The Internet is filled with information, but sometimes Anglicans have been frustrated in their efforts to find what they need.
There is new hope for those online Anglicans. The Anglican Church of Canada will be hiring a writer/designer to develop the national World Wide Web site on a full time basis. This will open a vast number of possibilities for expanding information delivery and communication within the Anglican Church and with those who may be interested in it.
Desire for information, particularly through the Internet, is growing.” Anglicans Online! is an excellent resource but is unable to directly provide the kind of information and resources that many of us need,” said David Robinson, Program Consultant in the Diocese of Toronto, during a telephone interview this week.
“The national church has collected a great deal of information and developed many great resources over the years,” he said. “There’s a real opportunity here for the church to make that information more readily available to the entire membership of the church.”
The Anglican Church of Canada web site has been online since April, but it has proven to be nearly impossible for staff to find time in already busy days to write copy for the Internet. This has left volunteer web designers with nothing to develop. Email requests for information and additions to the site have also indicated a need to think about this project on a much larger scale than can possibly be managed in a coherent way by volunteers alone. In fact, the original staff proposal was for a half-time position until it was determined that the need warranted full-time support.
Who will the Web Manager be? Doug Tindal, Director of Information Resources, suggests “we’re really looking for a writer who’s a bit of a ‘geek.'” The current job summary states that the Web Manager will “work with staff and volunteers to create and maintain a web site that reflects the General Synod’s mission and ministry in ways that are informative and engaging both to church members and wider constituents.” It seems clear that the role will be one of interpreter and facilitator.
This new web site is to be at once a resource for parishioners and a tool for primary evangelism. The Web Manager will be working hard to ensure that as much information as possible will be accessible and useful to all online church members and enquirers.
Requests for more information about the new position should be directed to [email protected].