Carla McNaughton - Website Review - Hillsong.com

Carla McNaughton
Website Review - Hillsong.com

Over the last decade, much has changed in communications and media as a direct result of the expansion and growing ubiquity of the Internet. In 1998 the humble home computer was only present in 44% of Australian households with a meagre 16% having access to the internet (2008). In just ten years, these figures have dramatically increased to 75% and 67% respectively, a clear representation of the proliferating availability of the World Wide Web. Naturally, this has effected the manners in which we communicate and seek information by making both relatively hassle free. As we have witnessed throughout history, society has been an overwhelming factor contributing to religious change (van Krieken, 2000) and the technological revolution has had no less of an impact. Religious websites, blogs and podcasts dot the virtual landscape, providing insight and information and also seeking conversions from the plethora of web surfers who access the Internet every day. In keeping with this theme, this essay will critically review the website for the Hillsong Church in Sydney (2009) by examining its aesthetic and usability, focus and content.

Upon initial inspection of the website, it cannot be denied that Hillsong take their public image as seriously as their religious devotion. The home page is eye catching, modern and exquisitely designed, featuring shifting black and white photographs of young families, couples, teens and older parishioners as a demonstration of their message of inclusivity. A clearly distinguishable navigation bar is across the top of the page, and this does not change as you travel to the majority of the linked pages making it easier to find your way home again. However, as some of these pages are held on a different sub-domain or are part of another site all together which does not link directly back to the Hillsong home page, new visitors may encounter some difficulty in returning home without using their browser’s ‘back’ button.

From the home page, the visitor is able to choose which content they wish to view depending on the purpose of their visit, it is, among other things an alluring gateway to other more involved sections of the website. For parishioners, they can easily remain up to date with Brian and Bobbie (the Church founders and Senior Pastors) through their Blogs, Podcasts and Twitters as well as discover information on upcoming events and the numerous groups that are available for them to join which are predominantly age and gender based. New visitors however are able to see online video feeds of Hillsong concerts, learn about Hillsong’s core values and how they are put into practice through the motto ‘Connect Equip Serve’. It is apparent that a great deal of creativity and time has been spent in ensuring that the site looks appealing, especially to a younger audience however there are a small number of dead or incorrect links which can cause some confusion, and an additional navigation tool such as a site map would be highly beneficial to such a large website. Despite this the design and overall usability is of a much higher standard than the average religious organisation’s website.

After the initial appraisal, there is much to be learned about Hillsong’s values, goals and groups by examining the content and its focus. While browsing, it does not take long to recognise the strong focus on community, charity and devotion to Jesus Christ, and the way in which this is communicated serves its purpose well. The language used throughout the website is inviting, welcoming and inspiring. The motto ‘Connect Equip Serve’ which is emblazoned along the bottom of the page are individual links which guide the visitor through the main part of the site. They outline how they can ‘Connect’ with like-minded individuals; ‘Equip’ themselves with the tools to live a good and happy life, and spread the word of God effectively; and finally to ‘Serve’ others selflessly in the name of Christ. The pages are uncluttered and well organised, making them not only pleasing to the eye, but ensures that there is little to distract the reader from the message the Church are seeking to share.

As discussed by Dawson (2001), and Dawson & Cowan (2004) religion in cyberspace is fraught with dangers as well as benefits, however the Hillsong Church has navigated well around this new territory. They have maintained their focus on young parishioners and potential converts by using online social networking tools (such as MySpace and Facebook), without alienating other older groups with consistent uses of slang or other youth-oriented colloquialisms (such as txtspk/text speak). Furthermore, they have used their website as a tool for promoting their message and keeping their parishioners connected as opposed to an online version of their religious worship which can be far more perilous (Helland, 2000).

One final consideration in reviewing Hilsong.com is to acknowledge the Church’s consistent efforts to communicate to visitors and parishioners the importance of a volunteer workforce within the Church. Parishioners are encouraged to participate in community focused ‘Street Teams’ which spend time in marginalised Sydney neighbourhoods to combat issues ‘...such as drug and alcohol dependency, unemployment, relationship and family problems and emergency assistance through our Foodbank’ (Hillsong, 2009). This consistently reinforces to the reader that Hillsong are seeking to make a difference in the lives of their parishioners and the wider community, which can have overwhelming rewards for all invovled.

In the constantly evolving religious marketplace, there is a requirement for new religious organisations to adapt quickly in order to overcome the many natural forces which work against them (Stark, 1996). Church’s are becoming increasingly concerned with promoting their organisation as ‘progressive’ or ‘forward thinking’ so as to attract young and enthusiastic members. The phenomenon which has surrounded the Hillsong Church has much to do with their willingness to harness the changes which are inexplicably linked with modern society. The church uses this to their advantage, and has succeeded in obtaining tens of thousands of members in Sydney, London, Kiev, Cape Town and Stockholm; all of which can connect and discuss their faith online despite the distances between their physical places of worship.

Bibliography

(2008). "Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2007-08." Retrieved 21/03/2009, from http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0.

(2009). "Hillsong Sydney." Retrieved 10/03/2009, from http://www.hillsong.com.

Dawson, L. L. and D. E. Cowan (2004). Religion online : finding faith on the Internet. New York ; London, Routledge.

Dawson, L. L. (2001). "Doing Religion in Cyberspace: The Promise and the Perils." The Council of Societies for the Study of Religion Bulletin 30(1): 3-9.

Helland, C. (2000). Online Religion/Religion Online and Virtual Communitas. In: Jeffery K. Hadden and Douglas E. Cowan (Eds.), Religion on the Internet: Research Prospects and Promises. JAI Press: New York.

Stark, R. (1996). "Why Religious Movements Succeed or Fail: A Revised General Model." Journal of Contemporary Religion 11(2): 133-146.

van Krieken, R., P. Smith, et al. (2000). Sociology: Themes & Perspectives. Frenchs Forest, Longman.