Mobile View

This week the WELSTech podcast we look at the set up of private, member oriented web sites.Listen now or download Episode 098 (1:03:13)

The discussion:

Member focused web sites - Facilitating member-only online communication and collaboration is the purpose of a church or school Intranet.  Martin and Sallie test drive a few Web 2.0 tools that could function as congregational Intranets and share some of the pros and cons of implementing this type of solution.

• Ning.com lets you create your own social network – Sample Ning network: welstech.ning.com – Login and test drive for yourself using these guest credentials:
  • Email Address:  welstechtrainer+guest@gmail.com
  • Password:  guest
• Google Apps for education and non-profits
  • Read about Joshua Schoeneck’s experience implementing Google Apps at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School
• WikiSpaces.com
• Box.net
• ChurchCommunityBuilder.com
• Unifyer.com
• MemberConnect from Concordia Technology Solutions
• FinalWeb secure resources – Sample site – Login and test drive for yourself using these guest credentials:
  • Username:  guest
  • Password:  guest

The interview:

(23:16) Member Connect - Brad Wheeling, Marketing Manager for Concordia Technology Solutions (CTS), joins Martin and Sallie to discuss their intranet and church managment software solutions.  The CTS web-based solutions allow congregations flexibility in terms of where and who can make needed updates to information.

• Visit Concordia Technology Solutions online – cts.cph.org
• Learn more about WELS partnership discounts from CTS

Ministry resources:

(39:53) 100 Open Courses to Make Yourself an Internet Whiz

Picks of the week:

• (41:01) Myna from Aviary – online audio editing
• LinkSys WMB54G Wireless-G Music Bridge

Of interest:

(46:20) WELSTech & YOU! – The WELSTech 100th episode is just two weeks away and we need your help celebrating.  Share your favorite take-aways from the show via any of the WELSTech communication channels.

• One lucky contributor will win a WELSTech Sigg Water Bottle
• Deadline for entries is Friday, October 2, 2009

Community feedback:

• (47:46) Ryan Rosenthal from Faith in Fond du Lac, WI sharing info on upcoming SMART Board webinars.
• Pastor Jeremiah Gumm from Cross of Christ in Liverpool, NY is looking for equipment recommendations for creating podcast recordings of his sermons.  Check out the WELSTech Wiki Audio Recording page.
• Following up on last week’s podcast, Sallie shared articles on partitioning your hard drive in preparation for the Windows 7 upgrade.
• Via #WELSTech tweets from Jason Schmidt from Gethsemane in Omaha, NE and Gail Potratz from Emanuel in New London, WI we discovered some amazing resources:
  • Dissecting a Facebook Fan Page
  • 14 Application Cheat Sheets & Posters for Popular Programs
  • How to Become a Twitter Teacher in 23 Steps or Less
  • SafeShare.tv for distraction free videos
    • View a sample (ubercool Post-It Note stop motion) video via SafeShare
  • AudioPal adds voice to websites for free
  • How to Build a PLN (Personal Learning Network)
• Visit the WELSTech listserve archives for a discussion of educational cloud solutions including Google Apps and Windows Live @edu.
• John Shoosmith from Redeemer in Yakima, WA embedded a Google Street View of his church on his church web site.  Check out maps.google.com to find out if Google has created a street view of your location.

Coming up on WELSTech:

(57:50) Episode 099 - Gail Potratz, our semi-regular classroom technology correspondent, joins the podcast to discuss the impact of the Google Books initiative on education. (Release date 09/30/09)

The featured artist:

(59:25) This week we close with the music of Revelation, a music ministry of Wisconsin Lutheran College (www.revelationwlc.com) - God of Wonders from their CD titled ”We Walk By Faith”

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• Send us an e-mail welstech@wels.net
• Leave us a voice mail 414-375-2334
• Add to the WELSTech wiki welstechwiki.wels.net
• Contribute to the #WELSTech Twitter conversation
• Follow us on Twitter - mspriggs and welstechtrainer
• Use the del.icio.us tag welstech
• Join the WELSTech community:
  • WELSTech listserve
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This week the focus of the WELSTech podcast is Content Management Systems.  Martin and Sallie are joined by WELS.net webmaster, Julie Duran, and we take a look at WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.

Listen now or download Episode 047 (41:12)

The discussion:

• Content Management Systems - WELS.net webmaster and manager of WELS Web Services, Julie Duran, joins Martin and Sallie for a discussion of the “big three” open source Content Management Systems (CMS) – WordPress, Joomla and Drupal.  Any of these software solutions could be used to build and manage a church or school web site, and the conversation includes pros and cons of each option.
  • FinalWeb
  • WordPress
    • St. Paul’s in Washington, DC
  • Joomla
    • Eastern Montana WELS
    • Cornerstone
  • Drupal
    • Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
    • Salem Lutheran in Stillwater, MN
  • Open Source Content Management System Overview (.pdf)
  • Visit the WELSTech Wiki to share your experience with any or all of the CMS systems discussed

The tidbits:

• Picks of the week (24:45)
  • Balsamiq Mockups
  • Visualizing the Bible image
  • Sync your password management files across platforms
    • PC – Password Safe
    • Mac – Password Gorilla (reads Password Safe)
    • Sync via Live Mesh
• WELS.net feature (33.15)
  • Church Year Worship Resources
• Community feedback (33:55)
  • John Simonson from Good Shepherd in West Bend, WI shared additional search engine optimization tools from Google
    • Insights for search
    • Search-based keyword tool
• Coming up on WELSTech (35:33)
  • Episode 048 - Gail Potratz joins us for a discussion on teaching our children research skills in a Web 2.0 world

The featured artist:

• We close with music of WELS artist, Michael Schroeder (michaelschroeder.com) - O Come, O Come Emmanuel from his CD titled The Reason For the Season (37:35)

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook

In this inagural episode of the WELSTech Podcast Martin and Sallie discuss “why a podcast”? They also interview the co-founder of FinalWeb, the synod’s web-hosting partner.

Listen now or download Episode 001

The discussion:

• Why WELSTech? Martin and Sallie discuss the thinking behind putting on a weekly show about technology and ministry.

The interview:

• Martin and Sallie talk with Brian Shaffer of web hosting vendor, FinalWeb
• Learn more about the FinalWeb solution – www.wels.net/jump/webhosting
• Visit the WELS Web Hosting Community – www.wels.net/jump/wnuwebhosting

The tidbits:

• This week’s picks
  • Google Calendar – calendar.google.com
  • Password Safe – passwordsafe.sourceforge.net
• WELS.net feature – Forward in Christ magazine online archive – www.wels.net/jump/ficarchive
• Upcoming Shepherd’s Staff training – www.wels.net/jump/mam

The featured artist:

• WELS artist Mike Westendorf sings Climb The Mountain – www.mikewestendorf.com

Get involved:

• Add a comment below
• E-mail: welstech@wels.net
• Voice mail: 414-375-2334
• del.icio.us tag: welstech
• Join:
  • WELSTech listserve
  • WELSTech on facebook