ATLANTA — “I inherited a Web site and have no idea what to do with it,” seemed to be a common phrase in Jonathan Dennis and Dana McMahan’s workshop Friday, “Care and Feeding of Your Web site” at the first-ever Big Tent event. 

Workshop participants at the Presbyterian Communicators Network National Conference at Big Tent ranged from tech savvy to almost clueless, as well as those looking for ideas on Web accessibility for the blind. They were led through tips and hints by Dennis and McMahan, Web content developers for the Creative Services department of the General Assembly Council’s Communications and Funds Development office. 

“You must design your content with the visitor in mind,” McMahan said, or they will not be interested.  Webmasters have an ultimate vision on what they want people to get out of their Web site, yet their visitors often miss it. 

If you want your visitor to sign up for the newsletter, look at the calendar, or register for an event “you have to ask them to do it,” says Dana.  “Make them take action,” Jonathan added.   

A Web site home page is the only shot at getting visitors interested in your site, the two said. So think of a home page as “a store window,” they added. 

Another tip is to rotate content often. “If your window is interesting, it will draw people in,” McMahan said. 

And just because visitors come to the site, don’t expect them to want to read.  “People don’t read on the web, they scan,” Jonathan said.  “Keep information in short bursts.”  The main idea should be the first thing people see.  Headlines should encourage people to take action.

Most webmasters feel overwhelmed trying to keep a Web site fresh and up-to-date. McMahan and Dennis use the question, “How do you eat the elephant?” to describe that feeling. 

The answer? “One bite at a time,” they said.  Also, use the “closet rule”, which means when you bring home something new from the store, get rid of something already in your closet.  The same rule applies to Web sites, they said: be harsh when it comes to keeping old content. 

“People want to see new content.  They don’t want old content drowning out the new stuff,” McMahan said. 

RSS (really simple syndication) feeds are a great tool for keeping content fresh, they advised.  Once an RSS feed is added to a Web site, it keeps itself updated.  The PC(USA) Web site has several RSS feeds to choose from. 

To be an effective communication tool, the Web site must be a priority. “Don’t say, ‘I don’t have the time,’” Dennis advised. “Make the time.”

Tavia Harrison is office administrator for Savannah Presbytery and a contributor to Presbyterian News Service