Assess Your Resources

Before you get down to the work actually working on your site, you need to know what resources you have to devote to it. Taking stock of your resources in advance will ensure that you undertake a project that is appropriate for your group, and helps you to utilize your resources most effectively.

The resources that are necessary for creating a maintaining a group's web site include the following:

General organizational support
Human resources
Technical resources
Financial resources
Sources of content for the site

General organizational support

In many cases--especially back when few people understood what the internet was all about--the entire impetus to publish a web site comes from a single individual or a small group within the religious organization. In any case, it's important to start off by having a realistic understanding of how the group as a whole understands the idea of publishing a web site. In my opinion, the web site will be most successful when the group as a whole understands its purpose and supports it the same as other projects within the organization.

Does the organization as a whole understand and support this project?
Do the group's leaders understand and support the project?
How does the organization view the web site project in its overall goals and missions?
Does the group view the web site as a long-term or short-term project?

Human resources

The organization's web site project will probably be most successful if you find ways for various kinds of people to take part in it, not just the techies. Of course, people who have technical skills to contribute will most likely be the most interested, but if the web site is to become a vital part of the organization, it must also become a central focus. And like other vital projects of your organization, it gains strength from the participation and interest of a variety of people.

Who is interested in helping create the group's web site?
Who is interested in helping maintain the group's web site?
What skills does each person offer? What role can each person play in the project. Don't fall into the trap of only considering people's technical skills.
What different types of tasks does publishing and maintaining the web site involve?
What level of commitment does each person offer (i.e., amount of time to spend, etc.)?

Technical resources

Does the group as a whole have access to the internet (office computer, for instance)? If not, is there a way to allow the group access to the site, at least occasionally? This can even be something as rudimentary as a member lugging their computer to the building and dialing up the internet from there.
Which individuals have access to the internet?
What types of computers, different browsers and different types of access to the internet do the various members of the group have?

Financial resources

The good news is that many times religious groups can publish and maintain a web site for virtually no money whatsoever. In order to undertake a realistic project, however, you should go into the project with a realistic expectation of what financial support the project has.

What financial resources, if any, is the group willing to commit to the creation and maintenance of its web site?
What financial resources, if any, are individuals willing to commit to the group's web site?

Sources of content for the site

If you want to publish a web site, you've got to have some content to put on it. Since the content of the web site often overlaps with existing group publications (e.g., bulletins, newsletters, pamphlets, etc.) many groups start by gathering and sorting through these sources. But you should also ask yourselves what other resources you have for content generation. What web site content will be unique and how will it be generated? Who is willing to help generate content for the web site? How can the collecting of content for the web site be integrated into existing processes?