Frequently Asked Questions About Our New Website:

1. Why do we have a new website?
The Board of Trustees determined a priority for 2015-16 was to create a new website. A call went out for volunteers willing to serve on the Website Task Force which began the task of identifying the necessary steps to make this a reality. Our website is often the “front door” of our church and the Task Force wanted to make sure the website accurately reflected the spirit and energy of our congregation and make it easier and less expensive to keep the website up-to-date.

2. What new features does the website have?

  • Mobile device-friendly, so it looks good and is easy to navigate from both PCs and smartphones / tablets
  • Updated content for all areas of the church
  • Directions powered by Google maps
  • Site search capabilities

3. How did we end up with this design?
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) developed a WordPress theme for adoption by UU churches. The development of this theme involved extensive user interface testing that looked at how website visitors would use and interact with the site. Several UU churches beta-tested the theme, and it was released for adoption by all UU churches in late October 2015.

4. How much is all this costing us?
The UUA allowed early adopters to use this WordPress theme for free; we paid a fee of $100 as we came on board after the beta testing was completed. The Website Task Force researched web host service providers and found Flywheel, a provider which focuses on WordPress sites at half the cost of our previous web host. The Church did not have to purchase any software. Website Task Force volunteers did all of the work on the website. Because making changes to the website in the future will not require special technical skills, we will be able to change content and add new features at no cost.

5. Why are some pages not completed?
The Website Task Force used Flywheel’s “free demo site” option (it is like a test site) which is only available for 14 days. We worked diligently to set up the WordPress site, download the UUA theme, create the structure of the site, learn how to edit menus and pages, upload media, insert content – well, basically learn how to create a website! Many hours of work were put into this site to date, and it is looking good! We understand that there is still some work to be done and do have a list of items which will need our attention in the coming months. The next step is to identify editors for the site and set a schedule for updates and corrections to be made to the site.

6. What if something is missing or I spot a glitch?
Website Task Force volunteers are happy to fix any errors or add content when appropriate and per the set schedule. Please send an e-mail to uucommunity@gmail.com with your comments or suggestions.