Notes from the Client Side: First Site Launch
A few weeks ago, I launched my first site from the client side. I’m really pleased with the site: we worked with 5Q Communications to do the strategy & architecture, then they brought in our friend Michael to work on the design side. Then, back over to 5Q to build a custom CMS on Django and build out the site. We came up against a deadline to be off of the Kintera site, so we’re continuing to build out features, but here’s a quick highlight of what the site has (or will have).
- Around 50 mini-sites for ministries, service opportunities, and supported missionaries
- New & improved services player incorporating flash with sermon chapters & better usability (coming soon)
- Church blog and mini-blogs for each of the mini-sites to let people hone in on content that’s specific to them
- Classifieds section (coming soon!)
- Promotion of facebook & twitter, which we’re going to start using (or start using more effectively?) something.
- Multiple admin levels to restrict access, but allow staff to have responsibility for maintaining content (I’m ambitious!)
- fantastic design & much improved usability
The process has definitely been different being a client versus being the one responsible for the site. The hardest part has been having someone else in charge of the timeline. It’s a relief in some ways (it was nice not having to manage the dozens of to-do lists and keep things on track and hours under control), but difficult to step back & let the team do their jobs without asking to know all of the details. We actually helped migrate some of the content, so we had access to the site as it was being built (because of the tight timeframe), which was also different (I can’t imagine giving a client that level of access!). There was no grand “reveal” of the site when it was all done. Instead we watched it come together piece by piece across several weeks.
Check it out when you have a chance: www.parksidechurch.com.
