Communication in the Digital World…Part 2

One of the best parts of the digital world is that the user is in control.  Don't want to sit through the flash movie at the beginning of someone's website? Click "skip intro."  Website difficult to navigate?  Go back to your search engine and find a better one.  Social networking site doesn't have the features you want?  Switch.

The digital world is all about making choices with a mouse.  The challenge is that when communicating via the web, you have to keep in mind that the user has the power to move to something else.  While there are a host of websites offering trendy gimicks for capturing and maintaining attention, you can usually connect simply by providing something of value. One thing the web has proven, is that people will participate.  The challenge is in providing something compelling enough to participate in.

Okay, so here is the "rubber meets road" analysis: Picture your website in your head and ask yourself,

1) Who visits your site?  After an initial visit, is there any reason to go back?

2) Who do you wish would visit your site? Is there anything there currently that they would consider valuable?

While there is a certain amount of basic "411" information that your website should contain, many churches (and companies for that matter) stop there.  In fact, if we were truly honest, we might find that we designed our websites mostly with ourselves in mind rather than the people who use it. (I am currently in the middle of a redesign on strategicdimensions.com for this very reason.)

In Dan Roam's book, Back of the Napkin, he talks about web design in terms of three questions: 1) What do people want to know?  2) What do people want to do? and 3) What do you want them to remember? (By the way, the book is not actually about web design.)

With those three questions in mind, here are some web concepts that focus on providing value to the user:

1. Churches in rapidly growing communities could set up sites full of links for people moving into the area.  This could include everything from hooking up utilities online to finding a dog groomer.  People could even have the option to request a basket full of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, bottled water, and the number for the pizza guy to be delivered to them at their new address on moving day.

2. Churches with strong arts or music programs could set up a website with resources and activities for people interested in improving their craft.  For churches with in-house production equipment, video snippets could coach participants. 

3.  Along this same line, many people have a list of..."I wish I could..."  What if your website connected people who wished they knew how to cook, sing, or speak another language?  The creative team at my home church had a brief discussion about creating a program called MC² (The Midlife Crisis Music Class) for those of us over forty who don't play an instrument but always wanted to learn.

4.  Crisis points are times people search the internet looking for advice.  What could your church develop for hurting people looking for answers in the wee hours of the morning to financial crises, catastrophic illness, loss of a job or a crumbling marriage? 

As churches begin to think missionally about who is out there at the other end of the keyboard, a host of creative ideas could be unleashed.  I can't wait to see what happens...

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