(If you don’t have time to read this now, please take note of the buttons on the right. They are free for the taking, for you to use on your Web site. Click on a button to pick up the html code.)

Our judges have met and picked the winner of our 2007 Web Catholic “Site of the Year” contest. It’s the online home of Christ the Light of the World Parish (Diocese of Pittsburgh). Congratulations!

First off, the “Site of the Year” judging panel rated entrants in four areas: effective design, timely content, technical functionality and a “wow” factor. Many of the reviewed sites were strong in one or more of these areas. Ultimately, though, christthelightoftheworld.org scored high in all categories. (Entrants could earn up to 10 points in each, 40 points total.)

The first thing that catches the eye is the site's simple design. A clean masthead on every page contains pertinent church information: address, phone numbers and pastor’s name. The horizontal navigation (made with Flash) below the masthead has attractive links that change color when moused over. This Flash navigation is complemented by a text navigation at the bottom of each page. Why is this useful? These text links help Google crawl the site’s pages, for one. Second, they also help the visually impaired browse the site.

Next, take note of the color scheme, which is coordinated to the liturgical calendar. This is a wonderful, yet simple, way to observe the Church seasons. The parish webmaster noted in her e-mail to Web Catholic that during the Lent and Christmas seasons there are “creative animations on the homepage displaying the specific theme our Parish has chosen for the year.” (Make sure to take a look at the site this upcoming Advent!)

A site’s homepage is very valuable, providing a first impression of the church it represents. While a parish webmaster might be tempted to cram everything possible onto a homepage, our winning site shows that putting a few key elements up front is the way to go. After taking in a warm welcome, we can find links to the latest bulletin, a photo gallery, a calendar and a suggestion form. Also check out the link to “map and directions” that opens a useful pop-up map with options for zooming in and out. This is powered by Google Maps, which is free to use on any free site. (Learn more about that here.) Perhaps the most important link on the homepage is to a form where you can sign up to receive parish e-mail announcements. That’s an invitation to a deeper commitment to learning what’s happening at the parish.

More content is to be found browsing through the site, but in small pieces—that’s the key. Click on the links at the top (or bottom) of the homepage to read a brief parish history, a message from the pastor and Mass information. You can also submit a personal prayer request, a feature popping up more and more on parish sites.

The site works easily and effectively, even on an older computer, thanks to its conservative use of Flash, JavaScript and art. Parish webmasters should avoid loading a site with animations, high resolution photos and multiple movie and audio clips. Such things can bog down a site, and even cause a machine to freeze or crash. Furthermore, while browsing Christ the Light’s site, we found that it functions beautifully in all current versions of major browsers (Explorer, Firefox and Safari). Remember, don't alienate Mac or Mozilla users by using code or design programs geared toward Internet Explorer!

Last but not least, the “wow” factor: On this site, it’s the simple animated ribbon that flows gently across the top of each inner page as one travels through the site. This simple use of Flash animation continuously engages the viewer while tying together the Web site’s content and design.

Again, congratulations to Christ the Light of the World Parish—and to all of our “Site of the Year” entrants. There was a great showing of creativity and skill in all the sites we judged!

How can Catholics keep All Hallows Eve from becoming “hollow”? By celebrating Halloween as a Christian holiday linked to the Feast of All Saints and Feast of All Souls. Let your site’s visitors know about the Christian connection to Halloween by linking to our special feature. There, you’ll find the legend of the Jack O’Lantern, ideas for celebrating Halloween with a spiritual twist, and links to our saint feature and online prayer.

 

Copyright ©1996-2007 St. Anthony Messenger Press. All rights reserved.