We are pleased (and relieved) to announce that the new UUCWC website was recently launched. The Communications Committee has worked hard for more than a year to maintain the current website while simultaneously working with church staff, lay leaders, and members to develop content for the new site.
Based on a template provided by the UUA, the new website offers a more graphically rich and inviting home page, with simpler navigation and menus that make it easier to find the information you need. Internal pages integrate content more intuitively. Tabs along the top of each page take the user to sections labeled News, Worship, Learning, Justice, Governance, Connection, and Giving, as well as an “About Us” tab.
The home page features a rotating “carousel” that prominently displays key current information. Closing announcements would also be displayed, here, should the church need to close because of weather or other events. The home page is designed to help newcomers learn more about us, providing easy access to key information visitors typically seek — about services, the minister, and practical information, such as what to wear or where to park.
While the home page serves as an introduction to new visitors, it also is a gateway to valuable information about church programs and news for our own congregation. To that end, we encourage leaders of committees and ministry teams to place their own content directly on the website. Church leaders will be given a website account and password. Placing your own content on the site will ensure instant exposure and control over content, avoiding the bottleneck caused by relying on Communications to update information on the website.
Communications began the process of overhauling the website in 2015, based on input from Rev. Kim about basics that the new site should fulfill. From there, Communications created four personas representative of types of individuals most likely to use the site, based on our own research, and considered their informational needs. Developing personas helps create a positive user experience, by encouraging thinking about what information should be easily accessible to one or more user types.
Communications previewed the site with Rev. Kim and the Board of Trustees in December 2016 and is in the final stages of tweaking it before launch. We hope you will visit the new website and get familiar with all its resources.
Communications can help answer questions about the development of the new site; e-mail the team at communications@uucwc.org. Remember, a website is constantly evolving and changing, providing new links, updated calendars, information about upcoming services and religious education opportunities and other topics of interest to members. It’s a shared resource and working together, we can make it the best it can be.
Mary Lou Dahms, Chair, Communications
Michael Dalzell, Secretary, Board of Trustees