website ideas?

[sr.christinaosf]

I have been offered the project of re-doing our website for our community of Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen in the US.  I'm excited for the challenge. However, I thought I'd ask you all first if you have any suggestions for what all we should include in the site.

Thanks!!

[Luigi]

Here are some websites I like very well. I don't want to get too detailed in what I prefer about one or another, but you can take a look at them and decide which features - or stylistic elements - you like. For me, the most important points are:

1. keep the site updated - news, photos, events, etc. 

2. not much need to scroll - I prefer drop-down menus with links.  

Belmont Benedictine: https://belmontabbey.org/

Gethsemani Trappist: http://www.monks.org/

Subiaco Benedictine: https://www.countrymonks.org/

Western Dominicans: https://www.opwest.org/

Queen of Peace monastery: https://www.dominicannunsbc.ca/who-are-we

[Swami Mommy]

This may sound trite to some, but the one thing I almost never see but usually look for, are photos of the sisters’/nuns’ cells.  It helps to have that visual of the private space to which a person would retreat at the end of the day in order to imagine oneself spending a lifetime there.  

[Nunsuch]

Since yours is an active community, I think information about, and pictures of, sisters engaged in their ministries are interesting.  Also, I think views of informal community life (sisters working and playing together "at home") are good.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Nunsuch

[Dymphna]

I second Luigis comment about keeping the site up to date - I prefer a smaller site with current information than a large but outdated one.

When you think about content, a good starting point may be to ask yourself what the purpose of the site is, who the visitors are you want to attract. Is it people who want to share your life and spirituality? - include information about mass, prayer times, vocation (or other public) events. Is it potential donors? Tell them about projects of your congregation where their money might be useful. Is it local people or friends who want to know what's going on in your community? They would probably love pictures and stories of recent events.... You get the idea. And of course I don't mean you need to focus on one single thing!

[sr.christinaosf]

Thanks. 

8 hours ago, Swami Mommy said:

This may sound trite to some, but the one thing I almost never see but usually look for, are photos of the sisters’/nuns’ cells.  It helps to have that visual of the private space to which a person would retreat at the end of the day in order to imagine oneself spending a lifetime there.  

There is something, though, about the privacy and enclosure of each sister.  The World Wide Web is so very public...

[Swami Mommy]

2 hours ago, sr.christinaosf said:

Thanks. 

There is something, though, about the privacy and enclosure of each sister.  The World Wide Web is so very public...

I didn’t mean that you should show photos of cells that are already occupied—just an empty, staged cell with the typical basic setup so someone can imagine themselves in a similar space.  I personally would also love to see meditation walking trails if there is attached acreage monastery grounds.  And when I look at photos of the community at prayer in their chapel, I like to count how many sisters are in their appointed places in the pews to get an idea of how large the community is and the general age composition. Some people prefer small, intimate communities, but I would prefer being in a larger community of twenty-five to fifty women, so I would look to see how many other people I would be sharing communal prayer time with.  I also love looking at photos of sisters doing their daily assignments—cooking, cleaning, laundry, preparing specialty products to sell, gardening, animal husbandry, artistic arts, choir practice, and apostolic ministries, especially when the photos are unstaged and natural so that some of the photos show sisters engrossed in their work without cued smiles.  A collection of your fellow sisters’ vocation stories and perhaps some honest comments about the challenges to be expected in a religious vocation can also be quite inspirational and realistically accurate.  I also like seeing photos of sisters in meditation in the early morning hours, and the entire community eating in the refectory.  If a habit is worn, it would be nice to read about the symbolism of the various component pieces that make up the habit.  I guess I like websites that give a rounded view of the daily life of a community and help a person picture themselves in a similar life.  While artistic photos can be pretty, I prefer pictures that are practical.  I don’t need to see photos of flickering candles on an altar, as atmospherically mystical as they may seem.  

Edited October 20, 2019 by Swami Mommy

[GraceUk]

I think photos of the inside of the convent and gardens are nice. Also a typical day in the life of a sister. And vocation stories of different sisters are very interesting to read

[passerby]

I appreciate when a community states clearly what their spirituality and apostolates are. Sometimes there is lots of pious language but I don't actually know what sort of works that they do! And recent news and events is always great.

[JHFamily]

Home Page: A short description of your community and charism, along with one community picture.  A clear menu.  A schedule of public liturgies and upcoming events.  The best home page I've seen is for these Benedictines.

When I'm browsing through community websites, this is what I like to see immediately in the menu:

1.  Franciscan Life:  Charism, founders, etc. with a few pictures of the buildings, founders, etc. You can provide further links on this page, rather than put them on the home page. 

2. Apostolates: with another menu "Schools", "Nursing Homes", "Missions" etc. or if there are not enough to need a separate menu, then clearly defined as headers.

3. Prayer: Mass times, the Divine Office, including which Hours you pray as a community and required individually, Rosary, and other special devotions.

4. Vocations:  An explanation of the different stages, particularly the timeline of your own community. Include age and health requirements and a horarium.  An article on what it means to have a Franciscan vocation, particularly one in your community. A day in the life would be nice, as well.  Frequently asked questions. Concrete information so that a young lady can get an idea whether she can live this life or wants to live this life. Links for Vocation Resources (optional). Your website is certainly lacking in this area.

5. Blog:  Somewhere I can find the latest news as well as spiritual reflections as well as your usual posts. In other words, keep doing what you're doing. Oh, definitely a picture with every post, though.

6. Newsletters: (If you print one).  Access to past newsletters.

7. Photo Gallery ... maybe.  But this may work better in the blog. Only do this if you have lots of pictures of events, not just odds and ends.

8. Contact information. Have donation information and links here, too.

I wouldn't include any videos that are not of your community.  They distract from the purpose of the website -- to learn about your community. These things are easy to access elsewhere, and it avoids any controversial figures being associated with your community.  (So, to be brutally honest, after seeing Fr. Martin on your vocation web page, I'd close out that tab and mark you off the list.)  Good websites do not need extra links.  If you feel that they are absolutely necessary, put them in the blog portion, but then again, just don't.

[nikita92]

On 10/20/2019 at 4:41 AM, Swami Mommy said:

This may sound trite to some, but the one thing I almost never see but usually look for, are photos of the sisters’/nuns’ cells.  It helps to have that visual of the private space to which a person would retreat at the end of the day in order to imagine oneself spending a lifetime there.  

I totally agree with this!! 

As a matter of fact, I have that exact topic on my Pinterest. Photos of all types and kinds of religious *cells*/rooms! 

[sr.christinaosf]

https://ndfranciscans.weebly.com/

a ROUGH draft

[Swami Mommy]

I scanned some of the content briefly and liked it quite well, but found the gray typeset and ornate capitalized words a little difficult to read.  Great start!

[NadaTeTurbe]

I think it would be good if you put on the homepage what makes you unique as an active community among others (in your case I think it's how old you are !)

Here's what I'm looking for when I go to a community website:
- History
- Spirituality / charism.
- Apostolate, with a list of where you are and what you do
- Formation process
- how you team up with lay people (third orders, etc)

What I dislike:
- when I feel it's been made by a marketing team - your first draft is very natural, I like it
- vague stuff
- Vocation testimony of sisters who are not in final vows
- and (unpopular opinion but...) pictures of postulancy/noviciate entrance.These should be kept private

I like the chronology in your first draft. Could you maybe include more pictures and link to the foreign website of your congregation ?

[beatitude]

Thoughts on visual design:

Personally I like websites that are simple and sharp in their design. At the moment your font is a little too fancy and hard to read. It would work well for headers, but doesn't work as well for main text. Also think about image resolution and other technical issues. The emblem that you're using as a background image is blurred/pixelated, which suggests that it isn't high-res enough. Things like that can make a site feel quite clunky and amateur. Personally I think a very plain background would work just fine. You could always have your community emblem in the header, where the resolution wouldn't be an issue.

Thoughts on content:

Bear in mind that Phatmass is a diverse community, and as well as people who are actively discerning religious life, we have plenty of others (both Catholics and non-Catholics) who take a strong interest in it but are not going to enter anywhere. What they want to see on a website will not necessarily be what a discerner finds most helpful. So think about your intended audience here (are you designing the site primarily for discerners? Potential residents of St Anne's Home? The wider public? All three?) and let that guide your choice of material.

Speaking as someone who is now in consecrated life, here is what I found most helpful when I was discerning:

1.) Clear, succinct descriptions of ministry and spirituality, perhaps illustrated with relevant quotations from Scripture and the Rule.

2.) A blog, especially if it mixed theological reflections with day-to-day insight into the community's way of life.

3.) An explanation of the formation process, especially if accompanied by the name and photo of the vocations contact person - this made it easier to take the initial step and send that email.

4.) Vocation stories. Reading these gave me a feel for the kinds of people I might meet in the community and what their day-to-day life is like.

However...

I seriously discerned with two secular institutes and one religious community before I found my home. (When I say serious, I mean that I either entered or was at the point of entering.) All three of them have got absolutely terrible websites. Cluttered design, dead links all over the place, out of date information, the list goes on, but there was enough there about their spirituality and prayer to make me reach out to the vocations directors. There were so many other communities and institutes with beautiful websites, but they didn't draw me in the same way. A really nice website can only do so much. This should be reassuring, because it means that if you've got the essentials there, it will be enough for the ones who are actively seeking religious life.