Chromebook and WordPress Management

My work life is spent mostly in front of a computer, and mostly online.

I spend lots of time working on WordPress, since my work involves managing no less than seven affiliated sites to our main site- wnccumc.org.

You can look at the site, and you might say that it looks ancient, that there's nothing special about it.  But, I can promise you it is effective for the audience that uses it.  Our webs presence accounts for about a million page views per year, and the downloads of documents, forms and the like bring its usage to nearly 280,000 folks.

I asked myself the question, could I do this part of my job if I only had a Chromebook?

Because my work patterns are so ingrained after years doing it in similar ways, it would certainly be a little more difficult to make the switch, but it could be done.

• The actual editing and management of WordPress sites does not take high powered software or hardware.  It is a web-based dashboard where the meat of the work is done--this can easily be done on the Chromebook.
• 98% of the documents that are downloaded from the sites are stored on Google Drive to make management of those files easier and to not overload the site server (which can happen when hundreds of people are trying to download the same document online at the same time- a regular occurrence). 
• There are lots of photos and graphics on these sites.  Currently, I do most of the editing work on Adobe Photoshop.  After years of using it, that would be the most difficult part of the job to switch over.  But, I have been doing some graphic work on the Chromebook for this blog and other projects, so it could be done with some practice (I will do that for a future post or two and report back).
• Creating/sharing media is a regular part of the job.  I have already done some audio editing and testing of audio projects, so I know it can be done.  Will I change over my entire work flow to move it to the Chromebook? Probably not.  Is it possible to use the Chromebook to do it?  Sure.

I have already done quick editing and posting for the job on the Chromebook on nights and weekends away from the office.  I will continue to do that in the future.  

As I become more comfortable doing all of the tasks that I perform every day for this project, it will be easier to translate the experience to my regular work life.  (Imagine the hardware/software budgets if more folks switched to Chromebooks?)

Another Sunday on Chromebook- TextWeek.com

I spent another Sunday at church with Internet capability.

I spent a bit of time looking for phone apps before worship.

One of my favorite websites over the years has been The Text This Week.  It has always been a great resource for lectionary preachers, but after 18 years online, it has become a resource for anyone studying the Bible and looking for notes and commentary on the scriptures.  It has mobile editions for Androids and iPhones, but this afternoon I am writing about the web version from my Chromebook.

I have followed the work of Jenee Woodward since the site became public.  A seminary grad with great research capability, and the habits of a librarian, Woodward has never failed to find the latest and the best in commentaries, sermons, art and more.

For the past couple of decades she has scoured the Internet for resources on the texts for the Sundays ahead in the Revised Common Lectionary. She has carved out her own cottage industry from her home in Michigan and has provided a valuable resource for all who study and teach the Bible.

It could easily be made a Chromebook app if that was her desire.  It easy enough to bookmark it in Chrome and come back to it frequently.

In the hey-day of lectionary preaching, this was a common resource for many of my peers.  In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal denominations, this is still the norm.  Among younger clergy in other mainline congregations, it is less likely that a congregation will be using the lectionary in worship.

Even if a church does not use the lectionary every Sunday, I recommend it to those who lead in education and formation to use it as a resource.  I have not experienced another resource that systematically reads large portions of the Bible, follows the liturgical year, and can be used by persons across the age spectrum at the same time.

Easy to find commentaries and resources for each of the four weekly passages is made simple by The Text This Week.  Rather than just a resource for preachers and worship leaders, it can become a tool for the entire church.

As I continue to explore the Chromebook as a tool in Christian formation, I will offer some concrete ways to use this website and others in the systematic study of the faith.