Progress in Customizing BlogCFC

In my last post I wrote about applying a new style to my installation of BlogCFC which will power my church’s web site.  I have managed to come up with 3 or 4 different layouts which are currently under consideration.  Below is one of my comps.

In the process of trying out different styles, I had an idea to stick with Ray’s original look and feel, but change the site colors according to the liturgical season.  It is currently Lent, which means the color is purple.  The change is fairly simple requiring only changes to the stylesheet.

People I have talked to so far really like the idea of the colors changing with the Liturgical season.  We should have a winner soon.  I’ll let you know which style we have chosen.

Aside from the layout, I have been both looking for pods and trying my hand at creating my own pods for custom content.  So far I have come up with a Links pod, courtesy of Nick Tong.  Additionally, I have been able to insert my own feed in the Feed  pod.

Things are coming along nicely.  Next, I’m going to try to get FCKEditor implemented in the Admin module to make posting blog entries a bit easier.

Using BlogCFC to Power Church Web Site

I’ve recently selected Ray Camden’s BlogCFC to power my parish’s web site.  The reasons for doing so are various.  We needed a site that could easily communicate current news and events around the parish while being simple to navigate for users and simple to maintain for parish staff.  A blog style site works for us because the most popular content is parish news.  The remainder of the site is mostly static content containing Mass schedules, parish contact information, etc.

The task at hand now is selecting a layout.  We need something bold, but not overwhelming.  I’ve been checking out Open Source Web Design and Styleshout for templates and have come to like a few.  I’ll add a couple of screenshots of layouts I’ve applied for consideration.

After we get the new layout, I’m hoping to rollout the new site in time for Easter.