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Online Sermon Posting

Discussion in 'Computers & Technology Forum' started by mnw, Nov 18, 2006.

  1. mnw

    mnw New Member

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    Just wanted to get some opinions on using Blogger as a method of posting audio sermons online.

    At the moment I use www.baseportal.com which is not user friendly, has started using google ads and as it is free I am afraid it will one day just disappear. My present sermon audio page is here:

    http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/mwickens/main

    On our church website it just links to a page that blends in well with our site.

    I am looking for a method I could just set up, add to easily and know it will not easily be destroyed leaving me to start all over again.

    So, I have now set up a blogger page and I think it works qutie well. It is with a big company, though still free, but I think probably more reliable. It has RSS features built in and has a lot of other benefits.

    It is easy to update and easy to adapt.

    What do you think in terms of usability? Would you be able to find a sermon on a particular topic/passage or by a particular preacher easily?

    Is the download/streaming option easy to figure out?

    Of course my preferred method would be to spend big bucks and use sermonaudio.com or get a professional site. But at present, that's not an option. :)

    I welcome all opinions...
     
  2. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    By "Blogger," do you mean something like loading WordPress on your server, and using that for your church?

    How much server space do you have?

    I recently converted my web site, a portal and information site, to Joomla, a "content management system." It has a section for setting up a listing just like you're talking about.

    So I'd actually recommend a CMS to you, instead of a blogger. PostNuke, PHP-Nuke, XOOPS, and Joomla are all free. The "Nukes" are the most popular, but I couldn't figure out how to make them do what I was trying (a main page with links to other similar sites). They all have a learning curve; I just personally prefer Joomla.

    Oh, and the other benefit to the CMS is expandability, via modules and/or components. I was able to add a prayer request component, and create a module for "This Day in Baptist History." I can also set up polls, and even add forums and guest books, not to mention advertisements and whatever other modules and components are available, through the company who created the CMS or user-supported programming.
     
  3. mnw

    mnw New Member

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    Hi Don, thank you for that suggestion. I actually use Joomla for my personal site - www.thewickens.info. My only problem is tha that the Host I am tied into for the time being with the church site does not support Mysql.

    I have bits of Joomla figured out but I am not 100% sure how I would manage a sermon archive on it. Could you send me the link to your site so I could have a look at what you have done?

    When my current host contract runs out I will probably move it to Hostonce.com. They have been very reliable for me with other sites over the years. When I first signed up for my personal sites they were offering unlimited webspace, which is nice. But now for around $60 they offer 5gigs which would be plenty for our needs.

    I guess I'll just have to transfer it all over to Joomla somehow when I can get a new host for my church site... though someone has probably written a tool to automatically convert from blogger to Joomla. :) I'll have a look sometime.

    Thanks for the reply Don.
     
  4. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Link to the site I work: www.ifbweb.com

    In Joomla, one of the possible approaches is to set up a web link category for sermons, then each sermon as a web link, then create a mainmenu item for Audio Sermons which displays the category.

    Or continue however you set up the V-Missive podcasts.

    Which blogger program are you planning on using in the meantime?
     
  5. mnw

    mnw New Member

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  6. kubel

    kubel New Member

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    I would consider another host for your church site and sermons. Below is from hostonce's TOS:

    Hostonce seems like a typical overseller, and when you read terms like this, it sends up red flags. They even have limitations on saving email on their server. Usually when you see restrictions like this, it means they know they can't deliver their promises (5GB space, 50GB bandwidth), so they place restrictions on file types that would be most likely to take up the most space.

    Most shared hosts assume a majority of their clients will not use all of what they pay for, so they oversell on their servers for more profit, but they still can and do deliver when clients use it all. But there are some shared hosts like this that don't just assume, they know, that all their clients will not use all their space they pay for- because they leave clauses like this hidden in the fine print that says you can't! It's a very dirty business practice, but it's legal since it's in the terms.

    If you want to go with a paid host with large capacity hosting, you might want to consider hostgator instead. They don't have restrictions on audio files or fees for people who just want to cancel their account, and they are very well respected in the web hosting community as a host that can deliver what they promise to their paying customers.
     
  7. mnw

    mnw New Member

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    Thanks Kubel, I was not aware of those criteria. I feel I have been let down by an old friend. :) But I wll check out gator and see if I can make a new friend!
     
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