How did you succeed in getting members to use tools at LDS.org?

[kisaac]

Does anyone have material they would like to share? I am looking for a nice "how to sign up for LDS Account" I have seen a one page flyer once, but can't find anything online.

You are probably thinking of the "getting started guides" already produced for you!
See them all here on a wiki page. 15 colorful introduction posters / handouts for members on each aspect of LDs.org. One of them is on LDS account. Perfect for cycling through on your bulletin boards! We handed several out at a recent leadership conference. Perhaps have them printed in color at the local copy shop, have them spiral bound and have it around as a reference copy at tithing settlement for those waiting? I'm going to make one "book" for our stake offices waiting room...

I don't know why you would need to make your own....But if you REALLY MUST, that same page offers:

If you would like to create a getting started guide for a Church application, you can download a Word template here. This is the same template used to create the above guides.

and

If you're presenting a lesson on Church technology, you can use this Church technology PowerPoint slide deck. The slides provide a PowerPoint theme with a temple image in the background, as well as some sample slides that you might want to use. Because the slides are in PowerPoint format, you can modify the slides as needed (adding, removing, or changing slides) as you prepare your presentation.

Note that many of the help features, especially the calendar, have additional PDF guides, and the calendar has a series of videos that would help you get the word out or help in giving a presentation.

[mevans]

kisaac...thanks for pointing out these resources!

Do you know if the church is going to redo this material to correspond with the new look at LDS.org?

[kisaac]

Do you know if the church is going to redo this material to correspond with the new look at LDS.org?

Being a forum member and not a church employee or developer, I couldn't say...

[tomjoht]

I'm glad the getting started guides are helpful. About redoing them to correspond with the new look of LDS.org, I'm not really sure that they're out of sync. The only significant update to the look of LDS.org is that the featured slider/gallery has thumbnails on the right, and the Tools menu is now the Sign In/Tools menu (I need to update that).

The guides are mostly introductory awareness material. As far as getting wards and stakes to adopt the tools, I think the local leadership has to start using the tools before the members do. If wards stopped printing out paper calendars and directories and stopped sending newsletters in email or printed formats, and instead directed members online to these tools, that would help.

Also, as classic.lds.org gets shut down, it will drive more traffic to the new site. Additionally, because the software teams follows an agile methodology, the tools will become more intuitive and user-friendly (hence adoptable) over time. (For example, the next version of the directory makes it significantly easier to upload and manage photos -- you can crop and rotate uploaded photos directly in the browser.)

You'll notice that technology is never the driving message of the church. These technical tools help support members and leaders in their various efforts, but the message of the Church is the gospel. That being said, a few endorsements at general conference wouldn't hurt.

[jdlessley]

About redoing them to correspond with the new look of LDS.org, I'm not really sure that they're out of sync.

The only getting started guide that needs attention is the "Church Websites Overview". The path for Lesson Schedules is not in the same format as the other tools. Also the path for newsletter is out of date and displays the beta path.

[aebrown]

The only getting started guide that needs attention is the "Church Websites Overview". The path for Lesson Schedules is not in the same format as the other tools. Also the path for newsletter is out of date and displays the beta path.

Actually, far more than just that one need attention. The headers in the screen shots are all for the old header. And many of the guides have the path to the tool in the little banner at the bottom that says something like "Tools > Calendar"; that's close, but the current documentation doesn't use that exact term "Tools" anymore (it uses "Sign In/Tools").

[tomjoht]

Ahh, I see now. I forgot about the new headers. Yes, that is a significant change and I will be updating these.

[headybr]

Johnsonth,

Perhaps a bit off topic, but do you have other general templates for official Church use? Like, I would like to get a powerpoint template for our stake media representatives. I would need something with the church logo and fonts as well as standardized colors. Anywhere I could download any or all of these things?

[aebrown]

Johnsonth,

Perhaps a bit off topic, but do you have other general templates for official Church use?

Tom Johnson no longer works for the Church, so he's unlikely to respond to this post.

And yes, that was certainly off topic

[headybr]

Thanks for the response. I created a new topic here: https://tech.lds.org/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 34#p104884