Making website magic with the DrupalCon site building track

In honor of this year’s DrupalCon in Tinseltown, we invite you to indulge in a bit of Drupal movie magic.

Imagine the scene…

NARRATOR
You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of configuration and security but of UI. A journey into a wondrous land of complex sites without custom development. Next stop, the Drupal Zone!

THE SCENE
Intl. Acme, Inc. Meeting Room - it is day

FADE IN

(STRESSED MANAGER and HARRIED STAFF sit around a table in a clean, well-lit seminar room.)

STRESSED MANAGER
Our site needs a serious overhaul. Any suggestions? Anyone...Anyone?

FIRST STAFF MEMBER
I know of a couple of great design firms, but they are way out of our budget.

(DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER smiles and leans forward to draw the attention of the room.)

DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER
We could give Drupal a try...

STRESSED MANAGER
Drupal? We don’t have the budget to hire a team of developers to support such a complicated setup.

DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER
We don’t need a team of developers. Let the Drupal Community be the 12th man! I can do it, you could do it, anyone in the room could do it.

(DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER excitedly stands, addressing the room with confidence.)

DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER
Using the Drupal User Interface we can create an amazing site with no custom code. We could use command line tools with no code. The site can be secure without code. We can do e-commerce without code. We can use a Distribution to jump start our efforts without code. We can create complex data interactions with…what?

(All STAFF MEMBERS stand up, raise their voices as one finishing DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER'S thought.)

ALL STAFF MEMBERS (shouting)
No code!!!!

(DRUPAL-SAVVY STAFF MEMBER sits back down with a smile.)

FADE OUT

As with much of the Hollywood movie magic, Drupal at times can seem to be a magic realm of mystical code. But the reality is that the magic is in the community. Yes, there are some absolutely amazing coders that can move mountains with their hooks, but the majority of us are working away using contributed modules and configuration to build amazing websites.

The Site Building track really exposes the heart of Drupal. It allows the community to showcase the ways we push the project forward. How do we build these amazing sites with no code? Let people who walk in your shoes daily share how they make things happen. How do we know what tools to use? Let the maintainers of contributed modules show you how best to use the tools they built. Watch the experts show you how to break through the barriers and barricades that have kept you on the sidelines.

DrupalCon gives all of us a way to learn, share, and grow. Learn about how your peers are using contributed modules to do amazing things. We invite you to share your knowledge and expertise with the community by presenting your story. Grow with the community, build your network, and make DrupalCon LA shine.

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Dustin Boeger
Site Building Track Chair
DrupalCon Los Angeles