We’ve recently released a new set of website updates based on the feedback that we’ve gathered and many meetings and conversations we’ve had over the past several months. There was a significant overhaul of the website that was released in February of 2023. This is more of an update than an overhaul, but you will notice some changes.
Some things are located in different places than they were previously, but with a little exploration and
practice with navigating the upgraded website, we hope you will find the updated locations to be more intuitive.
Here are a few of the changes that you may notice:
- Redesigned homepage. The homepage is going to be the first introduction many people have to the Fellowship. People will visit the homepage to find out who we are and what we are about. People should quickly get a feel for the kind of community we are trying to build at UUFC. It should be easy for visitors to get an overview of UUFC’s mission and values, which is why the mission statement “Explore. Love. Act. ” is prominently displayed with links to more information about how we live out the different parts of the mission. Visitors shouldn’t be overwhelmed by too much information, but the hope is that they can find where to go to learn more about what interests them.
- New Content: according to feedback, visitors as well as long-time members want more information about how to get involved in different parts of the community. Some new pages have been added like a Get Involved page that lists all the groups and teams, and other ways to participate, and updated descriptions of the councils.
- Members Area: All the way at the bottom right corner there is an area called “Members Area.” Here is where you see the Room Use calendar, forms to request a room reservation or add something to the Weekly Announcements, and the archive files.
- Top menu reorganized: since finding things easily is a top priority, the top menu has been reorganized to make it easier to find what you need. However, it’s a lot like when your favorite grocery store reorganizes the aisles, and suddenly you don’t know where things are any more. After a few shopping trips, you get used to where your favorite items are and pretty soon you don’t even remember how it used to be. If you can’t find what you need, try the search function.
- Search Function: Because we all have different brains that tend to organize things differently, it is not possible to organize the menu in a way that perfectly matches the way everyone thinks. So we have a search bar. Type in a keyword or two just like you’re doing a google search, and you should see some pages and blog posts come up.
- Calendars: One of the top-menu items is called “calendars.” There are two main calendars: the first is Programs and Events Calendar which shows the events that anyone can show up to and participate in. The other calendar, called the Room Use Calendar shows everything happening at the building, including outside rentals, and internal meetings, chalice group meetings, and other closed meetings not for casual drop-ins.
- Vertical Tabs: On the left column of most of the content pages you will see a stack of vertical tabs showing a group of related pages. These allow you to see at a glance content related to the page you are currently on, which will make it easier for you to find what you need. Click on these tabs to see more content, or use the top menu to get to another group of related pages.
- Quick Links: On the right hand column of all the content pages, you will find a list of links to each of the weekly announcements posts. For a more detailed and prettier version of the weekly announcements, go to the menu item called “news.”
Weekly Announcements
Weekly Announcements used to be published as a pdf that was emailed out every week. Several months ago we started posting the Weekly Announcements on the website as well, which took many hours to coordinate the two formats. Starting in January of this year we transitioned to only posting them on the website. Although we still send out a weekly email, the email always directs you to the same place where the weekly announcements live: uucorvallis.org/news. If for some reason you don’t get the email, you can still find the latest weekly announcements in the same place, updated at the end of each week.
If you’re having trouble finding something, or if anything looks broken, please let me know, and I will try to help or fix it.
David Servias
