Daddy’s Little Girl.



My wife took this picture of Lily at the park last week. I love my daughter - she is simply stunning.

I have to admit… she’s got me wrapped around her finger.

Wordpress - Quickpress.



As annoying and cumbersome as it may be to update my self-hosted Wordpress site… I have to say I’ve been quite impressed with the last 2 updates that they’ve rolled out.  Version 2.7 brought a very slick new UI that I absolutely love.  Now… version 2.7.1 brings a brand new Dashboard module called “Quickpress.” Check out the screenshot below.

This is a fantastic little add-on to the already impressive Wordpress UI.  For those of you spontaneous bloggers, this will be a handy tool.  Excuse me while I go upgrade to 2.7.1.

Churches Using Templates - My Official Stance.



I have to admit, there was some great discussion on yesterday’s post regarding using templates and canned designs in the church.  You guys all brought up some great points… mostly supporting the idea of using templates when appropriate and effective.  I whole-heartedly agree with the notion that templates, regardless of how cheap or non-unique they may be, could quite possibly be the best solution for churches who make an informed decision to go that route.

I think the key is that church leaders need to make their decisions not solely based on the financial bottom line or what other churches are doing, but on what is going to be the best solution for THEIR church at that particular point in time.  The danger comes when leaders get their priorities out of whack, forget the about the idea of quality communications and go with a template based solution because it’s easy and cheap.  Whether they decide to hire a freelance artist, a full-time designer, or pick up a template; I fully support the churches who make smart, informed decisions about the direction of their communications efforts.

Let me also say that I’m a big fan of Clover.  I have a great deal of respect for these guys and their comittment to providing quality web solutions at a very affordable price.  Take a look around on the Clover site, and make sure to check out the video about their heart for the church - great stuff!

Templates and Canned Products.



I’ve seen several discussions in the Church Marketing Lab about whether or not churches should use template based products… and I think I’m on the fence about this one.  A quick google search for “church website template” produces a large number of results… they’re easy to find and they’re cheap to buy. Then there are places, like Clover, who offer pre-built sites at a pretty decent price point; but… there are only 13 options available, which some might argue kills the opportunity for your church to be unique in its online presence.  Looking for a logo?  What about 50dollarlogos.com? Or better yet… 19dollarlogos.com?  I think you get the point, there are cheap options out there, but at what expense do they come?

Some may argue that these templates and canned products could possibly devalue the role of the designer in the church.  Do they? Maybe inexpensive templates or canned logos have their place in the setting of the smaller church…?  Or have those smaller churches just decided to not make communications and design a priority?  I come from a smaller church, roughly 300 people, so I know what it’s like to work on a tight budget; and, I know what it’s like to work in a setting that doesn’t value quality communications as much as they probably should.  I also know what it’s like to work on a staff that has 4 full-time designers, at a church that obviously places a high value in quality communication efforts.  I’ve seen both sides - and I’m still not sure how I feel about this issue of churches relying template based or canned products.

So, what say you? What do you think about churches using templates or canned products?  Does size of the church matter in this case?  Chime in!

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