Just a couple brief notes and clarifications on the last post on using Javascript to "hide" e-mail addresses.

If you use the coding provided, the link will look exactly the same as if you typed "e-mail" (or whatever other text you choose) and then insert a hyperlink. The difference is that when the Spider searches for e-mail addresses, it doesn't find it in the coding in the same format. To add another level of protection, it may be helpful to make the text something other than the actual e-mail address (like "e-mail" or the person's name).

Also, in FrontPage, nothing will show up in "Normal" view. If you use FrontPage or another software that has a similar design view, you may want to look at it in "Preview" (or save the file and open it in your web browser to see what it really looks like).

You may not want to admit it, but you can't ignore it anymore - Christmas is coming. The Christmas services are probably the most highly attended services of the entire year in your congregation. Many of those in attendance are not members. How is your congregation going to react?

Some helpful tips come from an article by Yvon Prehn of The Lion's Voice, published in the electronic Christian Computing Magazine, and republished in the Oregon Synod's Communicators' Blog - HELP. (confused yet?) Feel free to read the whole article, but if you're short on time, here are some quick tips. Note that they will apply to ANY communication, but especially during the busy Advent/Christmas season.

1. Get a coordinated effort together.
Brainstorm a message for the season/campaign. Involve all the staff, team leaders, etc. that may be involved with programming and communication. Stick with that message. Use the same words, images, colors, fonts, etc. consistently. Then use those in as many media as you can - newsletters, bulletins, signs and posters, website, e-mail blasts, verbal announcements, phone calls, postcards, etc. Make sure everyone stays consistent and understands the marketing strategy.

2. Use Special Programming as a time of Evangelism
During the Christmas season, or any other time of year, you may have special drama presentations, concerts, services, etc. that bring people through your doors that aren't members. Are you marketing your message (the Gospel) and your congregation to them? By sharing something meaningful with them (besides entertainment) and by inviting them to come back, you could be opening doors for your guests and for your congregation. Make sure your guests leave with something besides the memories. Getting them in the door for the event/service is only the first step.

Moral of the story: Your congregation is not just programming, to get people there you need an effective message (consistent and frequent) and to fulfill your purpose of spreading the Good News, you need to actually spread something, not just get them in the door.

Have you heard? Spammers really do go searching the web for e-mail addresses to send spam to.

Before you go out and take off all the e-mail addresses from your website, there is an alternate way. By using some simple JavaScript (all you really need to know about that is it's a web programming language) you can hide the emails from the "spiders" that spamers use to scan the web.

To do this, go into your web design program and find where the e-mail address is or should go. Switch to view as HTML (this will have all the "techy" code, not the design view). In FrontPage at least you can highlight the section or word you want to go to, switch to HTML, and then the same section/word will be highlighted. This is helpful if you don't know HTML and have a hard time finding your place.

Where you want the e-mail address to appear, simply copy and paste the following code into the HTML:







Note that the "beforetheat" and "domain.com" portions will need to be changed to the portion of the email that is before the @ and the part after. Keep the quotes in. If you wish to change the text that will show up (for example, this coding will show the word "E-mail" as a hyperlink, the e-mail address beforetheat@domain.com will be the link) then simply change the part between the quotes.

Also note that you cannot copy and past this text. You will have to re-type it.