13.05.2013
Dublin and Glendalough Communications Competition Winners Announced at Synod
There were a raft of Dublin and Glendalough winners in the Central Communications Board 2013 Communications Competition. The results for the best newsletters/magazines, websites and innovative use of social media and blogs by parishes, dioceses and church organisations were announced on Saturday by the Archbishop of Armagh at the General Synod in the Armagh City Hotel. The competition was run by the Church of Ireland Press Office but externally judged by media professionals working in the field of church communications.
Printed Publications
In the ‘Other’ organizations Printed Publications category first place went to Friends News (Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin). The judges felt the magazine had a glossy and substantial feel, and was a really good read with lots of variety.
Joint runners up were Links Mothers’ Union, Dublin and Glendalough and Focus, All Ireland Mothers’ Union magazine. In their comments the judges said that Links spoke of knowing what the audience liked. The design is attractive and colourful. Focus had a good mix of editorial content and was nicely laid out.
Parish Websites
In the Parish Websites category the external judges looked for innovation, freshness, quality of design and layout and outreach potential. They said the standard of entries was strong and that it was a varied category, as the parishes within vary in location, congregation and opportunity. Singled out for praise were ‘all those that get service information on the home page. One thing we all forget too often is that our audience for these sites is not those who already attend our churches.’
The runner up in this category was Booterstown and Mount Merrion with Carysfort. The judges deemed the parish website to have a ‘good, clean design. Great use of photos and easy to navigate. The “Family occasions” button is very effective – it’s important for us all the remember that those coming to our websites may not know much about the church, but still feel it important to be involved.’
Other Affiliated Organisations Websites
In the ‘Other’ affiliated organisations website category first place went to St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. ‘A simple but effective site for a complex operation. Maintaining a building as both a tourist attraction and place of worship is hard, and the same is true of the online presence. So this site does a good job of balancing both aspects, with clear information for both worshippers and visitors,” the judges said.
Social Media
The 2013 competition again invited entries for the most innovative use of ‘social media’ over and beyond websites and also a separate category for blogs. Here, the competition was looking to see how churches, church organisations and members engaged with the huge developments in social networking. Communications activity continues to increase markedly in these areas.
First place in the social media category went to St Patrick’s Cathedral’s Facebook page which the judges felt was ‘a fantastic Facebook page. Informative: not only of Cathedral’s events but also of Cathedral’s history. Outstanding photography. The strength of this page is also reflected in the number of “Likes” it has received so far.’
The runner up was Canon Patrick Comerford’s Facebook page which they described as ‘an engaging page. Patrick Comerford’s outreach on social media is admirable. He shares his theological and cultural knowledge in a way that is accessible to others, and this is reflected by his social media following.’
Highly commended was St Werburgh’s Church’s Twitter stream. The judges said it was ‘an excellent example of how to use Twitter. St Werburgh’s Church Twitter stream shows a high level of engagement with others (through retweets; tweets to others and the number of people the church follows) as well as informing others of the church’s events, offering reflections and engaging with current affairs. A good number of followers too.’
Blogs
Highly commended in the blogs section wa Canon Patrick Comerford of CITI http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.ie/. ‘An erudite and impressive blog, both in terms of the scope and the frequency of posts. Lots of thought has gone into this blog and its shows. Extremely detailed. Excellent use of photos. Easy–to–use archives and search engine. Well done,’ the judges stated.