# What Does a Webmaster Do?



## KMK (Feb 7, 2014)

If we hire a webmaster to run our church website, what would we be hiring him to do? What are typical duties for a webmaster?


----------



## Edward (Feb 7, 2014)

Design, maintain, and update the web site, while keeping it secure.


----------



## jwithnell (Feb 7, 2014)

It depends on how specialized you want her to be. It might be fair to compare it to a restaurant where in a small operation you have an owner who does everything from cook to lock up at night, whereas in a big establishment you have an executive chef, a few sous chefs, specialists like pastry chefs, line cooks, etc., etc. not counting management and the waitstaff. A church might have someone who designs the site to begin with, someone who looks after the technical aspects, and someone else who acts as an editor for content who can track info that comes from several sources (the pastor, ministry leaders, musicians and others). Like Edward mentioned, security can be a key issue. I also think it's important to make sure your site is up-to-date. Nothing looks more dead to me than a site with out-of-date info or one that hasn't been changed in _years_.


----------



## Edward (Feb 7, 2014)

jwithnell said:


> Nothing looks more dead to me than a site with out-of-date info or one that hasn't been changed in years.



Yes, setting up a website is quite easy. Maintaining one to keep both the information and the function current is what takes effort. 

I would suggest when interviewing candidates that you ask them what they think about Flash. If they think it is a vital tool for a church website, you might want to thank them and keep looking. And make sure that he or she knows how to make it display nicely on both traditional screens and mobile. 

Make sure the agreement makes clear that you all, not the webmaster, owns the site name and address, and that the church, not the webmaster, controls the relationship to the hosting service.


----------



## KMK (Feb 7, 2014)

Edward said:


> jwithnell said:
> 
> 
> > Nothing looks more dead to me than a site with out-of-date info or one that hasn't been changed in years.
> ...



What is 'Flash' and why should it be avoided? I hadn't thought about making it mobile device friendly. Good thought.


----------



## Edward (Feb 7, 2014)

Adobe Flash is a useful tool, but it does not work on many mobile devices, and it is overused by the 'hip' churches, who may make you sit through a movie or an animation before you can get into their site. What I call 'flash-happy' sites tend to concentrate on entertainment for their 'worship' services. And if you don't have Flash on your computer or device, you can't get into their website. (Some of the more rational of the Flash-happy crowd will give you a small link to click to view a stripped down version of the website). \


----------



## jandrusk (Feb 7, 2014)

Edward said:


> Design, maintain, and update the web site, while keeping it secure.


I would not say secure as most webmasters are not security analysts/engineers like yours truely. If he does not understand web security you would want to engage a security professional to at least conduct an initial vulnerability assessment before going live.


----------



## jwithnell (Feb 7, 2014)

Asking about responsive design might be your best bet rather than focusing on a specific tool. Really it's crazy not to be set up across multiple platforms, and Flash is just one of the pitfalls, though I guess it could be indicative of someone's mindset.


----------



## KMK (Feb 8, 2014)

jandrusk said:


> Edward said:
> 
> 
> > Design, maintain, and update the web site, while keeping it secure.
> ...



What are the security risks? We don't process any monetary transactions.


----------



## jwithnell (Feb 8, 2014)

You could inadvertently pass along email addresses, have inappropriate materials posted on the site, and infect visitors with everything from popup ads to viruses.


----------



## Edward (Feb 8, 2014)

KMK said:


> What are the security risks?



In addition, have your site hijacked by those promoting an anti-Christian agenda. 



KMK said:


> We don't process any monetary transactions.



You don't now, but at some point you might do so.


----------



## KMK (Feb 8, 2014)

jwithnell said:


> You could inadvertently pass along email addresses, have inappropriate materials posted on the site, and infect visitors with everything from popup ads to viruses.



Wow. I had no idea having a website was so dangerous. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Eved (Feb 8, 2014)

Edward said:


> KMK said:
> 
> 
> > We don't process any monetary transactions.
> ...



 My father tithes through an app on his phone linked to the church website. It could happen.....I wish it wouldn't...


----------



## Andrew P.C. (Feb 8, 2014)

You want someone fluent in JavaScript, css3, html 5, and it wouldn't hurt for him to know php and mysql.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I437 using Tapatalk


----------



## Edward (Feb 8, 2014)

Eved said:


> My father tithes through an app on his phone linked to the church website.



We don't take tithes through the website but have done contributions for non-budgeted giving (primarily disaster relief, although we tend to channel that through other organizations) and have used it to accept payments for retreats/youth trips. I would see less of a need at churches that don't have such programs.


----------



## jandrusk (Feb 8, 2014)

I can help you out with securing it if you want. Just send me a private message if your interested.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


----------



## BradVos (Feb 17, 2014)

I would definitely concur that you need to have a mobile friendly (responsive) site. I wouldn't bother hiring someone if they can't offer you that.


----------



## Semper Fidelis (Feb 21, 2014)

I would recommend a site built upon a platform such as Wordpress. Once set up it can be easily maintained by staff with some training. Select a hosting provider that provides managed services that secure and monitor your site as the site will never remain static. The principle issue with Flash websites, by the way, is relevance. You need key text to be found on the Internet.


----------



## BradVos (Feb 21, 2014)

I would agree with Rich. You can hire someone to do the initial work. There are multiple designers that are part of this board. You can also figure it out via a site like ChurchWP.net.


----------



## Edward (Feb 21, 2014)

BradVos said:


> You can also figure it out via a site like ChurchWP.net.



Looks like there is some useful stuff there, but the site could use a bit of copyediting.


----------

