The devil, they say, is in the details. Anyone who’s planned a considerable undertaking–be it a new kitchen or strategy for your organization–knows that the beast can rear its ugly head when you haven’t thought the project through well enough.

Want a Painless Website? Get Planning

[Image: Flickr user opensourceway]

Before you begin to think about selecting a technology partner for your new website redesign, you should do a little preliminary planning so you know what to look for when it comes time to choose. Now would also be a good time to do an internal needs assessment, so get your team involved to help.

Start with having the answers to these questions handy, and you’ll be glad you did when it comes time to start shopping for a web designer or put together an RFP (request for proposal).

1. When do you want to launch?
2. Do you already have a budget established? If your funds don’t meet your aspirations, can you break the project into phases?
3. What is the main goal for the new website or redesign (update the design, provide a better user experience, target a different audience, etc.)?
4. What’s the site’s concept? In other words, why does it exist?
5. Who is a typical person who might use the website? There might be more than one.
6. What’s the main thing people need to do on your website (search for information, sign up for something, make donations)?
7. What’s your functionality wish list for the new site (calendar, RSS, Twitter feed, Facebook Like button, etc.)?
8. What are some other sites you like, and why?

If you’ve got the answers to these questions, then you’ll be able to answer questions from your web development partner, and you’ll be in a better position to make a decision. Also check A Comprehensive Website Planning Guide from Smashing Magazine for an even more in-depth look into planning successful websites.

Converting to a CMS Website Free Guide

Need a little nudge when it comes to transferring your old website to a new CMS-based website like Drupal? Request a free copy of our website redesigning handbook that offers more tips, as well as templates and examples to take the pain out of planning.

Request your copy now.

[Image: Flickr user tarop]

If you’re anything like me, Fridays, especially rainy ones, are big days to look around other people’s blogs. I use it as a time to keep an eye on the industry, see what kinds of thoughts are out there and spend some thoughtful time learning. Not that I’m avoiding work or anything …

In a spirit of sharing, I’d like to present some of my most frequently visited tech-oriented blogs so you too can have something to do before 5 p.m. comes.

Enjoy:

Religious Blogs

Church Marketing Sucks: A good all-around marketing blog, but especially useful for congregations.

Center for Congregations: These guys are based in Indianapolis but do a lot of good work that congregations anywhere could learn from.

CO-STAR blog: A client of ours that explores synagogue life. The staff posts info on spirituality, collaboration and sometimes technology.

Web Design & Development Blogs

Smashing Magazine: I can’t get enough of this excellent resource for design. So, so many good ideas in here.

Read/Write Web: “Web Technology news, reviews and analysis.” Lots of non-profit worthy stuff on here too.

Productivity Blogs

Lifehacker: One of my favorite sources for useful tools and tips with an especially technical angle, but not completely.

Unclutterer: A blog about getting organized that’s useful for anything from the filing cabinet to the sock drawer.

Twitter is both addictive and inescapable. I’m always talking with fellow Tweeters I know to figure out how to use it best (like by keeping up with friends and colleagues) without having it take over my every waking minute (like by reading every post about what someone’s eating for lunch).

Paul Boag from writes a nice post on Smashing Magazine’s blog that has a few tips on how to use it well.

Oh, and if you’re not already, you can follow me on Twitter too.