Some time ago, I observed a need for restructuring and refocussing. I was feeling that I was being pulled in too many different directions, trying to do too much at once. The pressure, combined with a difficulty with Adsense, was leaving me severely demoralized. I needed time out to rethink, refocus - and redesign. That process is not yet complete, but it is nearly so. Here’s what I’ve concluded, and a guide to the new design concept and structure.

There are three broad types of content here at the QueerChurch: there’s what amounts to simple reporting of relevant news items, there’s news commentary, and there’s more enduring resource material, reflective or analytical content unrelated to the current news cycle. All of these have value, but it’s important to strike a balance. My first response to this was to provide for an independent, satellite site where I can place news links, with no (or minimal) added comment by me. To integrate it with the main site, there’s an RSS feed down the left side bar, identifying the headlines, with links. This relieves me from the pressure I was feeling to add basic comment (usually superficial, rushed and sometimes factually incorrect) to every notable news story that came along. This should leave me free to reserve commentary for the more important news items which really deserve it. I hope that such commentary will in future be more thoughtful and less rushed, and will more often pull together common themes from related developments - such as yesterday’s post on progress on a wide front, towards inclusion in church marriage provisions. It should also result in more news links, not less, as I am able to share material without feeling pressured for commentary.

That leaves the challenge of identifying among the rest, what really counts as “enduring” (that is, valuable) and arranging it and other resource material for site navigation. I do this by adapting the WordPress “popular posts”, and “categories” widgets, for use in combination with the pages menu across the top of the page.

WordPress differentiates two core types of content: “posts”, which are the traditional blog posts, with new material always appearing on the front page, and gradually receding to the back as it is replaced by a constantly expanding pile of fresher material (nearly 2000 posts so far, and rising), and “pages”, which are permanent content stores, but which do not usually appear on the front page - and so are never seen, unless deliberately accessed (which is why I refer to them as the “back” pages). Right from the start, I have tried to use the WordPress page structure to hold what I think of as the resource and reference material, and as a structured guide to the more useful and not time -limited single posts. This has not worked too well: the page structure, which developed in part into a deeply nested page hieararchy, was complex and of varying quality. I’m also not convinced that readers were in fact aware of the possibility of navigating through the pages from the top horizontal menu bar.

The new design, I hope, will be more effective. This is because unlike the previous technology, it is not mechanically generated, but has given me the flexibility to select the pages I want to feature, and exclude those that need more work before I am ready to promote them. It has also enabled me to restrict the listings to a hierarchy of just three levels: pages that are more deeply nested still exist, but not directly visible from the menu bar. (There are links to them from their parent pages). For anybody wanting a guide to the full page structure, there is now a “navigation” tab in the menu, which lists all pages to three degrees of detail: in summary, listing the structure of the top two page levels, and complete, including all pages.

This is now in place. Take a look at the black horizontal menu immediately beneath the Title, and you will see the page names in white.

For some of these, an arrow pointing down will indicate nested pages one level down. Hover over “Queer Saints”, for example, and a drop down menu will appear, showing three further pages nested within it, “Synopsis”, “Thematic Groups”, and the “Calendar of Queer Saints”.

For the pages “Synopsis” and “Calendar”, arrows on the right lead to further pages at the next level down. (The “Thematic Groups” also go down another level, but that has not yet been built into the menu. It will come). And so:

What Still Needs to be Done?

I now have a structure in place for what will (I hope) be more effective site navigation. But the menu still needs to be fleshed out, taking it (where appropriate) down to the third level - as with the Saints “Thematic Groups”.

Also, the content needs improving - some of the pages were among the first features I placed on the site, but have never been properly maintained, or even completed. Some sections need extensive updating, revision, or expansion. One example is the Commonity/ Resource page, which is grossly inadequate. (Any suggestions for inclusion, or correction will be gratefully received). Another is the books section, which I originally hoped would be the site’s strongest feature, but where I became uncertain how best to handle it, and stalled. That section needs extensive revision. There are other pages too, that could with tidying up, or featuring in the top menu - again, suggestions and comment gratefully received.

There are additional items to build into the top menu, too. At present it is a guide only to the page structure, but there are other ways to use it, too - by adding links to some key categories, or to favourite posts. More on that later.

Content Balance

Discussion above has effectively been on technical matters - site structure and navigation. What really matters though, is the content.

Here too, I’m aiming to achieve a balance. I began the site thinking specifically of Catholics, and that remains my primary focus - but no to the exclusion of others. I will continue to track developments in the other Christian denominations, and sometimes other faiths, as well.

I think of my primary concern as the intersection of faith and sexuality, but that includes sometimes looking at matters of sexuality and LGBT equality independently of faith (especially progress to marriage and family equality), and sometimes issues of Church, independently of sexuality.

Within the realm of queer faith, I think of four broad areas of focus: scripture, spirituality and prayer, pastoral ministry and LGBT inclusion, and theology.

The final aspect of balance is that of tone. While it is sometimes necessary to speak up clearly against what is wrong, and I do, it is more interesting and helpful (I believe) to seek out and highlight what is right, the good news that potentially can give us encouragement in our journeys, but which is far too often overlooked. Constant ranting is boring, and there are already too many people doing it. I will not ignore bad news, but I’ll try not to major on it. Good news though, I will aim to seek out, celebrate and share.

Tell me what you think.

Those are the intentions - with which, they say, the road to hell is well paved. I am very conscious of where I have failed in my original intentions for this site, and there is not reason to suppose I will be any better at keeping strictly to their reformulation. I also know though, that some of the original intentions and hopes I have achieved. Some of these too, I will get to, with your help to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Tell me how I’m doing, let me know when you think I’m straying too far from the balance of content and tone I’m aiming for. Tell me too, if you think my conception itself could be better: what should be in here, that I’ve not yet planned for.

Let me know where I’m falling short, by posting a comment, or by emailing me direct ([email protected]).

Together, we can do it.

We can make this the best available web resource for LGBT people of faith.

Related articles

• Refocussing: Sharing (queeringthechurch.com)
• Time for Some Navel Gazing at QTC: Refocus, Redesign (queeringthechurch.com)