Drupal update: A new way to spread the news

The webteam has created a new Drupal content type that departments and offices can use for announcements and news on their websites. It’s called “Department/Office Bulletin” and it’s available to editors of academic department and administrative office sites.

The Department/Office Bulletin is ideal for information that you want to share with visitors to your website. You might use bulletins to share news about a student’s research project, explain an important policy change, or provide an update on recent accomplishments by the department’s faculty. In fact, you’re reading one right now!

Some key elements:

• Each bulletin is a separate web page, so you can link to it from other places (such as an email).
• The 6 most recent bulletins will appear on your department/office homepage.
• A separate listing page will show all of your department/office bulletins, with the most recent at the top.

As we continue to add features to Drupal, it can get confusing to remember which content type is used for what purpose. Here are a few questions that come to mind.

1. What’s the difference between a Banner and a Department/Office Bulletin?
A banner appears as a block of text on an existing page and is usually displayed for a fixed period of time. A bulletin has its own page, and are usually retained on the website for future reference.

2. What’s the difference between a Campus Bulletin and a Department/Office Bulletin?
A Campus Bulletin is intended to reach all students, all faculty/staff, and/or all parents, and it appears on one or more of those audience pages. A limited number of editors have access to create them. By contrast, a Department/Office Bulletin can be created by any editor of an office or department site.

3. Can a Department/Office Bulletin be sent out in the Campus Digest?
Sure! In the Campus Digest, include a brief summary of your announcement. Then add a link to the bulletin page for details.

If you’d like to use Department/Office Bulletins, let the webteam know and we’ll set it up for you. As with all new features, there's always the chance of a hiccup or two. If you encounter something that doesn't work as expected, please contact us at webteam@oberlin.edu.