Website Redevelopment Message
CURRENT STATUS:
December 7th, 2012
Another year is coming to a close. I am happy to report that our church website is making progress steadily, with increased participation from the various group & organization leaders within our parish community. I'm still baffled that it's taken so long, and for reasons I simply don't know. Maybe it's because I was not effective in "selling" the concept of "using the website to showcase" the good works of a particular group. It just seemed common-sensical that someone would maximize publicity to promote their group! And so I remain mystified.
I've learned this in running my own business enterprises: If you are not constantly trying to grow and expand your business, it will constantly shrink and contract. I believe this is true for any organization. For example, let's say you have 10 people in your group, and you decide to keep it at that size. First mistake is the failure to realize that these are HUMAN BEINGS! So what, you say?
For starters, people are prone to distraction, burn-out, self de-motivation, changing situation at home and at work, etc. At any time, 10% will succumb to external factors seemingly beyond their control. OK, that leaves you with nine. What took 10 people to accomplish comfortably is now done by 9. If just one of the nine buckles under the additional pressure and burden, you are now in danger of losing another. Now you're down to 8...see where I'm going with this?
If you're a leader of a group, your #1 priority should be RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS! All your other tasks and responsibilities are secondary. Don't worry...the tasks are not likely disappear. BUT your people will slowly fade away. "But Mike," you say, "we don't have that problem where I work." You're right! You have just discovered the difference between Volunteerism and Employment. Volunteers generally work pro bono (for free without compensation or gratuity), whereas employees work for pay. From my own experience managing businesses and non-profit social clubs, it is 400% more difficult to retain volunteers.
Getting back to the discussion of recruiting. Make sure your group or organization has a web-page on this website that is designed to ATTRACT NEW MEMBER-VOLUNTEERS. That's your target audience. How easy wouId it be if you could let your web-page do 50% of your recruiting work for you!
I can help you accomplish this, but you need to initiate the process. Contact me with ideas that you have on how to improve your web-page. If you lead a team or group that does not have a web-page or section, let me know.
Email: michael.aatoma.com
Mike Souza
Website Objective:
Publish church-related information that is practical and useful to the site’s visitors, especially to Catholic Community and our own parishioners. Queen of All Saints Church has a limited staff and human resources; it is our desire that useful and important information is readily available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This website should serve that need.
I welcome your input and suggestions. All good ideas will be considered, and the most popular ideas will be streamlined and incorporated as part of the redevelopment effort.
Special request: If you have digital pictures (jpeg format) of our church before the renovation, I would like to display them on this site.
Please drop me a line via email with your thoughts, or talk to me after Mass on Sundays. You can find me in the choir.
Note on political discussion: There are literally zillions of websites and blogs that provide a forum for political discourse. For every opinion, there exists a myriad of varying opinions.
For example: If I state that "true Catholics cannot reconcile their beliefs with those of Nancy Pelosi, who supports Abortion Rights, or Barack Obama, who voted against the ban on Late Term and Post-Partem Abortions 3 times when he was an Illinois State Senator. Therefore, you cannot vote for them nor support them." I may be commenting on the actions of two well-known politicians, one of whom is Catholic, and my comment is relative to my Catholic faith, and the stance and position of my Church. However...
If you are a staunch life-long member of the Democrat Party, you may react emotionally, and skip over the factual discussion at hand, and think I'm attacking your political party, and call for my demise (off with his head!). If more people had the propensity to discuss politics objectively and logically, and side-line their emotions, we could have a forum on this website; but you and I know that's not going to take place.
As a side comment, I'm amazed at how many Catholics are indifferent when it comes to attacks on their faith, their God, and their Church - but manage to go BALLISTIC if their Political Party is disparaged in any form! Who then is their REAL God, to whom do they profess their allegiance, and who do they worship?
I firmly believe that true religious belief exists on a plane high above politics. Faith in God is infinite and eternal, whereas politics exists only in the immediate, and it is as fluid as it is morphic. We are however actively participating in the Catholic Legislative Network in order to keep our parishioners informed and better prepared to participate in the law-making process.
Thank you for your understanding, and may God's Peace be with you.
Michael Souza
webmanager@qaschurch.org
michael@aatoma.com
The maintenance of the Queen Of All Saints Chruch website is provided pro-bono by:
aatoma.com Web Design Service.
http://www.aatoma.com
