April 2006

This monthly column features some of the best internet resources for ministries around. If you'd like to contribute a favorite resource, we'd like to include it! Let's get started...

Top Links:

Fundraising: T-Shirts
Looking for a no-risk fundraiser? Testimonytees will help you run a t-shirt fundraiser with no money up front, no purchase of materials, free brochures and order forms, free shipping in the US, and 24-7 support. You collect the money, so they never touch your profits.

Disclaimer: Use your own judgment when working with any organization. Do your homework and make good decisions for your ministry...what works for one might not be as beneficial for others.

Center for Youth Studies
Being a kid is tough...and sometimes leading youth can be depressing as well. These links won't make you feel any better, but they may give you some helpful and eye-opening information about what kids' lives are like. The Center for Youth Studies compiled these statistics and provides links to the source material. They suggest that this info could be used in a leader's talks, articles, papers, or grant proposals. Page two is here.

Need a laugh?
After reading the sobering statistics listed above, you might need a pick-me-up. Praize has put together a good collection of jokes and bloopers. They're good for newsletters, sermons, email chains, or just to pass along over a Coke.

Devotionals:

Insight For Leaders from A. W. Tozer

The work of a minister is altogether too difficult for any man. We are driven to God for wisdom.

If you're looking for helpful insights to make you a better leader, this is a good place to start.

Website Faux Pas:

Faux pas: a French phrase meaning "false step" or "social blunder". It's easy to commit a website faux pas, so I'll outline one at a time to keep you out of trouble.

Pictures of words
On the web, content is king. The point of having a website is to get your message out, right? Be careful, though: it's not the only consideration!

Tip: Use words. Actual words, not pictures of words. What's the difference? Visibility. If you use pictures of words on your website, most people can read them...but there are two important visitors to your website that can't: those with vision impairments, and search engines.

Web surfers with vision problems often use screen-reading software to help them get around. If your website consists of pictures of words, you're excluding these folks...there's nothing to read, so the page seems blank. Your message can't get out that way.

Search engines (like Google, Yahoo, and MSN) use computers to "read" your website. They want to know what you've put there so they can bring you more visitors. If your website consists of pictures of words, you're excluding search engines...there's nothing to read, so the page seems blank. This prevents thousands of people from finding you by searching. Your message can't get out that way, either.

So: use a picture where words won't do...but, for everything else, use words. I can't overstate the importance of this concept. It's such a big deal that designers have developed a way to give screen readers and search engines a way to "read" pictures as well. It's not very complicated...if you need to know how it's done, feel free to contact me.

That's it for now. I'll be back next month with more information on using the internet to enhance your ministry...and, of course, let YouthPartnersNET know if you have a resource you'd like to share. Have a great day!

Tony

Tony Scialdone has been online since 1997, but he isn't a web pioneer or an innovator or a groundbreaker. He is, however, a geek. In addition to spending almost enough time with his family, Tony operates Straight Street Design, a web design and hosting company in Morrison, Colorado. He manages the YouthPartnersNET website, and recently completed the new website design for YPN.

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