This overview introduces the kinds of features that a website can offer and also describes the tools and skills needed to develop a website.
It was created for a Cristian Aid Charity Signpost International who needed a feel of what is possible and the work involved .
General comments;
The web excels at making material available 'on demand' and proving self-help for frequently asked questions (FAQs).
In addition to web-pages a wide variety of formats such as multi-media are supported and can be downloaded or 'streamed'.
Other intranet services such as email can also be integrated to varying degrees.
In addition to static web pages which are fixed and always appear to be the same, dynamic pages are created in reponse to a user request usually by extracting data from a database.
Forms and web 'applications' allow users to make selections, enter data and perform other complex operations. More advanced web applications provide community interaction services.
Some content will have Data Protection issues and may not be suitable for general consumption.
Login-in authentication could help protect sensitive content.
You will also need to consider accessibility issues as some users may be using special browsers (e.g. blind users).
However the issues are well known with the basics being easy to implement (though the details can get complex) and on-line checking tools are available.
Types of features you can offer on a web site (or via external services);
In general you can:
Deliver information - static/dynamic pages, multimedia, multi-languages, accessibility, downloadable documents, site search, webcams
Provide News and notification - pages, blogs, RSS, forums, news servers (mail lists)
Collect information - forms, forums (email)
Get payments - links to merchants or own account to collect. Will need special software installed on server.
Enable community discussion and team work - forms, forums, Wiki (mail lists)
Content ideas;
Diary/calendar
Info about organisation; what you do, beliefs, contact details
News from organisation, projects and outworkers
Organigram
Staff roles and bios
Prayer lists
Photo gallery for events or out-workers
Reviews of events, books, films etc.
Blogs for leaders or out-workers
Youth group section and materials
Dowloadable newsheets: pdf good for print but web page much better for viewing
Dowloadable PowerPoint presentations and sermon notes
Downloadable or streaming media including sermons and videos
FrontPage - somewhat old & requires special extensions on server, was buggy and unstable, get with some version of office?
Dreamweaver - Seems the best of breed but pricey, some learning curve but good tutorials and help. Pro results and loads of features including good site admin and database. Good standards conformance.
Content management systems - getting content published quickly with a common look applied for you to simple text. Teamwork and community features. Possibly best in longterm but expect to setup on server and tune.
Plone - impressive: gives you most of the above things and more team working tools like calendar, free, OpenSource, , good community and addons, large learning curve, very extensible but rather techy, you need to host it.
Managing a website requires numerous skills in addition to basic content creation.
basic ICT & network skills
publishing/graphics-design using computer tools
holistic design - a website is not just a collection of pages, consistent look & feel
navigation design: where am I, where can I go, what can I do?
information architecture: what and how organised
mass market design requirements: browser differences, accessibility (e.g. work with screen readers), size, colours, standards, extra software (plugins)
emarketing - search engines, directories, other sites
admin - backups, publishing, checking for problems like broken links, checking standards conformance
data security and data protection
additional technical skills for advanced sites - database management, server side programming and integration with other tools (e.g email, lists, credit cards)
self hosting requires even more techy skills like install/config of server and other packages,
Finally;
Don't be put off, all this stuff can be learnt when needed and is refinement for 'best' site.
Web sites are a work in progress anyway and are constantly evolving. There are loads of sites to look at for ideas & guidance.
Here is a short article with advice on website authoring. It covers all the basics of how to create a good focused site and avoid useless, frustrating features (well at least as far as I'm concerned).