In this series, I walk you through the basics of using your shiny new Drupal website. In part one, I explained what Drupal is and why it’s awesome. We’ll get into working with Drupal in the next section. Before we can walk the Drupal walk, however, we need to learn to talk the Drupal talk.
I have to learn a whole new language?
Not at all. Just a few terms. Drupal’s got its own parlance, a dialect, if you will. Some of it make sense; some if it takes some getting used to. If you learn it before diving in, though, you’ll have a much easier time navigating the maze and understanding how things work. Here are some terms to know:
Node
A node is a piece of content. It could be a page or a product, a blog post or a forum topic, or anything else you might think up. You can configure your site to have many different kinds of node types, and many modules creates new node types for you, but they’re all fundamentally the same: Discrete pages of content.
Block
If a node is the main course, blocks are the side dishes and appetizers. These appear around your content, often in sidebars, headers, or footers, and feature snippets of useful or interesting information. They may be menus, calendars, random pictures of your house cat Snuffles, you name it.
Region
Regions are places that blocks can live, such as the sidebar or header. These are defined by your…
Theme
A theme is a site design. Once themes are installed, they can be switched out with the click of a button without affecting the content.
Module
“I know kung fu.” Modules are packages of extended functionality for Drupal. For example, Drupal does not support ecommerce out of the box, but the Ubercart collection of modules allows it to do so. If you ever need your site to do something it couldn’t do before, you probably need a module.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy system controls how content on your site is categorized and tagged. Any time you need to organize products into a catalog, tag a blog post, or classify a suborder of nematode, you’ll use the taxonomy system to do it.
Vocabulary
A vocabulary is a set of taxonomy terms. In the previous example, we might use Catalog, Blog Tags, and Orders of Nematode as our vocabularies. Each vocabulary is configured separately and can describe any number of content types. You can even have more than one vocabulary for a content type (e.g., Catalog and Designer for products).
Term
Let’s ignore the irony of defining the term “term” for a moment. In Drupal, a term is a specific taxonomy descriptor that exists within a vocabulary. Extending the examples above, Dazy Dukes, Articles, and Mesorhabditis (a genus of nematode that exhibits an unusual form of parthenogenesis; see, you learned something today) might be some of the terms in each of our vocabularies.
User
Anyone using the site is a user. Users not logged in are called anonymous users. Users who are logged in are called authenticated users.
Role
Roles are groups of tasks and privileges given to specific users. For example, you might have a Site Administrator role. Any user with this role might then have the permission to modify the site as he or she sees fit. Any user may be assigned any number of roles.
Permission
A permission is a specific task or privilege a user is allowed to perform by virtue of their role(s) on the site. For example, a user with the Forum Moderator role might have the “administer forums” permission. Permissions are assigned to roles, which are then assigned to users.
User #1
The very first user account on a Drupal site, created when the site is set up, is a special account called User #1. User #1 automatically has every permission, regardless of role. This way, there’s always a user on the site who can access anything that might need to be accessed.
WYSIWYG
What You See Is What You Get. This describes text areas on a Drupal site that have been enabled to act like word processors. If you make text bold in a WYSIWYG editor, it will appear as bold within the editor as well as on the page.
Note that this is only a partial list. Check out the Drupal website for a more complete (and technical) list of Drupal terminology.
My head hurts. The room is spinning.
Sit down. Take a breather. It’s a lot to take in, I know, but that’s it for now. So just rest, assimilate, and come back for the next installment on how to manage content in Drupal.
It’s shiny. It’s new. And it’s totally mind-boggling how much you can do with it. The only trouble is, you have no idea where to start. In this series, I’ll walk you through all the useful bits and bobs in your new Drupal site, how to use them, and all of the situationally useful extra stuff you can safely ignore 99% of the time.
But before we dive into that, let’s start with the basics.
“Drupal”? What in the world is a “Drupal”?
Yes, the name sounds silly. Apparently, it derives from the Dutch word for “drop”, which was the original name picked after “dorp” (the Dutch word for “village”) was unavailable as a domain. Yeah, I know; it doesn’t make the name any less silly. Just bear with me on this.
It isn’t the name that matters. It’s what Drupal does. Drupal is a full-featured content management system, or CMS, which is just a fancy way of saying it’s a platform for building large, dynamic websites that anyone (even mere mortals who lack vast computer mojo) can manage. You can create new content, manage user accounts, change out menu items, and do all sorts of other neat things without ever having to leave the comfort of the Drupal administration panel or mess with a lick of code.
Okay, sounds neat. But aren’t there a bunch of CMS’s out there? What makes Drupal so special?
It’s true. If you’re shopping around for a CMS, you have a lot of good options to pick from. And some of them are better than Drupal in some ways. WordPress, for example, is the best blogging CMS out there, and beats Drupal in the usability department hands down (sorry, Drupal, but it’s true). For smaller, simpler websites or straight blogs, WordPress is probably a better choice.
That’s just to say Drupal isn’t the only fish in the CMS sea, and that it isn’t the best fit for every website. It is, however, one of the biggest, best, and most badass. It’s like the great white of CMS’s. Here’s why:
It’s feature-rich. Straight out of the box, Drupal handles a lot of the basic functionality any good website needs, like user management, version control, error logging, and site search. It does a great job of the mundane stuff; all you have to do is worry about customizing the pieces that make your site special.
It’s modular. If there’s anything Drupal doesn’t do out of the box, 95% of the time, somebody’s built a module that handles it. Think of modules as packages of extra functionality. You upload them to your website, enable them in Drupal, and now Drupal knows how to do something brand new, like build webforms, track pages with Google Analytics, or let users send private messages to one another.
It’s themeable. Okay, “themeable” isn’t necessarily a real word (or so my word processor is telling me). The idea is, in Drupal, design and content are separate. If you want to completely change the look of your site, all you have to do is modify the theme; the content stays right where it is. This makes your life easier and your site more agile if changes ever need to be made when changes inevitably need to be made.
It’s open source. Chances are you’ve heard the term but never really had a chance to appreciate what it means. Open source basically means that a piece of software is free for anyone to use and customize (i.e., the “source” code is “open” to the public). This means Drupal is free to download, install, and upgrade, keeping development and maintenance costs down. It also means that there’s a worldwide community of unpaid enthusiasts constantly bug-checking and extending upon Drupal. That’s where all those nifty modules come from. Did I mention that most of those are free, too?
It’s got a fantastic ecommerce engine: Ubercart. As if it didn’t already do a lot, Drupal is a terrific ecommerce platform when paired with Ubercart. You can make catalogs, manage products, process orders… the whole shebang. Like Drupal itself, it’s hard to list all of the things Ubercart does right out of the box.
Drupal sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?
Like I said before, Drupal’s great, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. For all of its versatility, the backend can take some getting used to. In fact, the word “labyrinthine” comes to mind. It isn’t that you can’t do a lot with it; it’s that it isn’t always clear how to get in, get the job done, and get out, all while avoiding the minotaur.
Don’t worry, though; that’s what the rest of this series is for. Now that you know what it is and why it’s awesome, I’ll walk you through how to use it. Next up, learning to speak the Drupal lingo.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be introducing you to the Click Optimize team through a series of posts. I sat down with my co-workers here at our Raleigh offices and asked them some quick questions so you could get to know all of us a little better. Ready to meet your marketing team? We’ll start with Tim Payne, President of Click Optimize:
Name: Tim Payne
Title: President
Hometown: Greensboro, NC. Been in Raleigh for 5 years now.
Favorite book: Chet Holmes’ The Ultimate Sales Machine
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite food: BBQ shrimp
Best part of your job: Meeting new people
One piece of marketing advice you’d like to give clients: To reach your company’s full internet marketing potential, it takes constant attention, effort and refinement.
Favorite example of a successful marketing campaign: E*Trade’s baby commercials…especially this one:
Thanks to those of you who came out to the LoneRider brewery last Tuesday for the tweetup. We met some fun folks from the Raleigh/Durham area, ate BBQ, did a little imbibing and had an overall great time.
If you missed the fun (or if you want to relive it), take a look at these links:
The photobooth photos from F8 Photo Studios may inspire a chuckle or two. Use the password Outlawf8 to see them.
We had only one entry into the video contest…but it’s pretty awesome. Thanks to Ginny Skalski (@ginnyskal) for convincing us all to give Peace(maker) a chance.
Our TwitPic winner was Rianna Mallard (@riannam). You can see her as Shotgun Betty here.
So, if you haven’t heard, we’re helping LoneRider Brewing Company host a tweetup at their brewery on April 13th. (Don’t have a ticket yet? Grab one quick — there are only two left!)
Contest details
To add to the fun, we’re having a contest leading up to the event. Here’s how you can enter:
Make a 12seconds.tv video or post a TwitPic answering the question, “What LoneRider beer are you?”
Tweet out your video or photo with the hashtag #imanoutlaw
Come to the tweetup to see if you’ve won!
Not sure what to do for your video or photo? For an example, see mine here. You don’t have to do what I did — do whatever your muse (a few LoneRider beers, obviously) leads you to. You can share why the beer you chose is your favorite, tell why you identify with that outlaw, get into character or whatever you think up.
What you really want to know: Prizes!
At the tweetup, we’ll announce two contest winners: one for TwitPic and one for video. Each winner will receive a growler of their choice of LoneRider beer as well as an iPod. The video winner will get an iPod touch and the photo winner will receive an iPod shuffle.
So, what are you waiting for? Impress us with your outlaw persona and maybe win some beer and an iPod!
I’ll admit it. After weeks of hearing about and being warned away from Chatroulette, I visited the site. I had some friends over a couple weeks ago and, when the conversation turned to Chatroulette, I suggested we check it out. Besides being mildly traumatizing, the experience got me thinking.
If you haven’t heard of or visited Chatroulette, here’s a quick primer: Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17 year-old high school student from Moscow, founded the site in late 2009. It’s basically an old school chatroom mixed with Skype. The novelty lies in the “roulette” aspect: visit the site to chat with a random (and yes, sometimes naked) stranger. Don’t like that person? Just click a button and you’ll get paired with another one (but there’s no clicking back to the last person).
Sometime in February the site became the latest mainstream internet phenomenon. That’s not to say everyone uses it. Everyone just talks about it. Who does use it?
So who will you meet on Chatroulette? 72% of the site’s users are male. 45% are people age 18 – 24. And many are using the site for, um, less-than-scholarly activities. Which is why you probably don’t want to check out the site on your work computer. And why you may also want a trigger-ready finger to click “Next.”
That said, Chatroulette’s uses go beyond the obscene. Some examples: video, video. Plus, while I don’t think companies should stifle the fun with marketing messages, I think the site poses some opportunities for creative marketing efforts. Here goes:
Position your company’s logo or icon in front of a webcam and leave it up on Chatroulette. Make it eye-catching. Make sure the url to your website is visible. It’s like a billboard – people probably won’t stop and look at it for long, but your logo will get some face time. Plus, it’s free (and takes about zero effort).
Create a game or puzzle like this person did. Go for simplicity and cleverness, but also make sure your logo or brand message makes an appearance too.
Get a Chatroulette celeb to rep your brand with a t-shirt, hat, etc. while on the site.
Make a Chatroulette contest. For instance – put the prize (iPad!) in front of your webcam and leave it up on Chatroulette all day with a sign that says “Visit [your website url here] for a chance to win this.” Or, announce that you’ll be on Chatroulette during a certain timeframe and that you’ll be giving a special discount code or prize to people you come across that are wearing a t-shirt with your company’s logo or using your company’s product.
Tie it in with your other marketing efforts. You know Burger King’s creepy King mascot? Now imagine that you ran into the King on Chatroulette. Wouldn’t you tell your friends (or perhaps share the news on Twitter)?
What are your ideas for marketing on Chatroulette? Let us know in the comments.
It’s only a few weeks away, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already getting pumped for the LoneRider Tweetup. As mentioned on the event page, we’ll be drinking/tweeting up and chowing down on BBQ. Plus, our friends at F8 Photo Studios will be there with their photobooth so you can jump in and document your outlaw experience.
As we get ready for the event, here are a few ways you might want to prepare:
Lock down your ticket. There are only 34 left, and they’re required for entry.
Turn 21. Yes, LoneRider’s all about outlaws…but let’s keep it legal, folks. IDs will be checked at the door.
Buy some LoneRider beer. You can pick up six-packs at the brewery, or stop by local Harris Teeters, Whole Foods or Taylor’s BP on Six Forks. This will help you choose which one’s your favorite, so you can:
Enter the contest. Which LoneRider outlaw are you: Shotgun Betty, DeadEye Jack, Sweet Josie or Peacemaker? Tell us through a photo or 12seconds video and be entered to win prizes, including the LoneRider growler of your choice. More details here.
Practice your DJ skillz. We’ll be crowdsourcing music at the event via Blip.fm and letting you choose what songs you want to hear.
Designate a driver. If you plan to have more than a couple beers, consider carpooling with someone who’s sticking to one. Being an outlaw’s more fun when you don’t actually get pinched by the law.
I’ll be posting my outlaw video soon (as will the rest o’ the gang here at Click Optimize – right guys?). Excited to see which outlaws you choose!
The Internet is staggeringly powerful, incredibly pervasive, rapidly growing (and not likely to stop). It’s a tool of empowerment, for individuals and businesses alike. How will you use it?
We’re down to the last post in our Facebook marketing series. By now you’ve set up your company’s official Facebook fan page, filled it in with content and invited clients to become fans. Excited to start engaging with those fans? Ready to hear some sure-fire ways to get them involved with your brand on Facebook?
Put your thinking cap on…
That’s where you come in. I’d love to tell you some guaranteed ways to get your clients involved, but every audience is different. Social media marketing requires a strategy. Spend some time thinking of your specific client base, and the types of clients you’d like to reach out to in the future.
What would they be interested in? What motivates them to act? What questions do they have that you may be able to answer? What value can you add through your Facebook posts?
A few hints to get you started
In my experience, there are a few things that are more likely to initiate conversation than others:
Free things. Can we all agree this is obvious? According to this study, exclusive deals and offers is the #1 reason Facebook users interact with a brand. Promote (worthwhile) discounts and giveaways exclusive to Facebook fans to keep fans coming back for more.
Questions. Don’t make your posts all about you. Ask your fans if they have any questions about your products and services they’d like answered, ask what they think about an article you post, solicit suggestions for a new product you’re launching
Good news. If your business wins an award, share your good fortune. If a government rebate is approved that will help people save on your products or services, let them know.
Visual media. Photos and videos let your Facebook fans in behind the scenes of your business. Transparency is highly regarded in social media spheres — don’t be afraid to show glimpses into your company’s culture, processes and more.
And remember, building a community of fans on Facebook is a lot like building a client base offline. It takes time. Patience. Consistence, paired with the willingness to change and adapt when when your current strategy isn’t working.
Remember also that social media users see sites like Facebook as an extension of their offline social lives — they want you to add value to that experience, not bombard them with sales tactics.
If you’re just setting up your company’s Facebook fan page, comment to this post with a link to your new page and let us know how it’s going! (And, while you’re at it, drop by the Click Optimize Facebook page to say hello)
Posted on August 23rd, 2010 by Stephen
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