New Diocesan Web Site

In March, the Episcopal Diocese of New York launched its new and improved Web site at www.dioceseny.org.

“This new Web site was six months in the making,” said Neva Rae Fox, director of communications for the Diocese.

Among the improvements to the site is better parish representation. All parishes have a description page that includes an interactive map with directions. Plus the Diocesan site provides links to the Web sites of all parishes on-line. Another important feature of the new Diocesan Web site is the ability to register on-line for events and to pay by credit card. “We have taken all the necessary steps to make the site as secure as possible,” Fox said.

The most visible change to the Web site is the design. The colors of the Diocesan seal — red and gold — feature prominently, and the picture on the home page changes with the liturgical season.

The Web site has also been reorganized for easy accessibility and navigation. The sections include About Us, Calendar & Events, Our Parishes, Programs & Ministries, News & Publications, Support the Church and Ask the Expert. The site also features a search option.

“Our Web site was jammed full of information that is needed and wanted,” Fox said. “We took all of that information and put in an attractive, easy-to-navigate format that is easy to use both for those familiar with the Episcopal Church and for those not as familiar.”

The site has links to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Property Support, Youth Ministry and the National Church. It also features The Episcopal New Yorker Web site, the Bishop’s Newsletter and the Stewardship Newsletter. In the near future, a password protected area will hold the Diocesan directory. The front page changes daily, featuring updated information, announcements and events.

Each parish office should contact the Rev. Mark Cyr, information technology manager at the Diocese, to obtain a user name and password, which allows the parish staff to update and change the church’s information on the Web site. With the user name, password and Internet access, the parish’s information can be easily updated. This gives parishes an easy way to publish information for the public.

The Diocese also offers Web site hosting free of charge to all parishes, which includes e-mail and list serve capabilities. This would be a separate Web site in addition to the parish page on the Diocesan Web site.

“It is possible for parishes to present information not only to members of the Diocese, but also to the world through the Web site,” Cyr said.

“This site is meeting the needs of the people,” Fox noted. “Now the world can see what our parishes and the Diocese are doing because of the Web site.”

To obtain a user name and password for a parish office, to report incorrect or missing information, or to find out about creating a parish Web site, contact Cyr at mcyr@dioceseny.org. For more information about posting information on the Diocesan Web site, contact Cyr or Fox at nrfox@dioceseny.org.

The redesigned Diocesan Web site features pages on each parish that include interactive maps.

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