[consulting] Keeping Web Sites Updated

Tue May 11 18:25:23 UTC 2010

Sorry in advance for the too-long message, I kinda took this thread's  
ball and ran with it.  No time to edit I offer up in hopes it can spur  
further conversation...

The important point here is continuity, maintaining consistent  
attention to the site, its content and features.  I think the first  
thing the organization needs to do is officially realize the  
importance of their site to their mission and dedicate resources to it.

This means, at a minimum, dedicated staff time --  a person who has  
the tasks associated with maintaining (and populating) the site  
written into their job description along with time this responsibility  
requires.  Otherwise, program work always trumps site work.  The site  
suffers and when work gets done, the staffer responsible resents the  
extra time it took to do it (usually uncompensated).

Don't get me wrong, others can be involved.  In fact, this is a  
strength of Drupal and other CMSs.  The site's "community manager" (as  
we like to refer to this role) should have the ability to delegate  
content generation to other staff (department leads, field workers,  
volunteers etc.) who are the experts in the given content.

I don't think a developer should enter the picture unless the above  
(at a minimum) is already in place.  If it is not, then the developer  
should make this priority one before starting.

To make things sustainable, I also think the following is important:

* starting from (or migrating to) a hosted and managed Drupal  
distribution
* ongoing relationship with a Drupal vendor -- the distribution's  
maintainer and/or host -- or a Drupal developer familiar with site,  
the organization and the Drupal distribution
* getting involved in local Drupal community events (or starting them)

Hosted Distribution
This is going to set the organization up with a stable starting  
point.  Having it hosted and managed will remove the major technical  
hurdles to keeping the site safe and updated.  A good distribution  
will have features out of the box and set up with vetted Drupal best  
practices -- things Drupal newbies spend dozens of hours trying to  
reach.

Ongoing Relationship
Hiring from Craigslist just won't get them what they need.  They need  
consistency and regular attention.  I always recommend sticking with  
the developer who set you up (if you can and the relationship is  
good).  Otherwise, find someone who will learn the organization and  
provide ongoing support even if it means just quick quarterly check- 
ins for advice on direction or troubleshooting or Drupal advancements.

If you get set with a good distribution vendor, they can provide this  
as part of their service.  It's money well spent if it's available.   
They know the distribution and, therefore, the organization's site.   
Cuts down research and trial-and-error troubleshooting -- rely on the  
group experience.

Local Drupal Community
We have a great local community here in the Twin Cities.  Monthly  
meetups (three regular ones now) provide a place to ask questions,  
absorb new info, socialize, meet great developers and other Drupal- 
using colleagues.  This leads to collaboration, skill sharing and  
consistent inspiration.  All this leads to interest in keeping the  
site up to date and improving.  And it's free (once it's organized).

It's not hard to start -- lots of great resources available once you  
join groups.drupal.org:  http://groups.drupal.org/local-user-group-organizers 
   If you don't have one or you (as the developer) don't want to start  
one, help the organization start one (just post a meetup).  That's  
what we did locally 4 or 5 years ago.  It's why I do what I do now.

I could go on.  This is just a skeleton of what can/should be done, in  
my opinion.  We base our business at Advantage Labs (http://www.advantagelabs.com 
) on this model.  We provide services (distribution, hosting,  
consulting support, skill-sharing opportunities) to both nonprofit  
organizations and also to developers so they can be the consistent  
support mechanism for their clients:
  http://www.advantagelabs.com/catalyst-program
  http://www.advantagelabs.com/hosting/alliance-program

At Advantage Labs and in the greater Drupal learning community (http://groups.drupal.org/curriculum-and-training 
) we've been thinking and talking a lot about Communities of Practice  
as a model for Drupal support.  We think this is the way to go.  We'd  
love to see other developers and vendors setting up this model in  
their local communities.  It's what nonprofits need to ramp up to and  
gain the skills necessary to maintain a sustainable Drupal online  
community.

Barry Madore
Advantage Labs, Inc.
http://www.advantagelabs.com

On May 11, 2010, at 12:24 PM, George Lee wrote:

>> Secondly comments about volunteers 'not following through'.  As a  
>> volunteer
>> Drupal developer in my community, I often find that my frustration is
>> getting organizations to follow through on *their* role in the  
>> process.
>
>> it's almost made me want to *charge* something, as sometimes money  
>> means people will follow through
>
> Agreed also. I think in general relying on volunteers can be a
> not-good setup because it shows a lack of investment by an
> organization, and it relies on the good will of a volunteer who may
> not be around forever. As someone who's done a ton of volunteer work
> for organizations and now trying to figure out how they can sustain
> web sites after I leave -- as well as someone who's trying to get a
> little more income to fund some community projects I do -- I'm more
> interested in trying to figure out how to create a sustainable setup,
> probably with an actual budget.
>
> Thanks for everyone's input so far!
>
> Peace, community, justice,
> - George
>
>
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