Carpe’ Digital

Of course you do! Don’t we all? One of the keys of having a great looking website is the pictures and graphics you use! But where do you get great photos or animations for your website?

First of all, here are some things that you don’t want to do:
1. Don’t copy photos or graphics off of someone else’s website without their permission.
2. Don’t copy any text off of another website without permission.
3. Don’t upload photo’s straight out of a digital camera. Most of the time they are quite large and will take a long time for people to download on your website.
4. Be careful of what sites you link to. They will change their information and you might be caught by surprise!

Secondly, here are some ways to get photos and graphics for your website:
1. Set up a time to have people from your church take pictures with you. By taking the photo yourself or finding someone you know to take the picture for you, you can get great photos that you won’t have to pay for! They will also be great advertisement for your ministry because those in the photos will be from your church.
2. There are quite a few stock photography websites out there that are very low cost. There are different ways to buy stock photos or graphics. You can buy one at a time, buy a subscription, or buy a CD. (Please make sure you follow all the rules and regulations according to the agreements from each different site.)

Here are some links to a few of the more popular ones:
• http://istockphoto.com
• http://shutterstock.com
• http://stockexchange.com
• http://bigstockphoto.com

Once you get the image you are looking for, don’t forget to edit it so you can optimize it for your website!

DISCLAIMER: We are not a legal resource in any way. If there are any specific questions or situations you run into about copyrights or model releases, please consult an attorney who is knowledgeable with copyright laws!

Churches who have begun to put an emphasis on delivering media via their website are starting to reach folks that they might never have connected with using a more traditional style of ministry. Podcasting opens a door for those who are too shy or too nervous to come to your church and check out what you’re all about. It is a great way to expand and enhance a sense of community by bringing “church” into people’s everyday lives. It enables people to take your messages with them on the road, which can encourage them throughout the week, not just on Sundays. It gives people a place to check out topics of faith on a deeper and more personal level vs. the threatening, “You should come to church with me.” It is a great topic-starter at work and an excellent place to send seekers after having a conversation about particular topics.

Today, the Internet offers us the ability to check out stuff without making any commitments. This is a great thing for churches because people can visit your church website, read about your ministries, and generally check out your church while staying anonymous. Podcasting takes the delivery of your information to the next step by making it more personal and letting people virtually peek in on one of your services, listen to a message, and check out what God is doing within your ministry. It is a wonderful tool for spreading the gospel and sharing the message of hope through Jesus Christ to both your church community and to people you might never meet.

Do you struggle sometimes with creating buy-in for your church’s next big thing as a leader. I think you will enjoy this terrific article on communicating vision. Full Article