Audio, Video and Animations
Simple animations can be done with animated GIF files - the use of these is chiefly confined to advertisements and tacky clip-art.
Serious animation on the web is mostly published in Adobe (previously Macromedia) Flash format (SWF files), and the Flash browser plugin is something almost everyone will already have in their browsers. Because it's just about universal, it makes sense to use that plugin for video and audio as well, if you can. Then people will be able access any multimedia items you include on your web pages without being challenged to load some other plugin, or being presented with a dialogue box asking them to choose a suitable program on their computer.
Audio
This is likely to be more common than video on most church websites: talks / sermons / Bible Study expositions are the most obvious candidates. However you record the talk, make sure that the file is in MP3 format before you add it to your website. It's a de facto universal standard, and it's compact and efficient. (To be as compact and efficient as possible, make sure you make the files as mono rather than stereo.)
If your recording needs converting to MP3 format, a program like Audacity (which is a free download) will be needed.
If your Content Management System or local technical expert can help you make your audio files play from within Flash, and/or set them up as podcasts, you'll have a nice slick site. If not, it's not a disaster, as most users will have some kind of MP3 player program available.
Video
Video is best done with Adobe Flash, or with one of the cheaper alternative programs which can make compatible files. The video itself is formatted as an FLV file, and then a Flash player is used to display it. It's not as difficult as it might sound. Any good Content Management System will help you set it up on a web page.
If you can't do it this way... you'll have to choose a less good method, which will probably involve users in deciding whether or not they want to download some extra browser plugin or other, assuming that one is available for their computer system.
Last updated: July 2008