Website ideas/suggestions

  • Thread starter Thread starter sr.christinaosf
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sr.christinaosf

Guest
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!!
 
Here is a site we put together for a monastery in the UK:

http://cloisters.tripod.com/uk_pcc_ellesmere/

and another site we built for a UK convent:

http://cloisters.tripod.com/uk_osa_burgesshill/

I would also want to encourage showing your cells, as suggested on another forum. I hope this prompt would help: A young lady has come to the front door for a come-and-see. How would you guide her? Would you orient her to the convent first so she knows her way around?

HTH

Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
http://cloisters.tripod.com/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyangels/id9.html/
 
I rather like the websites that the Poor Clares in my hometown have.

http://www.thepoorclares.com/


Please be sure to include anything that the public - including those who are not potential vocations - can engage with you, such as any Masses you have that are open to the public, charity events etc. That way you get donations, and the people may even have young female friends or relatives who get interested in the order.

Also please be sure to view the site on a laptop, a tablet and an Android and iPhone to make sure the site works and can be read on a variety of devices. You may for example find that some print size needs to be made larger or with more white space to be seen properly.
 
Since you are an active contemplative order, I think your website should highlight your charism and the ways in which you are active in your community while also giving your visitors an idea of the spiritual life in your community. There should be enough photos that one can get a good idea of who you all are and what you do including photos of your convent grounds, chapel, and any other facilities you have. If you have events that are open to the public, that information should be easy to find. If there are ways someone can support your community either by donations or by purchasing goods and merchandise, that information should also be easy to find.

This might sound counterintuitive, but I think your website currently has too much information on it (especially videos by people who are not a part of your community). Take some time to really consider what are the essential things you want someone to take away from your website. Focus on your charism and highlight what is essential.

My favorite active contemplative website is the one for the Sisters of Life. https://sistersoflife.org/
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the thoughts - I will check out the link.
 
Last edited:
Corrections that I can see:

Franciscan spirituality page: perhaps a page for each prayer with links on a landing page?

Timeline: “kindergarten” is misspelled at the year 1857

Q & A page: gives impression of being a landing page, but there are no links.

Youth Work page: food pic – to me – seemed distracting. “Miryam” is the correct spelling for the vocational dinners.

Retreat page: please make “contact” information darker. I hardly knew it was there.

Question page: please darken the print for the question box.

Formation page: print is in the wrong place. suggest another background pic.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top