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Websites > FAQs > Create a Website

Create a Website

Create a Site Basics
Framed Sites

Create a Site Basics
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Q: How do I create a site?

A:

• Click Log In if you already have a User ID and Password for Thrivent Financial's websites. If you do not have a User ID and Password, click on Register to complete a one-time registration.
• Select Create Site from Websites in the top navigation bar.
• Click the Create Site button for the desired website type (Lutheran church/organization or personal).
• View the Site Terms and Conditions. If you agree with the terms and conditions, click "I accept." If you do not agree and choose not to build a website in Lutherans Online, click "I do not accept."
• Fill in your personal and website information. Click Next.
• Select your template.
• Select the appropriate categories for your site. Click Next.
• Your site is now ready for content. When you are finished adding content, click Publish Site.
• Promote your website.

Q: What are domain names?

A: Each site on the Internet has a specific address. This address is like a telephone number. A user uses this number or domain name to find/access the site. To ensure people can find you, you want to make the address or domain name obvious. So you might want to choose a domain name such as "mychurchname.org" or "mychurchname.ABCDistrict.org."

Q: How do I register a domain name?

A: If you wish to register your own domain name outside of Lutherans Online (www.mychurchname.org), you are responsible for the registration process and the hosting of your domain. You can host your domain through a local Internet Service Provider (ISP). There is usually a fee for this service. Talk to your ISP about domain forwarding to your Lutherans Online site. Note: When registering for domain forwarding, do not enable masking. This can cause problems with logging into your site.

Q: How can we keep our domain name but have our site hosted on Lutherans Online?

A: If you would like to keep your domain name but have your site hosted on Lutherans Online, you can create a new Freeform site and upload your files to Lutherans Online. You will also need to get domain name forwarding setup with the company with whom you registered your domain name. Note that Lutherans Online does not support Frame Redirection.

The address you will want to give them is the one in the address bar of your browser as you are viewing the front page of your site on Lutherans Online, which should contain a GID followed by a series of numbers
(example: http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/
dbpage=page&mode=display&gid=01016013600968266956417118).

Q: Who is eligible to build a website on Lutherans Online?

A:

Lutheran Organizations:

The organization is not-for-profit and is exempt from federal income tax (under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code). "Lutheran" should appear in the name or mission statement of the organization. (If this is not the case it should be clear through some other means that the organization is tied directly to a bona fide Lutheran entity).

or,

The organization is a local lodge or branch of a fraternal benefit society that is not-for-profit and is exempt from federal income tax (under section 501(c)(8) of the Internal Revenue Code). "Lutheran" should appear in the name or mission statement of the organization. (If this is not the case, it should be clear through some other means that the organization is tied directly to a bona fide Lutheran entity).

Individuals

The individual is an employee or volunteer working for an above described organization or lodge. An example would be a volunteer in a chapter, a counselor at a Lutheran Camp, or a teacher or professor at a Lutheran school or college.

or,

The individual is a Lutheran or an immediate family member of a Lutheran. The definition of a Lutheran is that you must be a member of a Lutheran church or you must profess to be a Lutheran. A professed Lutheran is a person who states that he/she is a Lutheran and belonged to a Lutheran congregation at one time, but doesn’t currently belong to a Lutheran congregation and has not joined a congregation of another denomination. A professing Lutheran could be an unchurched Lutheran who desires to join another Lutheran congregation; is a student at a technical school, college or university; is in the U.S. Armed Forces; or is being served by a Lutheran pastor.

Please also note that you must be 18 years of age or older to build a website in Lutherans Online. Commercial sites are not permitted.

Q: Will you build my website for me?

A: We provide the free Web hosting and the tools, however you must develop your own site. If you need assistance, contact the Lutherans Online help desk 866-201-1522 or by using the online contact form.

Q: I don't know HTML. Will I be able to build a website?

A: The tools provided are easy to use, even for the Internet novice.

Q: Is this going to cost anything?

A: The hosting is free. However, you may incur costs if you need a connection to the internet or if you would like to purchase a domain name.

Q: I have created a site on my computer. How do I transfer it to Lutherans Online?

A: If you already have a website built and stored on your computer, you can upload it by creating a new Freeform site.

Q: I already have a website. Why should I be a part of Lutherans Online?

A: Even though you have a website, there are a few things to consider:

You might consider recreating your site since Lutherans Online does provide free hosting. You might also consider supplementing your existing site by creating a "sister" site in Lutherans Online that can provide advanced features like calendars, chats and message boards.

If you don’t care to create a new or supplemental site in Lutherans Online, you can link to your existing site from within Lutherans Online so it is a visible part of Lutherans Online by creating a Top Frame site. This will allow you to take advantage of being part of a centralized Lutheran site that experiences high traffic.

Q: Will my Lutherans Online website have a recognizable name and URL?

A:You actually create a name as part of the website building process, and then create an alias for the name that will be part of the URL. The URL will be http://www.lutheransonline.com/mycreatedname. (mycreatedname is whatever you choose it to be.)

Q: How do I send our website URL to someone?

A:

• Go to Lutherans Online and click Log In in the left navigation.
• Enter your Log In information and click Log In.
• Click on My Site in the left navigation to go to your website.
• Click Website Manager.
• Select Email Participants under the Participants heading. You may also send this email to up to five other non-participants.

Framed Sites
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Q: What is a Top Frame site?

A: If you already have a site hosted outside of Lutherans Online, you can still keep your domain name, create a Top Frame site within Lutherans Online and link it to your existing site. This will give your site added exposure from our search engine and channel listings, and also allow you to optionally use advanced features such as message boards, chat rooms and calendars.

Q: Where does my Top Frame site have to be hosted?

A: Your Top Frame site can be hosted anywhere you like. You only need to know what the URL Web address is to be able to create a Top Frame site within Lutherans Online.

Q: How do I update the URL within my Top Frame site?

A:

1. Click on "My Site" in the left-navigation to go to your Web site.
2. Click "Edit Framed URL" in the top frame of this page.
3. Under "Edit the URL," type in your Web address (example: http://www.thrivent.com).
4. Click "Continue."

Q: How do I add a calendar, message boards or chat to my site?

A: Your site already has a calendar, message boards and chat built into it, and all you have to do is create a link to it. ( How to add an online form to your site.)

If you would like to link to your calendar from anywhere else on a Freeform HTML page, follow the instructions below. To link to your message board or chat topic, you will first need to create a message board or chat topic. After you have your topic created, follow the instructions above, replacing "calendar" with your new message board or chat topic.

1. Go to your Freeform HTML page settings and turn the "Page Links" setting to "on."
2. Go back to your Freeform HTML page and right-click the "Calendar" link near the top of the your page.
3. Choose "Copy Shortcut."
4. Edit your Freeform HTML page and paste this link into your code as a new Web link. The code should look like this:

   <A HREF="http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/lo_ProcServ/dbpage=calendar_frameset&view=maag
   &GID=00008000001054425896428356&PG=00008000001054772845782330">Click here to view my calendar.</A>

5. You can now optionally turn your "Page Links" setting to "off" if you would no longer like to have your list of pages displayed at the top of your Freeform HTML page.

Q: Can I have more than one page within my site be a Top Frame page?

A: Yes, you can have as many Top Frame pages on your site as you like. To create additional Top Frame pages within your site, add a new page and choose the "Top Frame" page setting. If you would like the initial page of your site be a Top Frame, make sure that the Top Frame page is at the top of your list of pages.

Q: How do I change my Top Frame site to a regular Publishing or Freeform HTML site?

A:

1. Click on "My Site" in the left-navigation to go to your Web site.
2. Click "Web Site Manager" in the top frame of this page.
3. Create a new page, making it either a Publishing or Freeform page.
4. Change the order of the pages within your site so that the page you just added is the top one in the list.
5. You can now optionally delete your old Top Frame page, or still have it available as a link within your page links postings.
6. All that's left now is to move your content from your old site over to Luthernans Online.

Q: How do I transfer my site content hosted elsewhere to Lutherans Online?

A:

1. Click on "My Site" in the left-navigation to go to your Web site.
2. If you do not already have a Lutherans Online site, click "Create a Web Site" in the top or left-navigation to build a new Publishing or Freeform Lutherans Online Web site. For further instructions on creating a site, click here.
3. If you have a Freeform site, you can import your files using our uploading interface.
4. If you have a Publishing site, you will need to transfer your content using pages and postings.