| Are you a Women's Ministry Leader who would like | | | | 5. Set up your categories. A category is like a file |
| to have a website for your group, but don't have | | | | folder: It is an easy way for you to sort and search |
| the money or programming skills to build one? This | | | | for particular types of information. Mercifully, blogs |
| article will help you set up your own website in less | | | | allow you to create categories and sub-categories. |
| than four hours, including your own website address, | | | | So, you might have a category called, "Calendar" with |
| for under $10. | | | | subcategories for each month of the year. Another |
| The beauty of this particular system is that it is free, | | | | category may be "About Us" including subcategories |
| accessible and manageable by even the most | | | | by the name of each ministry coordinator or |
| web-phobic person, and it can easily be integrated | | | | volunteer. The sky is the limit, and, once again, the |
| into any other website at a later date. (So, if your | | | | system is very forgiving: If you want to |
| church eventually builds its own site, you could have | | | | "re-categorize" a post later, or add a new category |
| this be a subsidiary of that site.) | | | | altogether, it is easy to do! Best of all, anytime you |
| Your ideal website will be easy to access via a unique | | | | add a new blog post, you simply click check boxes to |
| URL (Unique Resource Locator - your own website | | | | "put it into" as many categories as you wish, which |
| address), easy to navigate (so users can quickly find | | | | makes searching for the information very easy for |
| what they need), and easy to maintain. | | | | your users. |
| A BLOG fits this description perfectly. If you were to | | | | 6. Point the URL to the blog. There is a wonderful |
| pay someone to create a site like the one I am going | | | | feature called "URL forwarding" which causes an |
| to describe below, you could easily spend $1500. But | | | | invisible redirection of any site to another. By using |
| there are dozens of free services available to you | | | | this opportunity, anyone who types in your URL will |
| right now. | | | | be taken, invisibly, to the main page of your WM |
| A blog is easy to set up, as it allows you to choose | | | | blog. This is far superior to using the long and |
| from dozens of page designs, one of which will | | | | confusing address assigned to you by the blog |
| closely reflect your ministry's personality. In addition, | | | | hosting service. And, by purchasing your URL (in step |
| your blog will provide the ability for you to post | | | | 2 above) from GoDaddy or any other reputable |
| current and future information (while retaining a | | | | source, you gained access to customer service |
| record of all past entries), in an easy-to-access | | | | support in case you need assistance while making this |
| format, as well to include details about particular | | | | minor tweak to your account. |
| ministries and staff profiles. All of this information | | | | 7. Enter the content currently on hand. You may be |
| iseasily searched using the built-in search tool, which is | | | | tempted to try to add all sorts of historical data and |
| provided as part of the free hosting service. | | | | to have the blog site "perfect" before you go public, |
| Getting Started | | | | but I encourage you to add just one simple, |
| By following these eight, easy steps, you can go | | | | welcome message, and then to build it from there. |
| from brand-new-idea to ready-to-post website, yet | | | | There is a Biblical principal that applies here: |
| tonight. | | | | Remember when God was speaking to Moses and |
| 1. Select Your Blog's Name. It is critical that both your | | | | said, "What's that you have in your hand?" Moses |
| blog title and your URL (Unique Reference Locator, or | | | | said, "It's just a staff." |
| website address) match your group's name. For | | | | Just now you have the ability to add a welcome |
| example, if your group is called "Women of the | | | | message and to get this thing going. If you start with |
| Word," you would search a site like DomainsBot for | | | | that, and add just one or two posts a week, your |
| that name. However, you would subtract the spaces | | | | site will have 50-100 posts in less than a year. It adds |
| so it would read: womenoftheword. In a matter of | | | | up fast and is easy when you go with the flow and |
| seconds, you could know if the ".org" version of your | | | | just use "what you have in your hand" at the time. |
| name is available. If your name is not available, | | | | 8. Update your email list. My own experience indicates |
| consider using an abbreviation or adding your city or | | | | that only a fraction of those interested in following |
| church name at the beginning of the string. Select the | | | | your blog will actually "subscribe" to it via RSS feed. |
| easiest, yet most accurate, website address available | | | | Most people do not have the internet savvy to |
| to you. | | | | understand, much less use, the subscription options. |
| 2. Register your domain name. You could spend hours | | | | Assuming this, be sure to send out an email message |
| researching which domain registration company to | | | | to your entire group each time you add an important |
| use, or you could use the one I recommend: | | | | post to your site. Always use the blog post title as |
| GoDaddy. They have GREAT customer service and | | | | your "Subject" line and be sure to include the link to |
| the cost to register your website URL is under $10 | | | | the website. Be careful not to send notices about |
| year. | | | | every little tweak - just let them know about the |
| 3. Open a blog account. Again, there are dozens of | | | | bigger stuff. |
| great options for free blog accounts, but I'll save you | | | | A blog is truly an ideal "first" step for any group who |
| the time of doing all that research by recommending | | | | wants a web presence but has little financial or web |
| WordPress. | | | | programming resources on hand: It can be free, |
| 4. Create your blog. Your first task will be to choose | | | | customized, categorized, searched, and managed |
| from dozens of layout templates. Browse your | | | | easily by even the most nontechnical user. It allows |
| options until you find one that "feels" about right for | | | | you to add text, photos and links, and provide a way |
| now. There is no need to select perfectly, because, | | | | for your guests to interact with you online via the |
| thankfully, you are allowed to change templates | | | | comment boxes below each entry. |
| anytime. Just pick one that you sort of like and keep | | | | So, what are you waiting for? Go create your new |
| working. You can always change it later. | | | | Women's Ministry website tonight! |