It's in our name not just because there are stories happening all around the world, but because it's part of our mission to share those stories widely and to make connections between people who may otherwise never meet – global. That's reflected in our logo, too, a picture of our planet's continents, with arrows of connectivity and action.
GlobalSistersReport.org makes use of some dynamic mapping features that not only illustrate where stories are taking place, but also groups them together.
Above is the kind of map you'll see when you click on any of the subject tabs, located under our logo, in the horizontal dark blue bar: Ministry, Spirituality, Trends (in religious life), Environment, Equality, Migration and Trafficking.
This is a view of the Environment subject page. You can hover to any of the arrows on the map and see story headlines. There, you can click right through to any of them. You can also scroll down below the map and see a list of all the stories on Global Sisters Report related to that topic.
Stories have their own maps, too.
If you click on the place name just below the little map, you'll be taken to a list of stories from there.
Another way to get deeper into the site, beyond what happens to be featured on the front page on any given day, is to click the list of Blogs and Columns, either in the top blue menu bar, or along the left side of the homepage, where Recent Posts, Blogs and Columns are listed by name – GSR Today, which you're reading now; Visual Life, our image and inspiration posts; Letters from South Sudan, which started on NCRonline.org; Q&A, where we have inspiring interviews with sisters and others; and A Nun's Life Podcasts, where we share clips of audio interviews from Srs. Max and Julie.
Inside stories, there is also a subject bar at the top right, across from the byline and map. In this example, you can click Three Stats and a Map and get a list of all those posts to read.
At the bottom of stories, you'll find a "Say Thanks" button where you can add your appreciation to the count, as well as a social share bar that gets you to your Facebook page, Twitter feed or other sites you sign into for sharing that story. We encourage you to share!
You can also copy the link at the very top of your Internet browser – something that will look like this: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/trends/sisters-inspire-girls-religious-vocations-2981 – that you can paste into Facebook or Twitter or into any email you want to send to someone.
Finally, speaking of emails, Global Sisters Report sends out a weekly summary to those of you who sign up. The emails don't have all the new articles mentioned – they highlight some of the most popular ones. They're great reminders to get in your inbox for checking up on the site, but you can come here any time and click on what interests you, by topic, author, location, column type, etc. and reada away. There's also a search button located at the very top right of the screen so you can find anything almost instantly.
We're happy to hear from you, if you have questions about the site or suggestions for us. Email me at info@globalsistersreport.org.
[Tracy Abeln is assistant managing editor for Global Sisters Report.]