Getting the Most out of Your Drupal Website

Experiment Station & Extension Communications

Getting the Most Out of Your Website

Jeff HinoLearning Technology Leader


Getting the Most Out of Your Website

Jeff HinoLearning Technology Leader

Drupal

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• Why Drupal• Best Practices• The Future

Getting the Most Out of Your WebsiteDrupal

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• “Your website isn’t something people read, it’s something they do. Visiting your site is an activity.”

– Industry newsletter


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• TV is a “Lean-back” medium• The Internet is a "lean-forward" medium…


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Why Drupal?


Why Drupal?

• Drupal is an open-source, web-based Content Management System (CMS)

• Database content storage• Allows content control, editing, and uses of

templates• Requires very little programming to maintain

content• Centralized training and support


Why Drupal?

• Consistent look & feel across all of Extension• Reinforce image as a unified organization• Efficient updating of links and content• Easy to navigate • Robust search engine• Ready for the future!


A New Look for Extension Websites



LEFT RAIL: Local site information



TOP RAIL:

Primary navigation (same for all sites)



RIGHT RAIL: Publications & events (same for all sites)



Local Content Area


Best Practices

• Planning your website• Writing• Designing• Maintaining

Successful Websi

te Checklist

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Planning

• Goal analysis• Audience analysis• Content audit


Planning

• Goal analysis– Your content has to have a goal!– Does the content help the audience quickly

attain the goal?• Audience analysis

– Current audiences– Potential new audiences


Planning

• Redeveloping your website: Clean out your attic!

• Do your pages need to be revised, or deleted?

• Identify topics & navigation

Content audit


Planning


Writing for the Web• “If you’re talking about writing, that’s easy; write in

English, using proper punctuation, capitalization, etc., and simple words. Tell the whole story in the first sentence of no more than three lines, one sentence per paragraph.

• Get to the point quickly; write concisely, in the active voice; avoid redundancies; write in the past tense; attribute properly; when you change speakers, attribute first.


Writing for the Web• If you’re talking about appearance online, use a sans

serif type, 12-point (for ease of reading), write no more than five lines per paragraph and skip a line between paragraphs. No need to indent the first line.

• Every four paragraphs, insert a subhead telling what’s coming next.


Writing for the Web

• “Remember, the Bible describes creation in fewer than 800 words, so be wary of writing more than 300 words on almost any topic. What else do you need to know?”

Dr. Tom Knecht, HeadAgricultural Communications

Mississippi State University


People browsing the web don’t read; they scan and skim.

Writing for the Web


Writing for the Web

• Avoid Information Overload• All text = B-o-r-i-n-g!

– Break up the paragraphs with headings, subheadings, captions, images, videos, etc. Make your content visually interesting.

– You can always link to a PDF document for those who want more in-depth information.


Designing for the Web

• Each element…both text and images…should help the reader understand your message.

• Less is more. Use white space.

• Have a strong home page.


Designing for the WebYour home page should:• Successfully communicate what your website is

about.• Be short & sweet. • Put compelling, interesting information before the fold • Grab their attention…or lose ‘em.• Keep them awake!• Tell your visitor where to go • Be awesome.


Designing for the WebCreate dominant elementsCreate dominant elements

Follow nature’s spiral shape pattern to create a coherent look and feel.Follow nature’s spiral shape pattern to create a coherent look and feel.


Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• How do you get the search engines to give a high ranking to your website?– Drupal does this well…– Layout– Keyword density– Choose a meaningful title -->URL


Where Are We Headed?

• “Your website isn’t something people read, it’s something they do. Visiting your site is an activity.”

– Industry newsletter



• Interactivity• http://thisisthefuture.com:• We're building the infrastructure in

Drupal

http://thisisthefuture.com:/



We're building the infrastructure in Drupal• Social Media (Web 2.0) features

– Blogs


Blogging

• 15.5 million active blogs • Use social media as a means of going

where people are in order to connect and communicate.


Blogging

• Robert Emanuel, Extension Water Specialist

• H2ONCoast blog– Uses OSU blog service

http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/blogs/h2onc/




– Blogs• Easy to post video




– Blogs• Easy to post video• Pachyderm

– Pachyderm is an open-source web-based, media-rich interactiveflash presentation authoring andpublishing system.


The Three C’s…

• Communication• Content• Commitment

FCD


Commitment…

Then…

Now…

Next…



We're building the infrastructure in Drupal• A seamless, easily shared online

centrally managed database that links Oregonians to trusted, research-based sources of Extension information…you!

FCD


Thank you!

Jeff HinoLearning Technology LeaderEESC Kerr 422(541) 737-3381