I originally wrote this blog post on June 15th, 2011 when I was the Lead Trainer & Themer at Chapter Three. I’m reposting it here (potentially with minor edits) for posterity, but you can read the original article there.
You’re introduced to someone by a friend. The smalltalk begins and you know what’s coming.
They as, “What do you do?” The friend who introduced you tries to understand your explanation yet again.
You say, “Um, I do Drupal.” They stare back blankly as you continue.
“…it’s a content management system – you know, a CMS?”
You shudder as you try again, “…it’s kinda like WordPress?” Still nothing.
Eventually you give in and explain it in a way that even your grandmother could understand: “I build websites.”
Finally the look of realization comes across their face, but you feel dead inside.
This scenario is reenacted every time you meet someone. You’re passionate about Drupal, but because of one reason or another you’re unable to talk to people about it. Things get even more interesting if you start with your job title, in my case it’s “Drupal themer and trainer.” Great – at least one more term that I have to explain in gross generality.
I eventually give up and answer “I’m a web designer” to anyone who asks. Everyone does it. It makes things easier, but in today’s culture it’s a rather vague and unhelpful term to describe what we really do.
Intended audience:
This session walks through some ‘Drupal best practices’ to explain your role to people who are unfamiliar with Drupal. We’ll also cover techniques for combating know-it-all’s and Drupal-haters, as well as ways to explain Drupal to your friends and colleagues.
A great recap of this session can be found at ubelly.
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