<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!-- generator="WordPress/2.9.2" -->
<rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Church &#38; Web Design</title>
	<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog</link>
	<description>Thoughts on how it all fits together</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:49:10 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>Web Design Toolkit</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Different software that I use, my preferred coding environments and third party apps that make life easier. I call this my “A List” of programs that every web designer should have.
Dreamweaver
Need I say more? Adobe just does stuff right when it comes to software, they always have and always will. Dreamweaver is the perfect environment [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/03/web-designer-a-list-programs/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Be On The Lookout</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Gonna have a really cool post coming up for all you web designers out there so keep an eye out. For the time being, here&#8217;s something to laugh at.

]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/02/be-on-the-lookout/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Tyler Stanton</title>
		<description><![CDATA[So last night Mack Kitchel and I were up at the Catalyst office working with Tyler Stanton, one of the emcees of Catalyst, until midnight doing some final touches to his blog. I think late nights pay off, at least I hope they do or else I'm wearing down my body for nothing -smile-
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/02/tyler-stanton/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>For Those Who Don&#8217;t Know 960gs</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It's great because you can design on a proven frame without having to give a second thought about monitor size, fixed vs. fluid layouts and the like.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/for-those-who-dont-know-960gs/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Freelancing With WordPress Like A N00B</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Presented by: John Saddington &#124; human3rror
Five things that will help you

how do you price an install
what do I need to learn about servers and hosting
platform knowledge, how well do I know wordpress?
begin to understand your network
managing expectations

Steps to build WordPress

Themes
Hosting
Upgrades
Plugins
Strategy Consulting

How you develop your business

Where you want to grow your business is where you have [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/freelancing-with-wordpress-like-a-n00b/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>How To Design A Killer Blog</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Presented by: Mitch Canter
to STAND out
to have CONTROL over CONTENT
to PERSONALIZE your brand
to {re}FRESHEN your online image
It Boils Down To Three Tenants:

readability &#8211; if they can&#8217;t read your content, they won&#8217;t
usability &#8211; if they can&#8217;t navigate your content, they won&#8217;t
findability &#8211; if they can&#8217;t find your content&#8230;

Basic Tips


know your craft
know enough html to understand the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/how-to-design-a-killer-blog/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>WordPress Resolutions: What To Expect In 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[WordPress 3.0
Merge has started&#8230; WP + MU = WP

Multisite functionality in WordPress
Version 3.0
Plugin authors: pay attention to Trac

Custom Post Types!!!
Core plugins

suggested plugins but not binded
team development
independent dev cycles
&#8220;best of&#8221; functionality
coding standards
integration with core UI
bundled but not&#8230;

New Default Theme: 2010

Clean, fast-loading code
minimalist design
big blue header ( just kidding) (I think)

Core Development Workflow

Mini-project teams, not solo devs
Daily [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/wordpress-resolutions-what-to-expect-in-2010/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>SEO &amp; Wordpress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Great search engine optimizations tips and tricks for wordpress blogs.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/seo-wordpress/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Start Off Right</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Where did 2009 go? It seems like it&#8217;s only been a couple of months since I began working at 12Stone Church and it&#8217;s actually closer to a year. I have great ideas and plans for what I can do for 12Stone Church this year. Now is the time to make a plan of action for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2010/01/start-off-right/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>A Kindle Family Christmas</title>
		<description><![CDATA[12Stone has officially announced what we're doing for Christmas this year. The past two years 12Stone Church has given away thousands of dollars to people in the community through giving away college scholarships, cars, paying utilities, etc. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/11/a-kindle-family-christmas/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Securing Member Area</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just found this great video from Coffee Cup Software on Securing a Member Area :: Website Access Manager. Thought this would be a great resource for people trying to make a simple members only section on their website.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/11/securing-member-area/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Website Feedback</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Feedback is very important for any website and should be accepted, the good and the bad. When we launched the new 12Stone.com website we posted a little graphic at the top that asked "what do you think?".]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/website-feedback/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Transcending CSS</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I just got done reading Andy Clarke's "Transcending CSS: the fine art of web design" and wanted to highlight some stuff that I took away from it.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/transcending-css/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Maintenance Pages</title>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you use for a maintenance page? Do you use one? What Information should be available on it?]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/maintenance-pages/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>What To Ask Before Redesigning Your Church Website</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently read an article by Seth Godin "Things to ask before you redo your website". Being that we just recently redesigned 12Stone.com I would like to slim down this list for churches specifically.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/ask-before-redesigning-church-website/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; John Saddington Break-Out</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Being Christians, we should set an example for other bloggers. Use best practices when it comes not only to language and content but also with copyright material. It's best to use Creative Commons or Flickr when using images.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/john-saddington-break-out/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>MyCorkBoard Featured &#124; Evangelism Coach International</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Found this article today, thought it was a pretty cool view on MyCorkBoard.org, one of our websites we published back in January to help those in need local to Gwinnett County and the Greater Atlanta Area.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/mycorkboard-featured-evangelism-coach-international/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; Tony Steward</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ If you always take away the negative stuff then you're missing out on standing up for what you said and letting your community defend you.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/tony-steward/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; Nathan Smith, Tony Steward &amp; John Saddington</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Don't keep your twitter, facebook open all the time, just because something is immediate doesn't mean that it's important or urgent.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/practical-application-social-media/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; John Saddington &amp; Tony Steward</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The goal isn't balance, it's tension. This method is not just for social media, but any kind of project no matter how big or small. A framework of thinking, a paradigm of thought.

Technology is last because it is always changing, while your standards rarely do.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/john-saddington-tony-steward/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; David Foster</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The social media mindset is to connect, not to convert.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/david-foster-2/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; Jason Reynolds</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The website is the front door to your church - not only what it looks like, but the words you use to describe it.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/jason-reynolds/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; Nathan Smith</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We should be humble and listen to what God wants us to design, not leave it up to our own imagination. Example, the design of the tabernacle was exactly as God intended with no room left for imagination.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/nathan-smith/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; Matt Carlisle</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bad usability on your church website sends a message to the people that are coming to your church for the first time. If your website doesn't function, they have the feeling that you don't care.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/matt-carlisle/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Ministry 2.0 &#124; David Foster</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Advancing Your Church in the Brave New Wall-less, Wireless, Worn-out World

Re-instate that we believe in Jesus
Re-assert that we are not the Jesus police, we&#8217;re not judges of other people &#8211; people are messy, and they already feel ashamed enough.
Re-gain our creative energy &#8211; Men &#38; Women who love and follow God are some of the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/10/david-foster/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Is Social Media A Fad?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Found this video posted on Collide Magazine and thought that while really interesting, not surprising at all. Love the music they put with it to!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/09/is-social-media-a-fad/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Looking Forward &#8211; Ministry2</title>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing that I've found myself constantly thinking about and working on is developing a social media strategy guide. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/08/looking-forward-ministry2/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Morgue Files</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It helps with your current project, and should you ever need to do another project involving that topic, you'll have lots of inspiration on hand.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/08/morgue-files/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>The Risky Business Of Social Media</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I just read this post, Can Social Networking Get Us Sued, and while it does make a point I'm not sure that I agree 100% with what they have to say.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/08/the-risky-business-of-social-media/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Making HTML Forms Easy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Wufoo is a must have for anybody that builds custom HTML forms. Since I've started to use them for all of my forms I have shaved hours off my turnaround time for developing a custom form. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/08/making-html-forms-easy/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Video Hosting With Ooyala</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Since starting this new service it is easier than ever to upload and post content online.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/07/video-hosting-with-ooyala/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Morgue File: FB Food Drive</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Inspiration for design &#038; content for the FB Food Drive microsite.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/07/fb-food-drive/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Design For Email 101</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Learn the tips and tricks of how to keep your email the way you designed it.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/07/design-for-email-101/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Emerging Ministry</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I believe that online ministry should be viewed as an emerging ministry opportunity for the church.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/06/emerging-ministry/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>BUG Conference</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a first of its kind event for you to get hands-on training for how to use social media and social networking in your ministry setting.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/06/bug-conference/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Don&#8217;t Rely On YouTube</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If your church is like any other hip up-to-date church then they probably have the Sunday morning sermons on video and online somewhere, hopefully not YouTube.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/06/dont-rely-on-youtube/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s Not About Your Website</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Instead of making your site a destination, meet people where they are.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/05/its-not-about-your-website/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Dave Ramsey: Town Hall For Hope</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you think of something that could help others, go ahead and do it. Chances are, it will be appreciated by many and if not you can always take it down.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/05/dave-ramsey-town-hall-for-hope/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Combatting Against Negative Online Influences</title>
		<description><![CDATA[
I read a recent post about How to Make Crack Cocaine, Bombs, and Commit Suicide and how churches should be using their resources to prevent people from using this kind of information.
I think that this is a great point and churches need to focus on where people who hurt go and meet them there if at [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/05/combatting-against-negative-online-influences/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Churches, Microsites &amp; The Unchurched</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Wikipedia defines a microsite as an individual web page or cluster of pages which are meant to function as an auxiliary supplement to a primary website. Large corporations have been using them to launch a new product line, host a contest, market to a specific group of people, and to build branding awareness. Recently some of the more influential [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/05/churches-microsites-the-unchurched/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Churches &amp; Twitter</title>
		<description><![CDATA[What better way to make a difference in their life than by connecting and ministering to them on their level.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.matthaff.com/blog/2009/04/churches-twitter/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>
