Gospel-Inspired Web Community Sees Light of Day

eXcelisys Sets Up Video-Sharing Platform for Christian Musicians

Imagine a cozy, happy space on the internet dedicated to positivity, to encouraging people to be the best versions of themselves. Imagine a platform devoted entirely to providing Christian musicians and writers with a place to share their work. Imagine “Massive Miracle” – a new Gospel-inspired web community launched by brothers Bedcy and Rops Previl. 

Born in Haiti, Bedcy came to the United States at 14 and got into the entertainment business. He worked as a club promoter and music eXecutive before being called to ministry. Currently, Bedcy leads the youth ministry at the Tabernacle Evangelique de Louange in Lynn, Massachusetts. 

A few years ago, Bedcy was promoting a gospel music event and thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place where people could watch this concert?” That thought quickly moved from whisper to nudge, becoming the genesis of Massive Miracle.

To turn the idea into a reality, Bedcy hired eXcelisys to help him get the website up and running. Bedcy took care of the content and vision for the site, while eXcelisys took care of the form and function, setting up a site that allows users to integrate and embed videos. 

“They are very professional and able to bring my ideas to life eXactly how I wanted.”

~ Bedcy Previl on working with eXcelisys

What is Massive Miracle?

Massive Miracle is intended to be a digital “Garden of Eden” – a place where the faithful can flock to find music, articles and inspiration to keep them on the path of positivity and enlightenment, while also providing an outlet for Christian musicians. “YouTube is oversaturated,” said Bedcy, noting gospel artists can get lost on the platform. “The idea is to create a space for them.”

In addition, Bedcy sees Massive Miracle as a safe space for spiritual seekers to find uplifting content without getting bogged down by the negativity plastered across the web. “We are looking for anything that reflects positivity, or brings positive things into people’s lives. Anything that helps people connect with their creator, with loving one another and sharing that connection with the people you share the planet with. This is what we strongly believe in – promoting positivity into people’s lives.”

Who Can Contribute Content?

“People who take their art seriously,” says Bedcy. To contribute music and articles, the user must register for an account. Items posted to the site can be viewed by anyone. Bedcy’s goal is to generate an income from the site through advertising. He plans to divvy up the earnings amongst site contributors, with the largest share going to those who have the most followers and views.

A Bit About the Website

Development of the video-sharing platform began with the client selecting the VidoRev WordPress theme. This provided a solid foundation for eXcelisys Web App Developer Michael Suhrbier to build upon. As with many non-profit organizations, the budget was tight, requiring Suhrbier to work strategically, weaving desired features in with the necessities. “Bedcy had a long list of wants and needs. As we built it, we tried to get as many wants while completing the needs.”

A few development maneuvers: 

• Increasing WP Engine’s maximum file upload size. Multimedia-rich sites like Massive Miracle frequently bump up against upload limits. WP Engine, the selected host for the site, has a default of 50MB (as do many other hosts). The client wanted to increase the size to 250MG, as 50MB provides only about 30 seconds of video. Suhrbier accomplished this feat by calling WP Engine to get the limit raised and then reconfiguring the code on the back end to allow uploads of that size.
• Integrating & Wrapping YouTube videos. The website integrates with YouTube. A user can submit an embedded URL link from YouTube and it will play inside the Massive Miracle website overlaying the ad content from Massive Miracle’s paid ads (in other words, the video won’t play from the YouTube interface and the viewer won’t even know that’s where the content originated).
• Painting over WordPress. Suhrbier spent development time turning Massive Miracle into a membership site. As part of this process, he customized the WordPress login page to give the client the look and feel he wanted site contributors to see. (Note: anyone can view the site, but content providers must become members to get a login to upload content).

Into the Future

Long-term, Bedcy has more development goals. As funds permit, he would like to add the ability for users to upload audio files. Bedcy said working with eXcelisys was a “good eXperience” and he thought the back-and-forth communication went well. He says he also appreciated never hearing the word “can’t” when he had an idea, suggestion or desire for the site. “I hate the word ‘can’t.’ Once I hear the word can’t, I don’t feel comfortable working with you.”

For now, Bedcy is happy to see the site go live, to see what will come of it. He doesn’t think of Massive Miracle as his website, but more like humanity’s website. “This is their website,” says Bedcy, referring to users and contributors. “We can work together to make it something everyone can use. We can make a difference in the world. I’m not the owner of the website, just the manager.”

If you need a little help configuring your multimedia-rich website to skirt those upload limits or desire some customizations beyond your skill-set, hire an eXcelisys developer today.  Our solution consultants will be happy to discuss the possibilities.

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