This is the first of three presentations scheduled for 90 minutes this morning. Since I am first, I can take an hour or more and leave it to the others to work their material into the time that remains.No, I will try to limit myself.

The subject of this talk is the AMM web site. Some of the languages refer to a "Web Page," but we really need more than just a page. A web site is a collection of web pages and of computer programs related to those web pages.

What Is a Web Site?

An effective web site must be an organic unity. Our Association finds its unity in our mission. Therefore everything on the web site must serve our mission. If you ask whether to include something on your web site, make your decision in the light of your mission.

Communicate, communicate, communicate The purpose of a web site is to communicate. Despite those who worship glitz and graphics, content is king. Present your content clearly and you have an effective, useful web site. The web is a medium in its own right, and requires its own unique form of communication. How you say something on the web is not the same as how you say something in print or in conversation or even in PowerPoint.

I like to consider three types of content on a web site.

Static section - information
First can be called the static section, the unchanging content. If someone wants to know something about your organization, facts like the address or the name of the leader or the history of the Miraculous Medal, that kind of information never changes, there whenever anyone wants it.

Dynamic section - news
Second can be called the dynamic section, what is new. The web is a great medium for presenting it. It is a way to publish instantaneously. And current news brings people back to your web site again and again.

Interactive section
Third is the interactive section, where people can send to you, in addition to what you present to them.

Interactive Section

Register
They can "sign a guest book" that registers them as users, giving you the information you need to contact them in the future. To encourage people to register, we offer them a free Miraculous Medal. This was so popular that we had to limit it to people from the U.S.A.

Questions, comments, discussion
People can send messages to "Father" or the Association. They can comment on the web site. We do not have "chat rooms" on our web site, but they are part of the interactive section of a web site. They allow people to carry on discussions together-with our without supervision from someone on the staff.

Prayer petitions
The interactive section can allow activities that are related to our mission. People can ask us to pray for their intentions at our shrine.

Enroll members
People can enroll themselves or other members in the Association.

Contribute
People can make donations using their credit card.

Religious articles
People can request religious articles like medals, rosaries, crosses, etc., and pay with their credit cards.

Web Site Check List

Easy to use
The web site should be easy to use, friendly. The Internet is informal by nature, and so people visiting your pages should be comfortable, feel at home. And since we represent the Blessed Mother, we want her children to be comfortable with her.

Clear
Everything should be clear. Except in the interactive section, each page should stand on its own, because people might link to the page from anywhere. In the interactive section, each function should be clear and independent of other functions.

Consistent
The web site should be consistent. People should be able to recognize that they are on your web site. You can do this through color, page layout, a logo in a distinctive place, etc.

Practical
Finally, the web site should be practical. It should serve your mission. People should leave the page with the feeling that they learned or accomplished something. Avoid the trap of "We should have a web page. I don't know what it will do, but we must have one, because everybody else has one."

Web Site of the Perryville AMM

Home page
Our first page is truly a "Home Page." From it you can go anywhere on our site. It has our name, the key message of our Association, and recognizable art.

What is new?
It has a section of features which change frequently, including regular features like testimonials that change every week and a Sunday homily.

Where do you want to go?
It has a column down the side that lists practically everything on the web site. Because there is so much, the column is divided into categories-information, news, services, links, contact information. Remember the categories, static, dynamic, interactive-here they are.

Why should you come back?
And right from the home page, you know why you should return. If you need information, this is where to start. If you want to know what's new, this is the place to start. If you want to get in touch or receive a service, this is the place to start.

Personnel

Webmaster (and assistants)
The most important person is the webmaster, and it is a post that is very difficult to fill well. The webmaster must be just that, the master of the internet medium. This person should be technically competent, a good communicator, with good taste in design and layout, and an eye for detail. Such people are very hard to find, and if you find one they command a high salary-in the U.S.A. as much $50,000 per year or more. If your site is small, the webmaster can do everything personally. For a larger site, a few specialists are necessary.

Writer
Since content is king, you need someone to write the words in your site. You can use the words of others, but if it is your message about your mission, someone still has to write it.

Artist
Since the appearance of your website both makes the first impression and enhances your mission and message, graphic design is important and the work of an artist. Even with clip art, you need selectivity and good layouts.

Proofreader
A proofreader can save a great deal of embarrassment

Programmer
A programmer can tailor the interactive section to your purposes.

Secretaries
Secretaries handle the email correspondence you will receive-in different languages.

Data entry
And the data must be incorporated into your database and maintained.

Costs

None of this is cheap. Of course, the larger and more elaborate the web site, the more it costs.

Salaries
I already mentioned the salary of a good webmaster. You probably can calculate the costs of the other personnel. How many do you need? It depends on how large your web site is and how active.

Equipment
The equipment is also a cost. Everyone needs a PC and some kind of local network. And you need some way to connect to the Internet.

Services
Very few of us need our own server, because that is a specialized service and very complicated-especially in these days of viruses, hackers, and cyber-terrorism. At a minimum, then, you need an internet service provider where you store your web pages.

You may prefer to purchase some of the other services I described earlier, like writing and programming.

Key Ideas

Communicate, communicate, communicate
And your web site is a means of communication. The better your communication, the more effective it is.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Some Questions to Discuss

Do we want a central site?
Do we, the International Association of the Miraculous Medal, want a common web site? What purpose do we want it to serve?

Do we want to link to each other?
Do we, the national Associations, want to link to each other's web sites?

How do we organize?
Finally, how do we organize ourselves? In what ways can we help each other?

Do you have any questions?

Do you have any questions?

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