Evaluate other sites

Other web sites can provide inspiration for how you should approach your web site.

Professional companies will have spent thousands of dollars in developing their web sites. You can use their investment to gain experience by getting ideas of what works well on the web. Think about web sites that appeal to you and try to analyse what it is that makes them effective.

• Consider the graphic design, see how images are juxtaposed with text and areas of colour to make the page both attractive to look at and easy to scan quickly.
  
  
• How do the sites help you to find the information you require quickly? Imagine visiting your web site for the first time, what techniques could you use to help users find the information they require? Get ideas for how you could make your section homepages both attractive and informative.
  
  
• Notice how writing is brief and to the point on the best sites and how the formatting of the text (bullet points, headings etc) helps you scan the page and pick out the information you require.

For further advise on creating attractive web pages read our Web Graphics Guide.

 The Acrosss the City network

The Across the City network contains live web sites that have been developed using our system. These sites may provide many good ideas you could use on your own web site. It is advisable however to brainstorm your own ideas first, and not be limited by imitating others.

The Across the City network can be accessed by selecting the appropriate option under the home menu. Selecting Across the City network will open a tree to the left of the page, displaying a directotry of web sites categorized by denomination and location. Simply select a folder and the web sites it contains will be listed. Clicking on one of the sites will access the appropriate web site in your browser.

When viewing other sites on the network observe the following for ideas:

• About Us - what topics have they covered and how have they structured them underneath this section. Also have a look at the content they have included for ideas. Imagine going to this area as a first time visitor to the site - what works, what does not?
  
  
• Organization life - the way they have structured this area may give you an idea of new ways you could order your group structure that may suit you well. They may also provide different titles for sections that you had not thought of previously.
  
  
• Features - how have other organizations used this area?