Virtually every popular website theme comes equipped with an image slider, usually right under the top menu. Most go all the way across the screen. For those of you who are unfamiliar with image sliders, they cycle through a number of preselected images in a set space on your site.
Here is a site I’m working on that has a full slider.
Love
- Vibrancy: Having a moving element to your page can symbolize a vibrant community of faith that is on the move.
- Space Saving: Sliders allow you to put as many slides of information as you want in one space.
- Automated: Some sliders will automatically populate when you post a new article or event.
Hate
- They’re too big: I know earlier I said they are space saving, but chances are you have some static content that is more important than anything you can put in your slider. Newsletter signups and other “calls to action” often get pushed “beneath the fold” because of sliders. In other words they are moved below what fits on a standard screen. The most important information on your site should always be static.
- Motion Sickness: Sliders slide. Most of them do it too fast. The defaults seem to always be around 5 seconds or less per slide. I typically use 8 sec. or more.
- The require good graphics: because you have more space, you get to use a more detailed image. Not every church has the skills to churn out great graphics.
When to use a slider
- When it doesn’t go all the way across the screen: It’s harder to find themes that do this, but the one’s that do, leave room for your important calls to action.
- When the site is simple: if you have a site where the breath of content is lacking, and you want to keep all the themes above the fold, use a slider.
- When your audience is graphically oriented: Artistic communities will be more open sites with vibrant sliders.