combs

Creating a website centered on the current evangelical resurgence in America today proved to work in my favor. For one I was already working on my thesis, which focused on the same subject. In addition, with such a controversial and contemporary topic I was able to find countless sources to support the history sections on my site. On the other hand having so many available sources proved a little difficult. There were quite a few moments that I found myself deciding just how much information to include on the site. I did not want to overwhelm visitors with lengthy articles on the subject, but at the same time, the goal of my site was to inform individuals on the topic at hand. Treading the line between too much and too little information proved quite a task; one that I believe I have sufficiently completed.

Some of the tools that enabled me to complete this task were Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Fotolia, and Survey Monkey. In addition, I was able to find a template on TemplateMonster.com that sufficiently met the requirements I desired for the structure of my site. There was only one problem with the template; it was originally intended to be a site for a catering service or cake company. I chose the site despite this fact because the colors and aesthetics were exactly what I was looking for; however, the original purpose of the site made it impossible to use the pictures provided. Thus, finding an online print source became my next task. At Fotolia, I was able to search for pictures by key word so it was unproblematic for me to find images of crosses, bibles, and or worship. Using Adobe Photoshop I was able to edit the existing images to reflect the theme of my site. I replaced images of cakes and coffee with pictures of bibles and crosses. In addition, I used Photoshop to label the flash buttons. Dreamweaver allowed me to edit the pages of the template and insert content regarding evangelicals today. The template could be edited in either Dreamweaver or Flash. However, given that I personally own Dreamweaver and not Flash, using the html only version was the most advantageous option. I wanted to be able to edit my site once I had graduated from American and was no longer able to use the Universities computer labs. One aspect of the site that I needed additional resources for was creating the site survey. For this, I used Survey Monkey to not only construct survey questions, but analyze them as well.

As previously mentioned creating a site on evangelicals of today was an easy decision for me considering my current area of research. However, there are many more reasons behind why I created the site the way I did. I wanted to not only reach young people through including sections on music and Creation Fest but to inform them o the topic as well. Thus, the site was designed to have areas dedicated to the history of the movement as well as current leaders. In addition I thought having definitions on the site would allow visitors to get a feel for the language/terms used without have to read each article. My site looks the way it does because I wanted it to be ascetically appealing. I consider the color scheme and layout of a site to be significant. If a site looks unprofessional, red text on a green background it would look sloppy or at the very least extremely unattractive. However, trivial aesthetics may seem I believe they are important aspects of a site. In addition, I wanted the site to have soothing colors and an easy flow. The images I used were meant to create and evoke emotions. The cross picture that is the main focal point on all the sites pages has a symbolic meaning. The cross fallen on the ground shadowed by the fence posts symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ. In addition, the image used on the worship page is a good example of worship in many evangelical churches today.

Despite having been particularly pleased with the images, I found there are a few things I would like to improve on concerning my site. Many of which I discovered after presenting my project in class. I would like to attach a link to a PDF file of my entire research paper. As I do not think, it would be advantageous to post the entire essay directly on the site. In addition, I would make the history page one of the tabs/part of the web site not just a link. Doing this would make the history aspect more central on the site. The survey has also caused some concerns. The demographic questions on the survey are somewhat limiting when it comes to the section on age. I had not realized this earlier, but when Craig pointed it out in class. I began to wonder why I had stopped at 30 years old and over? Why that age range? Since the site inception, I wanted to get reactions and testimonials from all age ranges; however, the question regarding age limits my analyses options. In addition, if I had more time I would figure out a way to include more testimonials on the site without making the pages too long.

www.eagle1.american.edu/~sc3161a/site