Thousands visit General Conference Web page
By Suanne Whorl
PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - Designers of a Web site for the 2004 session of the United Methodist General Conference (www.gc2004.org) have been overwhelmed by thousands of visitors to that site. On May 3, a record 1,875 people simultaneously visited the site, nearly double the anticipated traffic. Staff members of the denomination's communications agency expect that the number of Web visits will increase before the May 7 adjournment of the 10-day legislative gathering.
Program designers Matt Carlisle and Steve Downey anticipate there could be 1,000 concurrent users, based on the fact that the denomination's Web site (www.umc.org) receives about 200-300 hits daily.
After consulting with Microsoft, staff of United Methodist Communications added capacity to accommodate the anticipated usage.
There are many reasons for the increased use of the 2004 General Conference Web site. Use of personal computers has risen dramatically in the last four years, and staff of communications agency promoted the site as a way for folks in the pews to follow actions during the legislative gathering.
Users of the 2004 Web site will find improvements over the site established for the 2000 General Conference. Video and audio streaming is broadcast in real time, and the photo gallery is twice the size of the previous session. Also anyone is able to track legislation as it works its way through the process by clicking on "Online Legislative Tracking."
Carlisle and Downey describe themselves as "evangelists" for the efficient use of the Internet. As programmers, they see www.umc.org and www.gc2003.org as the trendsetters for what can be done in Web ministry.
They say increased use of both sites is proof that the Internet should be part of the ministry and mission of the church.
While Downey sees the Internet as an opportunity to reach new people for Christ, he warns that people operating Web sites carry a weighty responsibility.
"When people can go to Amazon.com or CNN.com and get things immediately, some of that expectation is bound to rub off on us," says Downey. "We need to be able to offer 'open hands, open hearts and open minds' as quickly and accurately as possible."
When asked if all the late nights and frantic days have been worth the effort, Downey cited a May 3 email. It read: "Thanks. You need to know that just because we are not there, doesn't mean we aren't interested."
