Archive for 'General'

This question was posed to one of the greats in Church Media – Camron Ware

Why should a church switch from PowerPoint/Keynote to Presentation Software (like ProPresenter, MediaShout, etc.)?

This was his reply:

There is really only one question to ask – are you being limited in your visual/media ministry by your presentation software?  To me, every church must ask and answer that question before thinking about moving beyond PowerPoint or Keynote.

For some, the answer is no!  I have met a few churches who just aren’t ready or don’t yet need the features that most presentation software provides, but that doesn’t mean they should ask IF they should change.  Once you’ve evaluated and tried all the presentation software made for churches, only then can you really see if it’s right for you.

Now, for most; the answer is yes! Churches tell me all the time “We have PowerPoint and want to do ______, but we can’t because the software doesn’t do that.”  I then show them my favorite presentation software and it’s such a joy to see their eyes light up when they see the benefits and they let out such a sigh of relief that I just solved a problem and frustration of theirs.  And more importantly, their ministry is now broadened.

If you feel like something as simple as presentation software is hindering how you run your visuals in your service, you owe it to your congregation to see if real church presentation software is a needed change!

Source of article: WMH Source of image: RenewedVision

Wanting to know more about projection software and how it can expand the dynamic worship in your church services?  Get in Touch and we’ll provide consulting on what solution is right for your facility and audience.  We can also train your volunteer staff on how to use the new tools.

There’s an old proverb which says; “A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client.”  There’s a grain of truth in that, not just for legal matters, but for any undertaking what requires specialized skills, from rewiring your office and repairing your delivery van to, yes, designing and building your business website.  I’m not saying it can’t be done, but is it worth the effort and risk?

Designing and developing a business website requires competence in several specialized skills.  A professional designer has to have those skills to stay in business.  A business owner or a professional may have one or two of those skills, but the odds are against any one person, outside the design profession, having all of them at the level of competence required.  Think about it.  Just how confident do you feel at the thought of putting together a website?

Make it look pretty

You may be able to paint a picture or write a song, but does that mean you can design a website?  Maybe, but it might not be as easy as you think.  So, you found the perfect font for your text?  That’s good, but it might not be available on all computers and it’ll be replaced by the default font.  You have every element of the homepage arranged just the right way?  What happens if a customer looks at it with Internet Explorer 6 and the whole thing’s thrown off kilter?  That happens.  A website can look radically different when it’s viewed in different browsers.  Just ask any web designer.  They have to know that, and how to deal with it.

Tech nightmares

Maybe you’ve been using computers for years.  You know basic html.  You can make Word and Quickbooks bend to your will.  Those are useful accomplishments and should put you a step ahead, assuming your site is just a few pages of static html.  But can you make a contact form?  JQuery animation for the homepage?  Integrating a content management system?  What if you follow all the instructions in the DIY website guidebook you bought and you still can’t get that PayPal button to work?  Don’t even think about a shopping cart.  You’ll end up gibbering.  A professional design firm has to know how to do all that, and more.

That gets old fast

Let’s say you built your own personal website when you were in college.  It was fun and useful experience.  But take a look at your competitors’ websites.  Things look a lot different nowadays.  They look so slick and professional compared to the white text and animated gif’s everyone was using back then.  Come to think of it, when was the last time you saw the dancing baby?  The internet has changed, and so have the skills needed to build a website.

The upshot is…

Most business owners, with a lot of reading and research, a lot of trial and error, and a massive amount of time and effort, could probably build a workable website that doesn’t look awful.  But is it worth it?  Is your website going to make you look professional if it just “doesn’t look awful”?  Is it really worth all the time and work you’d put into it?  Time is money and a business owner or professional’s time is valuable.  Wouldn’t it be better to pay a professional web designer and developer to build your website?  It may not be as expensive as you think, and it might save you some DIY-induced headaches.  View it as an investment, which will present your business in the best possible manner, while letting you spend all that wasted time doing what you do best; running your own business.

Source here.

WordPress (WP) has become one of the better content management systems for maintaining your website.  We have been using this system a lot recently and setup the theme, look, and functionality that works for our customers.  We also add custom programmed special features when a project requires it.

Since we have been doing more and more websites utilizing WordPress, we thought it would be helpful to do a post with instructions for beginners. Instead of reinventing the wheel and writing our own extended tutorials (we do give our clients personalized instruction before their site launches), we went straight to the source (WordPress.org) and found some other companies that have already done a great job of putting some together.

Getting Started

(Each of these links will take you to an external page on WordPress.org.)

Introduction to Blogging >

Learning the WordPress Lingo >

WordPress Administration Panels >

Posts, Pages and Images

Creating Posts (Blog Posts) >

Creating Pages (Website Pages) >

Using Images >

Inserting Images Into Posts and Pages >

Additional Helpful Info

Content Visibility >

WordPress Site Maintenance > 
(Note: When we do a site, we also install some helpful plugin to make maintenance even easier!)

SEO For WordPress >
(NOTE: When we do a site, we also install a number of helpful plugins for SEO as well as site security)

Videos

We also spotted a few helpful videos done by other companies. If you happen to be a more audio/visual person, definitely check these out.

Basic WordPress Tutorial

(From Pro-Found)

Adding Images in WordPress

(From HATM Design)

Nextgen Photo Gallery Tutorial

(From Pro-Found)

And remember, if you need a custom WordPress solution or want a WordPress website that doesn’t look like a WordPress website, get in touch!

Welcome to Ask Drew How!  After offering media services for almost a decade now under the name “WerdProductions” we’re changing our name and business model.

Take a look around at info about our projects, services, and some of our fun works of art!  We’ll be getting a lot more materials out here in the next days.

Looking for some media design, slideshow for a wedding, or training for your staff?  Contact us at drew@askdrewhow.com