Posts filed under DrupalCon
DrupalCon San Francisco: sponsorship and session proposals
In case you haven’t heard, DrupalCon San Francisco is fast approaching. The conference, from April 19th through the 21st, promises to be the largest Drupal gathering of its kind, and we’re excited to be able to sponsor and attend.We also have several session proposal that are currently open for voting. Here is a quick overview of the sessions our team members have proposed:
Drupal for Learning: A Case Study
Presented by Justin Toupin, Brad Bowman and Jon Clark
Track: Under the HoodThis January, we launched a Drupal-based redesign of Poynter’s News University, the world’s leading journalism education website. In this case study, we’ll cover the design and technical challenges we faced, as outlined in Justin’s recent post. We’ll also touch on what we’re pushing forward in new online learning projects.
You should vote for the Drupal for Learning: A Case Study session here.
Enhancing Drupal Interfaces Javascript and Flash
Presented by Scott Reynen and Ken Woodworth
Track: Design, Theme, and UsabilitySimple well-stuctured Drupal markup is accessible on nearly all existing web browsing devices, and very likely devices that don’t even exist yet. JavaScript and Flash, on the other hand, can provide much more compelling user interfaces. We will discuss using the best of both worlds in Drupal, how to get all the interface niceties of JavaScript and Flash without sacrificing the broad accessibility of HTML.
We’ll take a look at two specific case studies of Drupal sites with interfaces that work well without JavaScript or Flash, but work even better with both: the United Nations Development Programme’s adaptationlearning.net and Richardson Sports, a leading sports apparel manufacturer.
You should vote for the Enhancing Drupal Interfaces Javascript and Flash session here.
Efficient Workflow for Design and Development Projects
Presented by Justin Toupin and Jon Clark
Track: Providing Professional Drupal ServicesWe’ll take a look at how we moves Drupal projects from concept, to design, to production, using Drupal as the technical backbone for much of the process. We’ll discuss how we communicate with clients and manage expectations. We’ll also touch on lessons learned and things we do differently after 10 years of doing business.
You should vote for the Efficient Workflow for Design and Development Projects session here.
Defining and Pitching Your Process
Presented by Jon Clark
Track: Providing Professional Drupal ServicesEffectively communicating how you work is a powerful way to convince clients to choose you. Before they make a decision, potential clients want to know what working with you will be like, and need to be confident that it will not only be effective, but that they’ll be comfortable in the process. This session will offer insights into thinking through your own work process, how to communicate that to decision makers, and the key role this will play in setting client expectations for the project.
You should vote for the Defining and Pitching Your Process session here.
Best Practices for Managing a Drupal Firm
Panel members: Glenn Hilton, Dave Terry, Jeff Walpole, Jennifer Hols, Eric Gundersen, Ben Finklea, Liza Kindred, Jon Clark
Track: Providing Professional Drupal ServicesIn this panel discussion, we will look beyond the technology side of Drupal and dig into the business end of what it takes to run a successful Drupal agency. We’ll touch on critical subject matter topics in areas like sales, recruiting, accounting, human resources, and how to effectively market your services. The panel members represent Drupal shops that include ImageX, Mediacurrent Media, Phase2 Technology, Development Seed, Volacci and Lullabot.
You should vote for the Best Practices for Managing a Drupal Firm panel discussion here.
DrupalCon Paris Debriefing
A week after DrupalCon Paris, our team is still talking about the conference, and trying to find some good crêpes. You may say that any conference in Paris is worth going to, and I would not argue with you. Paris is a beautiful city. But DrupalCon also did not disappoint. There were plenty of interesting sessions, conversations, and people to make the trip worthwhile in any city.Here are some thoughts from a few of us at Aten who attended:
- Scott Reynen
I really enjoyed the Ice Cream Sprint before DrupalCon. It was my first experience working on Drupal core and I found the Drupal community makes it really easy to get involved. It was great to meet so many people I’d only seen as usernames previously.
- Brad Bowman
As always, I think my favorite part was connecting with people who I interact with in the issues queues and irc on a daily basis but rarely get to see.
It’s a great experience to connect face to face and learn from other peoples experience and ideas. Whether it was talking with people about dealing with large data imports, improving the design and development process, or managing an effective communications strategy, I was consistently walking away from conversations with a combination of affirmation for our current path, and plenty to think about for the future.
- Justin Toupin
I can’t think of a better, more inspirational setting for this kind of event. The conference was stacked with informative talks, and full of people doing a huge range of work with Drupal. The resulting breadth of perspectives was powerful.
I was particularly pleased (and surprised) to hear as much talk as there was about an “iterative approach.” We’ve been talking about, implementing, and refining an iterative process for several years now, with really positive results. It was good to hear about others’ experiences in a similar direction.
As Jon already pointed out, the city itself is beautiful — what better setting for discussing strategy around development, design and communication than the cafes, metro cars and museums of Paris.
We left excited and inspired about the projects we’re working on and the growing opportunities we have to help advance the Drupal community. It’s just hard to believe we have to wait until April for the next one. DrupalCon San Fransisco, here we come!
- Scott Reynen