One website is set to unite the Sydney Anglican web presence, becoming a ‘one stop shop’ for all of the Diocese’s online information.
Chairman of the portal planning committee, Bishop of South Sydney Robert Forsyth says six months of careful planning have resulted in a digital doorway the Diocese can be proud of.
"We had two sites " the site the Secretariat was running and the site Anglican Media was running, which was a ridiculous situation," Bishop Forsyth says.
From October 17, a new "web portal' at [url=http://www.sydneyanglicans.net]http://www.sydneyanglicans.net[/url] will bring together the homepages for Anglican Media Sydney (AMS), the Sydney Diocesan Secretariat (SDS) and the Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen at one easy to find web address.
"We wanted one place where someone could go for all they needed. We now have one straight forward front door to the Sydney Diocesan web presence," he says.
Archbishop Peter Jensen is pleased with the new web branding.
"The "brand' Sydney Anglicans is now a well-recognised way of referring to this Diocese, and so it is very appropriate for sydneyanglicans.net to be the main website address," Dr Jensen says.
"This will make it easy for those outside the Diocese to find information, and of course, it will be equally true for our own members."
Anglican Media CEO, Allan Dowthwaite says the development of the internet means diocesan organisations like SDS and AMS are providing more information through online services rather than with mail outs or print media.
"Sydneyanglicans.net provides news about ministry and mission resources, and the SDS website has Standing Committee minutes, parish services, and legal and property issues," Mr Dowthwaite says.
"Up until now parish clergy or wardens have had to visit two separate sites to obtain this information."
Mr Dowthwaite says it will also assist people outside the Sydney Anglican Church.
"Somebody from outside the church community wanting to find a church or discover what Sydney Anglicans are on about might find two sites confusing," he says.
"The idea is to provide people with one place to go and give them a clear map of where to find what they want."
Manager of Online Business Services at SDS, Matthew Smith says the portal will assist the Diocese in connecting with people from all walks of life.
"It reflects how many people are using today's technology to satisfy their information requirements," Mr Smith says.
"The portal now brings together the component parts of the wider diocese and provides both the first-time visitor and the experienced Anglican with one central point from which they can access the many and varied diocesan services."
The site’s design also contains a click-down network bar at the top of the screen where other diocesan web sites will be listed for easy access.
This navigation bar will be rolled out to cover all of the diocese’ most important sites, making it easier to surf from one source of information to the next.
"For example, we want people to be able to go from the SDS parish services page to find out what to pay their minister, to the Anglicare site for Winter Appeal information, then to AMS for the latest mission resources," Mr Dowthwaite says.
“Without having to constantly click ‘back’ buttons or go delving through their favourite links.”
