Web+sites+hints+&+tips

toc We invite SED member congregations to share their web site experiences, plans, and comments on other pertinent web sites on this page.

Here are some SED web site links and comments, seeking more comments from the people who work to keep information for these SED UUA Congregations alive on the web!

Sermons and Writings

 * Webs of Life - Written after the explosion of the Challenger Shuttle craft on takeoffin 2003, explores technology and impact on one minister's career. The sermon text is from 2003 by Mary Katherine Morn, at the time the lead minister at the First Unitarian Church of Nashville (TN).
 * On Whose Authority? - one of the key reasons that many of us reportedly join UUA Congregations is covered here in text of a sermon delivered a bit outside of the SED by Michael A. Schuler, Sr Minister at the [|First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin],. The only link to Technology here, is that the message is one that isn't as well presented in a simple Google search as many religious organization who have a message of the infallibility of some authority, especially leaders in the religious movement.

SED UUA Web Sites

 * [|Community Church of Chapel Hill (C3H)] - Replaced very basic web site with a Wikispace which includes embedded multimedia and links to Sermon Audio & Text archives, and LISTSERVs. Embedded Google calendar, photos and audio from box.net, YouTube videos and embedded Picassa Web photos.
 * [|Eno River UU Fellowship (ERUUF)] - nicely tabbed and formatted includes links and photos of church and grounds and podcasts of sermons linked form sites. Custom done by ERUUF volunteers with Microsoft FrontPage.
 * [|UUC of Asheville] - This is UUCA 2nd generation website and has been active for 5 years. Currently working on some navigation enhancements along with a private password protected area for members and friends. Many visitors find us through our website. Our online calendar comes from Congregationbuilder.com and feeds our calendar, Sundays and Events.
 * [|UUC of Charlotte] - Possibly done with FrontPage (?) as these are Windows ASP rendered web pages. Note that there is an electronic donation link at the bottom of the UUC of Charlotte home page. Something to consider for any congregation - a link to a way to donate for those so moved!. Most common online payment vehicle is PayPal.
 * UUC of Greenville - Custom site which includes a mashup of Google Calendar, Google Maps, appears to have been created and maintained by the Communications Committee chair.
 * [|UUF of Raleigh] - Uses Dreamweaver and some custom extensions to Dreamweaver from Kaosweaver.com. Has nice rotating photos on home page.
 * [|UUC of Spartanburg] - Basic top and left side navigation structure edited using Frontpage and [|Dreamweaver] with links to Sermon videos, Blogs and YouTube. We're implementing a site redesign and will be using a [|Crystal Graphic] web template.

Relevant Web Samples

 * Things you can add to Wikispace pages


 * [|UUism.net]:
 * [|UUism.net Wiki]:a wiki in the wikipedia sense, setup for anyone who is a UU member to join and add content. The peak of content updates appear to pre-date the Facebook boom.
 * Facebook.com: though it has risen to the top of the social media sharing food chain, it has done so without the commitment to customer data privacy many of us in the IT profession find absolutely essential to host other organization's data. Add to this an ever changing look-and-feel which is completely out of the control of the user, AND a branding that puts THEIR facebook name ahead of yours in every case, and many an IT professional warns that Facebook should be auxiliary to an organization's web strategy, not a core part of it!