April 14th - What is the function of the Parish web-site?
When the web-site was first published there was a small flurry of activity, but now there are very few ‘hits’ , usually only one or two a week. Having established a web presence then next thing is to decide whether the site is worth maintaining or not. It will only be used if it contains something people want to know and if they know where to find it. Within the parish the latter could be addressed by giving the web-site address on every weekly bulletin – just as we show the telephone number each week. You don’t have to have your own computer to access it, just go along to the library and access it from there – it really is very easy, and the library staff will be pleased to assist.
So, what do we want the web-site for?
1. The Parish
(a) What is happening in the parish in the next few days, weeks, months. Please keep Kate informed of what events are planned, even if only provisionally, whether they are parish events or events affecting the parish. If Kate doesn’t know what is planned it cannot appear on the web-site.
(b) To contain information that will go in the planned Parish Handbook. On the web-site it can be instantly updated and kept up to date. Information includes details of administration of the parish, committees, contacts, rotas, contacts (but consider privacy issues), who’s-who etc etc.
(c) Minutes of committee meetings, with maybe some background information of important projects (like the Church re-roofing),
(d) Social records. All three issues of the Messenger are now on-line, and will, in time, form a valuable parish history. Any additional contributions welcome, the printed version of the Messenger has space and time constraints, we don’t (so long as you don’t want video or music).
(e) Soapbox. Anyone in the parish who has something to say, we will publish it – and any comments people care to make.
(f) Longer term what about putting parish records on-line?
(g) Prayer circle.
(h) Any more ideas?
2. People who have left the parish
(a) To keep them informed as to what is happening in the parish. But first they need to know the web-site exists – tell your friends about it!
(b) To keep the parish informed with what they are doing. Directly to Kate, or, more likely parishioners passing on news, photos etc.
3. As a service to visitors and people new to the area.
(a) Mostly the information needed will be Mass Times and location of the church. The problem is again knowing that the web-site is there. Getting listed in the big ‘search engines’ is not at all easy for non-commercial enterprises, so we will have to rely on links from the diocese and local government sites in Doncaster and Thorne.
4. Who else?
(a) Inhabitants / former inhabitants of Thorne, Moorends and other adjoining areas, other Catholics, local historians and genealogists.
I hope that this will suffice to make you realise that the web-site cannot succeed as a one person enterprise, and that it needs your support.
If you wish to comment on anything please do so, either in person, by phone or by e-mail. to Kate Heywood
