Recently, I was given the honor and opportunity to update the Web site of my messianic kehilat, RabbiYeshua.com. It was a considerable task. I had helped my rabbi, Stan Farr, build the first version of the site back in 2001, and although the code had been tweaked by some folks since then to keep it up to date, the design had gone unchanged since then.
A lot has changed in the past seven years. When I built the site, we were not yet delivering audio sermons over the site, nor were we delivering some lessons via PDF. All those functions had been added on in the intervening period. A Web store had also been added, allowing folks a way to order Rabbi Farr’s sermons online. Also, back, then, the height of Web browsing technology was MSIE 3.0 and Netscape 3.0. These days, it’s MSIE 7.0 and Foxfire 2.0. Back then, 640×480 was standard resolution and 1024×768 was considered cutting-edge high resolution; these days, 1024×768 is considered the lowest most would want to go, while the majority of monitors are operating at either 1280×1024, 1600×1200, or 1400×900, depending on whether one is using XP or Vista, and whether one has an HD or non-HD monitor. Heck, some monitors these days are so big, they require TV wall mounts.
In other words, building a Web site these days is a lot more complex than it used to be, so when invited to take on the redesign task, I honestly wasn’t sure I was up to it. But after the first week of coding customization and design specs, it all started flowing naturally again and within about three weeks, we had the new site up and running; it took about an extra week to debug, and now we’re moving forward with adding more photos and content.
I’m pleased with the outcome and glad that we managed to avoid breaking links in all but one case in which we consciously decided to do so. The feedback so far has been positive, and I’m happy to have played a role into bringing my church’s Web presence up-to-date. Mazel tov!