The website takes on different functions based on the roles of the people who access it. In this section, we define the roles for this website, which have been determined by the architecture of the web site design. For each role, we’ll also discuss the way that we expect that they should perceive and interact with the web site.
Visitors. Anyone who browses to the website and does not have a user account is considered a visitor. This can be a little confusing at first, since any church member, even a long-standing member, who doesn’t have an account on the website is treated by the website as a visitor. Also, any account holder who is not logged in is also treated as a visitor. So visitor in this context is simply a person viewing the website without logging in.
Authenticated user. A authenticated user is a person with a valid login or account with the website. Anyone who applies for a login is given this status, and it is not really special in any way except that the website knows who they are (the “authenticate” by logging in with a user name and password known by the website). Generally, an authenticated user is a church member, but not always. A church member who does not access the internet will not usually be an authenticated user from the view of the website, simply because they never applied (administrators can add users with valid email addresses even if they do not register themselves). We may also have an ambiguity in terms here, as it is possible that non-church members can be authenticated users, as they may have reasons to have access to the website, and we will typically not discourage people who want to obtain a login (based on the currently strong trust we are placing in the security features of the website) even if they do not come to church or even live in New Mexico.
Patron. Patrons are simply authenticated users of the website who are also church members.
Special Categories. Members who have special roles in the church may have features specific to those roles. Examples include choir members, readers, vestry, Brothers of St. Andrews, etc. Each role is treated as distinct, and the features of each are added as needed. So if an individual is a reader and is on the vestry, they will have the ability to access reader materials and perform vestry functions, all within the same account. The current special categories identified so far (others will be created as needed) include:
• Brotherhood of Saint Andrew (Special_BOSA)
• Choir (Special_Choir)
• Readers (Special_Readers)
• Vestry (Special_Vestry)
Head. This is the role reserved for church leadership, the pastors and their dedicated staff.
Administrator. This is the role reserved for the webmaster and assistants who basically have a “superuser” status, since they are ultimately capable of restructuring and defining the website architecture and will need to intervene in the case of website problems or maintenance.
Note that the only two roles that can exist without adminstrative support are visitors and authenticated users.