Rule the Web coverI happened across a review of Rule the Web on Friday, and knew I had to get my hands on it – fast. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I could hardly put it down.

It’s a godsend for answering the kind of questions your average church webmaster (me) gets all the time. And that’s just what it did. The other day one of the staff was telling me how she wished she could reply from her Gmail account and make it look like her church account. Not only does the book tell you how to do this, there’s even a picture (p.294).

Here’s my top ten list of things learned from the book that are likely to be helpful in running a congregation’s website:

  1. How to “drop catch” a good domain name. I didn’t even know that was the term you used for this. (p.6)
  2. How to create a video webcast. I dream of doing this for my church. (p.46)
  3. How to zap nasty ads using Firefox (p.98)
  4. How to track a library of books. Can’t you see using an easy web solution for organizing the children’s books at church? (p.190)
  5. Where to find audio books on the web (p.196)
  6. How to manage a project. I’m thinking of using one of these tools for the redesign. (p.221)
  7. How to easily backup a hard disk for little or nothing. (p.222-3)
  8. How to set up meetings more efficiently. Trying to coordinate other people’s busy schedules drives me nuts. I bet I’m not the only one. (p.225)
  9. How to set up cell-phone call transfer and screening. (p.258)
  10. And, of course, how to make the most of your Gmail account. (p.287)

I’ll be blogging about my experiences with these great tools over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. Or go grab a copy of the book. It’s only $14.95 list. Not bad for a geek book.

Rule the Web: How to Do Anything and Everything on the Internet—Better, Faster, Easier
by Mark Frauenfelder
List: $14.95