?

This will all depend on your budget. If you can afford a new Digital TV then read next weeks article-What type of Digital TV to buy before February 17, 2009. I strongly suggest you budget for a new HDTV set before that date if you don't already have one, it will be the best entertainment investment you will ever make.

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About Author

Both Kurt Steinbrueck & Steven Lancey are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Kurt Steinbrueck has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Marketing and Web Development. Kurt Steinbrueck is the author of the blog. He has been providing. Kurt Steinbrueck's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.

Steven Lancey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interest, Computers and The Internet and Family. *To purchase a digital converter box visit: . Steven Lancey's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.