Drupal websites for YWAM Centers

Drupal is a free Open Source CMS and is a great tool for building your YWAM Center's website. Drupal provides all the tools you need to grow your website and the flexibility to manage access control according to your needs. If you need to add advanced functionality to your website, it is often as easy as enabling and configuring a module. Since September 2008, Acquia has offered paid Drupal site management and technical support services, check out their services if you feel that you need help building and maintaining your website.

In the process of becoming acquainted with Drupal and building their first website, many people are frustrated with how complicated it seems. Drupal includes only basic functionality in the default or "Core" setup. Additional functionality is added by installing "Contributed Modules." The problem is that there are thousands of contributed modules, and many different ways to accomplish any given task. Drupal can be compared to a bucket of Lego blocks, you start out with a bunch of small peices which you have to assemble yourself, but given the right combination you can build anything you want. As of Drupal 7 several important modules were moved into "Core" (the default setup), which narrowed down the options a little bit and simplified setup for most users.

This page aims to help you in the process of building your first website and guide you in selecting and setting up contributed modules. Most often you will be directed to existing articles, videos, and other resources in order to help you with a given task. [NOTE] As an Open Source program, Drupal is constantly changing versions and contributed modules are often in various stages of readiness. This page is going to focus on the most recent stable version which provides many new features that are extremely useful to YWAM Centers. [Update] As of May 2011, Drupal 7 is the latest stable version. However, some of the Drupal 7 modules are still in Alpha or Beta stages. Which version you use at this point to build your new YWAM website will depend on the advanced functionality you require, and the timeline when your site must be ready. To begin with, head over to http://learnbythedrop.com/drop/173. This videocast will show you how to install Drupal once it is copied to your web hosting server. For more information, or if you are planning to use Drupal 6, head over to Lullabot.com to download the video "Installing Drupal 6" by Addison Berry.

If you don't have a web hosting account yet, or you would just like to try Drupal 6.x on your own computer first download the Acquia Drupal Stack Installer from Acquia's Download Page. Alternately, you can download the "Install a Local Web Server on Windows XP" video from Lullabot.com for instructions on how to use WampServer. (If you want to try out Drupal 7 at this time, you will need to us WampServer.)

If you are looking for a web hosting account, begin by comparing the "shared hosting" options offered by various companies in your area. 1and1, a large international hosting company, offers reliable options for as low as $3.99 per month.

Articles and Information About Drupal:
Trying to decide if Drupal is right for you? These articles will help you learn more about Drupal's features and strengths.


 * Here's why Drupal is your best choice | topnotchthemes.com
 * 10 Reasons to use Drupal | webdesign10.com
 * Why Drupal | powerfulcms.com

Who Else is Using Drupal?:
Dries Buytaert, the founder of Drupal, has compiled a list of Fortune 500 Companies using Drupal as well as other significant Drupal sites. Here are just a few companies that are using Drupal:

Among all the websites on the internet that use an open-source CMS, over 40% use Drupal. Drupal itself now powers more than 1% of the web!

Modules Useful for YWAM Centers:
For useful reviews and comparison of Drupal 6 modules, visit www.drupalmodules.com


 * Admin Role - now included in Drupal 7 core.
 * Contact Forms
 * CCK - now included in Drupal 7 core.
 * Frequently Asked Questions
 * Internationalization
 * Image - now included in Drupal 7 core.
 * Image Assist
 * Mollom
 * Pathauto
 * Poormanscron - now included in Drupal 7 core.
 * SWF Tools
 * Views

YWAM Websites Using Drupal:

 * www.ywamcoms.net
 * www.ywamstories.org
 * YWAM Memorial
 * YWAM Information Technology Blog
 * YWAM Argentina
 * Students Transforming Nations
 * YWAM Northern Europe