EDIT dated 5/30/07. If you plan on presenting something, could you please add a short blurb below as to what you will cover for next week's Drupal meetup? It's scheduled for Tuesday, 6/5, which is right around the corner.
I'm hoping someone with Drupal experience will step forward and give a short "Welcome to Drupal" presentation. In addition, could we have a few folks step forward and volunteer to give module presentations/overviews? Simply pick a module that you're familiar with and that you know others could definitely use and give a 10-15 minute overview of it. I've volunteered to give a short overview of the Organic Groups module (I'm still learning it!) unless, of course, an OG expert steps forward. :)
I also think theming in general would be very much appreciated, so could someone please volunteer to show us how to do some basic theming?
After some presentations, we'll split up into smaller groups where folks can move around as they please to learn about this or that and speak with different people, network, etc.
Thanks!
EDIT dated 5/17/07. Our June meetup has been rescheduled for Tuesday, 6/5.
EDIT dated 5/7/07. At our May meetup, we had a few folks throw out potential meeting locations for our June 6th meetup, and our next step is to firm up the location. So if folks are reading this and you have a potential meeting place, please report back. We need a place that will hold...hmmm...20 warm and eager to learn bodies, and it really needs to have wi-fi. A bare wall (if a projector screen isn't available) in case anyone wants to project a presentation would be nice as well. It would be nice to finalize things soon - the sooner the better. :)
Hello Austin and Central Texas Drupalers!
I'm just throwing out some ideas so please throw in any ideas you may have.
Several folks at the 4/4 meeting mentioned that, although they enjoy and appreciate meeting someplace like Dog and Duck to network informally, make new friends, learn about Drupal, grab a bite and drink a beer... that they would like a bit more structure perhaps once each quarter where they can sit and watch a large screen (vs. crowding around a laptop) while folks present/discuss their Drupal-based web sites and present/discuss some of the contributed modules being utilized for their respective web sites - a Drupal Showcase if you will. In addition, we had a few folks agreed that something along the lines of "Drupal for Beginners" would also be nice.
I agree with these ideas and support them so I'm proposing to the Austin Group that we go with Wednesday, June 6, for our "Drupal for Beginners & Drupal Showcase" presentations. Basically, it seems attendees desire a higher exchange of knowledge at least once a quarter, but...
We need volunteers to make this work, and I'm talking more than 2-3 persons.
1. "Drupal for Beginners" presentation
Can we have someone who is fairly knowledgeable with Drupal to step up to the plate and volunteer to do the "Drupal for Beginners" presentation? I'm not really qualified and there are some excellent folks that could lead the way on this (hint hint - David and Todd!). However, I want to point out that we'll need to keep things at a very basic level since it is for beginners and to not get too much into the details (e.g., no server load balancing discussions ;) ) I figure that we can have the "Drupal for Beginners" go for...hmmm... 30-45 minutes or maybe a max of one hour? The intent of this high-level presentation would be to cover what Drupal is good for, its core modules, etc.
2. "Drupal Showcase" presentations
I'll volunteer to do one of the "Drupal Showcase" presentations for June 6, and I want to do it on Organic Groups (nothing better than self-imposed pressure!). I figure we can have individual "Drupal Showcase" presentations for...hmmm... what, 15-20 minutes each which would allow...hmmm... what, 3-5 folks to present, or more if we go later?
3. Logistics
We'll need someone to volunteer a space that can accommodate...I'm guessing maybe...hmmm... what - 15-20 folks? And some folks will want to eat dinner and perhaps have an alcoholic beverage or at least a soda. Maybe someone out there is really wanting to sponsor pizza night for our 6/6 meetup? :)
Just my $0.02. ;) Please add your ideas on what you would like to see and learn, as well as anything you'd like to contribute.
So, if you're interested in attending the 6/6 meetup, PLEASE reply below with "YES" in your comment header.
By the way, here is the drupal.org showcase and here is the drupalsites.net showcase. Enjoy.
Walt Esquivel, MBA; MA; President, Wellness Corps; Captain, USMC (Veteran)
$50 Hosting Discount Helps Projects Needing Financing
Comments
YES
I don't know what the future may bring, but I hope it may bring me back down to Austin for the evening.
Likely, by the time this June meeting happens, anyone who had early on questions will have discovered the answers. However, this will serve well any newcomers coming new. Please check out my wiki page to collab on a Beginning Drupal session structure*.
-bronius
YES
I would be glad to present in the future as well, just let me know topics
Jeremy
YES
Sounds good to me. As we discussed at the Dog & Duck, I'll check with Carlyn about getting official authorization to use that big conference room at 8th & Congress too. The parking downtown is a bit pricey and lobby security has to let everybody in. She can check to see if bringing in food will put someone's panties in a twist. But the space is very nice.
It'd be a good idea to work in parallel and see what other options people have available. No sense passing up a better choice just 'cause we have something that's easy to lock in.
Brian
I've been beta testing so long that doing the wrong thing has become almost instinctive.
Yes
I'm looking for a general what-the-heck-can-this-tool-do intro to Drupal. I know the problem is that the answer is really complex, but surely we can get an overview of the main features that fits in a half hour or so. My personal interest is in the CRM aspects of Drupal when managing a large base of volunteers. I also want to know how you can figure out which modules are more stable and how to troubleshoot them after you add them. A list of books and websites that are good resources would also be handy. I can probably think up more questions during the talk, but these are the ones that are burning right now.
I dont know what anyone
I dont know what anyone else's plans are for the near term but id be happy to meet a few of you and get you acquainted with the overview of drupal and where it is headed as well as some of the useful tools that i use to manage and develop drupal sites on. I suggested this for SXSW but people wanted a break from tech to just be more social. Our drupal crash course might include:
The rest depends on what you are working on but this type of information should arm you decently well for that battle. If anyone is interested about getting together for something like this just let me know (contact form) and we'll arrange a time and place. The more the merrier. I ask only that those who join are willing to volunteer some of their future time to teach someone else what they learn. I'm trying to encourage good development practice one drupaller at a time and hoping others spread the word. I obviously wont actually know if you do this but it makes me feel better knowing that you at least agreed to do it.
Drupal Themer for Local Startup
Sorry I couldn't make the meeting last week, I would have loved to be there. It seems like there is a budding drupal community here in Austin!
I could really use the help of a drupal themer for my website. I have created a very cool site that finds work projects for Stay at Home Moms and, at the same time, provides small businesses with high caliber help at an affordable rate.
This is version 1.0, I have a fantastic programmer, just need someone with good theming skills. This would be a paid, contractor position.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Best regards,
Adam