Something for Nothing
News and information provided by others
It's a good idea to include as much useful information from other trusted sources as you can. Most organisations provide Newsfeeds which can be incorporated into web pages. This will make your website more useful, as well as making it more dynamic, without you having to do any updating yourself. This site's right-hand column contains newsfeeds from several sources.
For the local community at large, it is possible to include things like local / regional news headlines and weather reports directly on your own web pages. You can also link to local traffic reports.
For the work of the church, things may be a bit harder, depending on your denomination: some are more advanced than others in using this technology to good effect. (In general, Scottish and Irish national church websites are more advanced than English ones in this respect.)
At best, you will find it possible to include relevant news from your national / regional denominational organisation (e.g. Diocese), plus news from your favoured development agency. (CAFOD offers a suitable newsfeed, and as of July 2008, so do Christian Aid. Tearfund offer various feeds too, but we're currently awaiting an update about their 'latest news' one, which has recently vanished.)
Other available feeds include various Bible verse options and as of April 2009, the GoodBookStall offers not only a newsfeed, but also the ability to display selected reviews from their site inside yours. Here's an example of one of the many possibilities - a randomly selected book from the 'Faith Worldwide' section.
Adding feeds to your website may need some modest technical skill, but a suitable Content Management System can make it easy.
Last updated: April 2009