Posted by akgirlt on August 11, 2009 at 7:38pm
Okay so I am a webmaster at a local college (1 person team) and I have been hired to take over a new site that was built
in Drupal, problem is, the original dvelopers are no longer a resource and the site was kinda of half built (still many flaws when using it).
I have used contribute before and created some small sites using Dreamweaver but I am kinda of just jumping in and learning Drupal
one error at a time. I am now responsible for training other staff members (20) on how to use the system. I have full administrative
access/control but we still have no developer or programmer to help me when I run into issues. Where is the best place to go for
everyday questions about using drupal?
Thank you.
Comments
Lots of places:) There's
Lots of places:)
There's here. There's the issue queues on drupal.org, there's the forums, there's the #drupal-support channel on IRC (http://www.drupal.org/irc for details) There's the 'getting started' guide on Drupal.org ( http://drupal.org/getting-started).
There's also a number of fine books that have been published!
Lots of places and then some
Hi - I can totally sympathize!
I am new to Drupal too, and am implementing my first theme. While there is a large volume of help and information on drupal.org, it can get very overwhelming and sometimes hard for a newbie to choose from all the solutions offered. In my case, I am fortunate to work with some amazing Drupal developers of whom I can ask questions. When I run into a problem I try my best to find an answer online, but at some point I have to weigh how much time it's taking me vs. asking an expert directly.
A couple years ago I set up an ExpressionEngine site and contracted with an EE expert for occasional help by phone. Her help was priceless and I learned a lot along the way that I would not have learned easily on my own, (shortcuts, best practices, etc.).
So I would look though the Drupal service providers on the site (http://drupal.org/drupal-services) and find one that might be a good fit for you. Hopefully your employer will pay for it, but if not, it may be worth going out of pocket. Call it professional development!
You also may be able to find everyday answers on an IRC channel (http://drupal.org/irc).
Good luck!
Don't forget about Lullabot
Hi,
I was in your exact place 2 years ago. I manged to muddle through it and I spent a lot of time combing the drupal forums for info. The thing that worked best for me was screencasts. Drupaldojo has lots of them.
Lullabot has a series of DVD's although not cheap, definitely worth it.
Checkout http://www.lullabot.com
I wish they were around when I was first learning Drupal it would have been much easier.
Hang in there it will get easier.
Tracy
Drupal for Education
The Book Drupal for Education (http://drupal.org/node/340820) is a good resource too, it's got a lot of basic information about Drupal in the beginning, and it can be nice to have some of that in book form. It was written by folks who specifically build solutions for educators, so it may have solved some of the problems you are having, or will have once you master the basics. They've got a good development firm, so that may be another solution for outside help.
Oh -- and look there's a group for educators http://groups.drupal.org/drupal-education