content first – planning drupal content types
DESCRIPTION
Content types make Drupal flexible. This presentation talks about how to define content types and why it is important to plan the CMS build by thinking about content first.TRANSCRIPT
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Content First – Planning Content TypesDrupalCamp Maryland
February 10, 2012
Carrie Hane Dennison
#DrupalCampMD#contentfirst@carriehd
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I
Balance Interactive Inc. www.BalanceInteractive.com
Drupal
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Why Should You Care About Content?
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• Better direction
• Less guessing
• Do it right the first time
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When You Don’t Think About Content First
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• Misdirection
• 11th hour $^*#storm
• Migration headaches
• Late, over-budget projects that don’t meet needs
• No content at all
• Re-dos
• Goals not met
• Unhappy end-users who toss out the site or Drupal
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When You Think About Content First
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• Clear list of tasks
• More depth to the content
• Smooth path to launch
• On-time, on-budget projects that meet needs now and in future
• Happy end users & visitors
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Collaborate
• Pre-build meeting – content and development leads
• Pre-define content types based on the actual content of the site
• Content strategist leads meeting with lots of input from developer
• Go through site map and wireframes to ensure you’re covering all bases for use of content
Balance Interactive Inc. www.BalanceInteractive.com
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Defining Content Types
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• What needs to be included from the legacy system?
• Review site map and wireframes –where are possible distinct content types?
• Ask the client what they foresee changing
• Name them, define the fields and taxonomies
• Use non-technical, non-circular words to describe
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When to Divide Content Types
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• Used in different ways across site?
• Many unique fields?
• Used in views?
• Goal: Just enough – not too many, not too few
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What to Fields to Include
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• Default - Rename fields? Include or delete?
• Custom
• List fields – name and type
• Taxonomy vs select-list field
• Labels?
• Display fields?
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Think About End Users
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• How comfortable are the end users with “technology”?
• Make it easy for them to update site easily with little instruction
• When possible, set up fields so they do not have to format text
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Example Content Type
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Balance Interactive Inc. www.BalanceInteractive.com
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Balance Interactive Inc. www.BalanceInteractive.com
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Futureproofing
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• Today: content being transferred, some enhancements
• Tomorrow: add information and relationships, new types of content, known enhancements
• Ask the question: What do you see happening with this content?
• Make it easy to go from today to tomorrow
• Add taxonomy
• Think modular
• Think views and taxonomy
• Moving to mobile
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Communication
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• Don’t work in a vacuum
• Demand input
• Ask questions and give options
• Think like an end user and visitor
• Be creative and push your boundaries
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Conclusion
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• Avoid snowball effect
• Embrace the creativity that Drupal allows
• Everyone is happy – no do overs, time for fun things
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QUESTIONS?
Contact me: [email protected]
Follow me: @carriehd
View slides: http://slidesha.re/w4IhtE