From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org  Mon Nov  5 23:35:03 2007
From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter)
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2007 01:35:03 -0600
Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume II, Issue 45
Message-ID: <dc28d5c20711052335p5de34edhb96cbd3f4799d7dc@mail.gmail.com>

  [image: NetAdventist News And Notes]

      Volume II, Issue 45?Monday, November 5, 2007   [image: WEEKLY POLL]

      Each week a poll is posted on the *net*Adventist website. Respond by
clicking on the poll graphic below?which doesn't necessarily represent the
current poll ?then looking for "Local Poll" in the left-hand menu
bar.Yourfeedback is important to us. We appreciate you taking the time
to
participate in our weekly polls. *This week's poll question is "Were you
aware of the General Conference's guidelines for Web sites prior to reading
this week's newsletter?"*

In the results from last week's poll, 67% of respondents said they hadn't
been using the registered trademark after the Seventh-day Adventist name on
their Web site, while 33% said they had been using the trademark.
      [image: VIEW POLL AT
http://www.netadventist.org]<http://www.netadventist.org/>


   [image: netTip of the Week]

*Guidelines for Seventh-day Adventist Church Web Sites*

The Web sites of Adventist conferences, churches, schools, and other
entities, all contribute to the global presence of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. As such, the General Conference has provided guidance regarding how
the Church is portrayed, and thus perceived, through a Web site. All
denominational entities choosing to establish an online presence should read
the guidelines posted on the General Conference Web site.

Listed below is an adapted list from the General Conference Web site
guidelines. Visit their site for the complete
list.<http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/guidelines/web-site-guidelines.html>

   1. Domain names used by Church entities should be owned and registered
   in the entity's name, or in the name of another denominational entity, such
   as a conference, union, or division, that has granted use of its domain
   name; and a business plan should be established to preserve the domain name
   for future use by the entity.

   2. Every denominational Web site should display appropriate trademark
   and copyright notices and symbols.

   3. Seventh-day Adventist Web sites must respect intellectual property
   rights when posting audio, video, pictures, text, and all other content.

   4. Adventist internal language, jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations
   are to be used with care on denominational Web sites as they are available
   to all Internet users, many of whom will have little understanding of such
   terms. Web site content is to be checked for spelling and grammar.

   5. The board or executive committee of the entity having a Web
   presence is ultimately responsible for the maintenance, content, and
   operation of the site. Therefore, each entity is expected to establish a
   system for monitoring and oversight, including the appointment of personnel
   who are entrusted with responsibility for managing the Web site and its
   content. Care should be exercised in selecting types of information that is
   made available for global access.

   6. Care should be exercised when selecting links to other Web sites.
   Information portrayed on Web sites linked to a denominational entity's site
   should be supportive of the Church's mission, message, and values. Legal
   counsel should be obtained as to whether or not commercial activity
   facilitated by the Web site will jeopardize the organization's status as a
   religious, not-for-profit organization.

   7. Denominational entities sponsoring Web sites are responsible for
   ensuring that the operation and content of the site is in compliance with
   applicable laws, including requirements for the privacy protection of
   children who may access the Web site or whose picture may be placed on the
   Web site.

 *Feel free to email us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> your netTip ideas. Your
information may be featured in an upcoming newsletter.*

   [image: Featured User]

*Upper Columbia Academy Church ? Part 3*

*Periodically we highlight organizations that are using netAdventist to
develop and maintain their Web sites. In this newsletter, we have been
highlighting the Web site development of an academy church (Upper Columbia
Academy Church in northeastern Washington).*

The UCA Church has just launched their new Web site. In previous issues of
this newsletter, Lorna Hartman, their Web master, shared with us some of the
things they were doing to launch their site. Now that their site is live,
the UCA Church is looking for ways to keep content new and fresh, as well as
ways to market their site.

"We recently had a meeting to recruit staff to shoot photos and videos,
write copy, and post content on the site. We are developing an in-house
photo file with the help of the Academy's photography teacher and his class,
" says Lorna.

Lorna has launched a 'Name the Church Newsletter' contest to increase
interest in both their new site and their church's e-newsletter. "I am
looking forward to the launch of the 3.0 version of *net*Adventist so I can
manage my church's newsletter, and email it, from within *net*Adventist,"
says Lorna. The UCA church currently has a e-newsletter sign-up form on
their site, and Lorna manages the e-newsletter subscription list herself.

Lorna is also developing a list of content that is helpful to visitors based
on site statistics and visitor feedback. She is currently investigating Google
Analytics <http://www.google.com/analytics/> and
StatCounter<http://www.statcounter.com/>to help the church track its
site statistics. "This will help us form a
better picture of what our strongest content is and where we need to do more
work," says Lorna.

Lorna also recently did a 'link exchange' with Upper Columbia Academy.
"Their link is featured prominently on our site and our link is featured on
their site. This helps the school and church drive traffic to each other's
Web sites *and* helps both sites to rank higher in search engine listings."

Lorna is excited about what the future holds for their church's Web site. To
view the UCA Church site, go to www.ucachurch.org.

*Feel free to send us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> other resources or articles
you'd like to see.*

   [image: FAQs]

     *Can I use more than one event picture when I add a new event to my
calendar?*

 Yes, when adding a new event you are not limited to one photo. You can also
link to a whole photo album.

*To submit a question for the FAQs column, email us<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
Your FAQ may also be added to the FAQ list in our online help
manual<http://help.netadventist.org/>.
*
* *

* *
* *
------------------------------
*
Publisher: TAGnet
Editor: Daniel A. Houghton, Executive Vice President
Managing Editor: Nicole M. Batten, Communications Manager/Content Liaison *

* Contact info
To suggest story ideas or questions, send information about resources to
include in this newsletter, or to submit articles, click
here<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.

For letters to the editor, click here <nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
To submit a change of email address for your own subscription to the
newsletter, click here <newsletter-owner at netadventist.org>. *
* *
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From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org  Mon Nov 12 12:59:14 2007
From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter)
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:59:14 -0600
Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume 1, Issue 46
Message-ID: <dc28d5c20711121259n61e1f42eu55f1f5fdb69184f3@mail.gmail.com>

  [image: NetAdventist News And Notes]

      Volume II, Issue 46?Monday, November 12, 2007   [image: WEEKLY POLL]

      Each week a poll is posted on the *net*Adventist website. Respond by
clicking on the poll graphic below?which doesn't necessarily represent the
current poll ?then looking for "Local Poll" in the left-hand menu
bar.Yourfeedback is important to us. We appreciate you taking the time
to
participate in our weekly polls. *This week's poll question is "Do you have The
Adventist Channel mini-player on your Web site?"*

In the results from last week's poll, 36% of respondents said they were
aware of the General Conference's guidelines for Web sites, while 64% of
respondents said they weren't.
      [image: VIEW POLL AT
http://www.netadventist.org]<http://www.netadventist.org/>


   [image: netTip of the Week]

*Church approves full ownership of netAdventist software*

Delegates to the Seventh-day Adventist World Church Annual Council voted
recently to accept full ownership of the *net*Adventist software. The
transition of the software ownership will start in 2008 and will come under
full ownership of the General Conference by 2009.

The license agreement will make *net*Adventist available to all
denominational entities at no cost. By owning the software, Lowell C.
Cooper, General Conference vice president, says the world church will "have
a common platform of communication globally. It will also be easier to
establish global branding for churches around the world and it is the
easiest way of providing global connectivity."

Because *net*Adventist has an open license, church programmers worldwide
will also be able to make updates and add new applications to the software
core.

Already *net*Adventist is being used by more than 1,000 churches in the
North America Division and more than 1,000 churches in the South Pacific
Division with plans to start use in several more divisions in 2008.

For more on this story, click
here<http://news.adventist.org/data/2007/09/1192556155/index.html.en>
.

*Feel free to email us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> your netTip ideas. Your
information may be featured in an upcoming newsletter.*

   [image: Resources & Ideas]

*Links to three Adventist Web sites you might not know about*

Listed below are three ministry Web sites you might not know about and may
want to link to on your site.

   - Adventist Children's Ministries Association
(ACMA)<http://www.childmin.com/>? ACMA is an initiative of the North
American Division Children's Ministries
   Department. ACMA exists to support pastors, parents, Sabbath School
   teachers, and others who minister to children. Their Web site offers
   resources and teaching tools, as well as information about seminars and
   teaching certification. You will also find information on their site about
   how to have a family friendly church and many other topics. This site is a
   great link to add to your own children's ministry or parent's page.
   - Geoscience Research Institute (GRI) <http://www.grisda.org/> ? GRI
   exists to address issues of science and religion, particularly the theory of
   evolution. Established by the General Conference, GRI uses both science and
   revelation to study the question of origins. The GRI Web site has an
   exclusive area of their site just for teachers. It is also of value to any
   church member wanting to be more knowledgeable in answering questions about
   the Adventist viewpoint of origins?a good resource for both churches and
   schools.
   - Biblical Research Institute
(BRI)<http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/>? BRI, established by
the General Conference, offers practical, doctrinal,
   and theological materials for Adventist Bible teachers, pastors, and
   interested church members. Their site is a great link for your church
   Sabbath School page to help members and visitors who want further study on
   certain topics.

 *Feel free to send us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> other resources or
articles you'd like to see.*

   [image: FAQs]

     *I have heard about the new "Adventist Channel" and want to put their
player on my Web site. How do I do that?*

 The new "Adventist Channel" allows you to have live streaming video on your
Web site. To access their on-demand service, you will have to place their
mini-player on your site. The easiest way to do this is to add "The
Adventist Channel" as a Plugin in your Layout Manager screen. *netAdventist
has now added it to the "Ministries" list in your Plugin drop-down menu.*

You can also copy and paste the source code shown below into a new Static
Content page for the mini-player and then select your newly created page
from the Plugin menu in the Layout Manager tab.

Source code:

   <script type="text/javascript">
   <!--
   btv_affiliate = "sdahwt2d8far";btv_format
   = "160x375";
   //--></script>The Adventist Channel<script type="text/javascript"
   src="http://www.biggytv.com/app/js/affiliate.js">
   </script>


 It should look like this on your Home page:

The mini-player looks best if you place it on the left-hand side (menu
column) of your Home page. For more information about "The Adventist
Channel", visit sda.biggytv.com.

*To submit a question for the FAQs column, email us<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
Your FAQ may also be added to the FAQ list in our online help
manual<http://help.netadventist.org/>.
*
* *

* *
* *
------------------------------
*
Publisher: TAGnet
Editor: Daniel A. Houghton, Executive Vice President
Managing Editor: Nicole M. Batten, Communications Manager/Content Liaison *

* Contact info
To suggest story ideas or questions, send information about resources to
include in this newsletter, or to submit articles, click
here<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.

For letters to the editor, click here <nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
To submit a change of email address for your own subscription to the
newsletter, click here <newsletter-owner at netadventist.org>. *
* *
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From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org  Mon Nov 19 08:06:22 2007
From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter)
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:06:22 -0600
Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume 2, Issue 47
Message-ID: <dc28d5c20711190806h2cc841b0u13f213fbc9309cc7@mail.gmail.com>

  [image: NetAdventist News And Notes]

      Volume II, Issue 47?Monday, November 17, 2007   [image: WEEKLY POLL]

      Each week a poll is posted on the *net*Adventist website. Respond by
clicking on the poll graphic below?which doesn't necessarily represent the
current poll ?then looking for "Local Poll" in the left-hand menu
bar.Yourfeedback is important to us. We appreciate you taking the time
to
participate in our weekly polls. *This week's poll question is "How many
users have an account on your site?"*

In the results from last week's poll, 25% of respondents said they have The
Adventist Channel mini-player on their site, while 75% said they did not.
      [image: VIEW POLL AT
http://www.netadventist.org]<http://www.netadventist.org/>


   [image: netTip of the Week]

*Create a "Members Only" Section on Your Web Site*

You can create a "Members Only" section on your site to communicate with
your church members and encourage them to use your site?and visit it
regularly. The best way to do this is to create a menu called "Members Only"
that displays near the top of the page when a member is logged in?that means
you have to select Member in the Access Level of the "Members Only" menu
when you create it.

A "Members Only" section will also encourage your members to sign-up for a
user account on your site. You can then use the information from the user
accounts to generate your church directory or export to mailing labels. User
accounts are also an easy way for members to update their contact
information (such as phone numbers or addresses).

In the "Members Only" section you can post items like the monthly church
finance report or the church officers list with linked email addresses. You
also put your online church directory here. This way members' contact
information is protected from the general public yet still available to
church members when they need to call or email someone.

You can also create a "Bulletin Board" in the "Members Only" section where
you can post miscellaneous information members need to know about, such as
an address to send cards to when someone dies or the hospital room a sick
member is in who wants to be visited. This protects private information from
the general public, but allows your members to access it.

*Feel free to email us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> your netTip ideas. Your
information may be featured in an upcoming newsletter.*

   [image: Resources & Ideas]

*Tips for Making Videos for Your Web Site*

If you are considering creating a video Web greeting from your pastor or you
want to put real live testimonials from church members on your site, here
are a few things you'll want to remember when shooting video for your site.

   - Pay close attention to the audio. A video cannot be effective
   without the proper audio. When filming a video it is important that you use
   a proper microphone and that you wear headphones to ensure that all of the
   audio is clear.
   - Avoid pans (horizontal movement of the camera) and zooms (focusing
   in and out) because not only does it look bad on the Internet, but
   unnecessary movement also slows down the video stream.
   - Don't shoot your subject in front of a window or with the sun behind
   him, unless you want your subject to appear in silhouette; the best light
   source comes from behind the camera.
   - When doing an interview, leave a little headroom at the top of the
   frame. Position your subject a little to the left or right of center and
   leave nose room to the opposite side.
   - Keep your video short, under a minute if possible, but no more than
   two minutes long (unless it's your church service). People are busy and
   don't have time to watch lengthy video clips.
   - Use wmv (Windows Media Video) or flv (Flash Video) for your video
   file format.

 *Feel free to send us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> other resources or
articles you'd like to see.*

   [image: FAQs]

     *How do I load audio and video files onto our netAdventist site?*

 The Media Library tab under My Content is designed just for this purpose.
You will want to start by creating Groups to manage your audio and video
files under?think of them as folders. For example, you may want to create a
Group called "Audio Sermons 2007" to load audio recordings from sermons in
this calendar year.

Once you have created a group, just click on the Add Media button. A new
screen will open up where you can enter information such as title, speaker
name, date, and description. Then browse your computer for the audio or
video file you want to upload and click the Upload Media button. You should
now see your file in the Media Library screen. Don't forget to make sure the
Media Library is linked to a menu on your Home page so visitors can access
it.

*To submit a question for the FAQs column, email us<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
Your FAQ may also be added to the FAQ list in our online help
manual<http://help.netadventist.org/>.
*
* *

* *
* *
------------------------------
*
Publisher: TAGnet
Editor: Daniel A. Houghton, Executive Vice President
Managing Editor: Nicole M. Batten, Communications Manager/Content Liaison *

* Contact info
To suggest story ideas or questions, send information about resources to
include in this newsletter, or to submit articles, click
here<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.

For letters to the editor, click here <nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
To submit a change of email address for your own subscription to the
newsletter, click here <newsletter-owner at netadventist.org>. *
* *
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From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org  Mon Nov 26 09:41:49 2007
From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter)
Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:41:49 -0600
Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume 2, Issue 48
Message-ID: <dc28d5c20711260941s1ea7707cjf818802a88fc449c@mail.gmail.com>

  [image: NetAdventist News And Notes]

      Volume II, Issue 48?Monday, November 26, 2007   [image: WEEKLY POLL]

      Each week a poll is posted on the *net*Adventist website. Respond by
clicking on the poll graphic below?which doesn't necessarily represent the
current poll ?then looking for "Local Poll" in the left-hand menu
bar.Yourfeedback is important to us. We appreciate you taking the time
to
participate in our weekly polls. *This week's poll question is "Are you
using Google Analytics to track Web traffic on your site?"*

In the results from last week's poll, 67% of respondents said they have less
than 20 users with accounts on their site and 33% said they have more than
50 users with accounts on their site.
      [image: VIEW POLL AT
http://www.netadventist.org]<http://www.netadventist.org/>


   [image: netTip of the Week]

*Publishing videos on your netAdventist Web site*

One of the first things you have to decide when publishing videos to your
site is what format to use. It is best to use Flash Video (.flv) or Windows
Media Video (.mwv) file formats because these formats are the ones most
people use when accessing video players.

Keep your video short, under two minutes if possible, unless you are
recording a sermon or service. If your video is going to be longer than 45
minutes you will need to split it into two videos?this makes downloading it
easier and quicker. Also, *net*Adventist has a file size limit of 100 MB
(megabytes).

The second thing you need to decide is what software to use for encoding.
There are many free encoders on the Web. We recommend
Super<http://www.erightsoft.com/S7f01.html>from eRightSoft.

Super converts your video from one video format to another, which means you
can convert your Digital Video (.dv) files into Flash Video or Windows Media
Video files for your Web site. You can also use Super to encode your videos
for iPod and other well-known video formats.

Use the following settings with Super:

1. Output container: SWF or FLV (flash)

2. Output Codec: Flash video

3. Output audio Codec: MP3

4. Video?Video Scale Size: 320 x 240 (4:3 aspect ratio)

5. Video 14.985 frames/second

6. Video Bitrate Kbps: 336

7. Audio?Sampling Frequency 44100; Channel 1; Bitrate 64

When your video is encoded in the proper format you can then add it to your
Media Library under the My Content tab. You also have the option of
embedding your video file into a Static Content page. To do this, click on
the Insert/Edit Link icon. A caution message may pop up, but just click OK
to proceed. Then in the Link screen, select your video file from the Media
drop-down menu, and in the box below it select "Embed a player for this
media (only for mp3, flv files)".

*Feel free to email us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> your netTip ideas. Your
information may be featured in an upcoming newsletter.*

   [image: Resources & Ideas]

*Use Google Analytics to monitor traffic on your Web site*

If you want to monitor traffic on your site (i.e. the behavior of people
visiting your site) and use it to make your Web site more effective, Google
Analytics (GA) is a free and easy way to do it. GA generates detailed
statistics about visitor activity. With GA you can learn where your visitors
are coming from and how they interact within your site.

You can track:

   - How many people are visiting your site each hour, day, week, or
   month
   - What pages people are visiting on your site
   - How much time people spend on your site
   - What geographical location people visiting your site are from
   - Where people are finding your site at
   - What browsers visitors are using
   - And much more, including click patterns, navigation analysis,
   landing pages

To sign-up for your free Google Analytics account, visit
www.google.com/analytics. You will need to sign-in to your Google Account to
access it. Once you sign-up, it will take a few days before you can view any
of the statistical information.

You will also need to add the source code Google Analytics provides to your
Home page. To do this, create a Static Content page for Google Analytics.
Click on the Source button and copy and paste the source code GA provides
into it. Then title the page and click Save. Then go to your Layout Manager
and add this new page to the bottom of your Home page.

Be sure to log-in to your Google account regularly to track your Web site
statistics.

*Feel free to send us <nicoleb at netadventist.org> other resources or articles
you'd like to see.*

   [image: FAQs]

     *Is there a way to get upcoming events to display in text on our site,
just the top three or four events coming up? It would be a quick reminder to
people visiting our site, rather than always having to check the event
calendar to see what's coming up.*

 Yes, there is a plug-in called "Latest Events" under Site Tools in the
drop-down plug-in menu in the Layout Manager tab. Go to Layout Control to
access it. You can select how many events you want displayed along with how
many days into the future you it to pull from. You can also choose between
displaying just your events or shared events as well.

*To submit a question for the FAQs column, email us<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
Your FAQ may also be added to the FAQ list in our online help
manual<http://help.netadventist.org/>.
*
* *

* *
* *
------------------------------
*
Publisher: TAGnet
Editor: Daniel A. Houghton, Executive Vice President
Managing Editor: Nicole M. Batten, Communications Manager/Content Liaison *

* Contact info
To suggest story ideas or questions, send information about resources to
include in this newsletter, or to submit articles, click
here<nicoleb at netadventist.org>.

For letters to the editor, click here <nicoleb at netadventist.org>.
To submit a change of email address for your own subscription to the
newsletter, click here <newsletter-owner at netadventist.org>. *
* *
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