The New Drupal Social Network

Background on DrupalSN

Recently I was involved in the launch of a new Drupal site on the scene called Drupal Social Network (or DrupalSN for short). Now, I know that there are a lot of other Drupal based social networking sites out there, but DrupalSN is different, it’s not just built with Drupal, it’s actually meant for people interested in interacting and connecting with other Drupal enthusiasts.

Over the past six months DrupalSN has grown rapidly. I initially launched the site in August 2008 as a playground for me and other developers to showcase what Drupal can do. Six months later, we have a growing user base of more than 1,600 members, a great archive of tutorials and resources, a new Learn Drupal section, over 550 projects submitted to the projects showcase, a redesigned layout and a new server to accommodate the site’s growth.

Why Was DrupalSN Needed?

Some may argue it wasn’t and isn’t needed, but for me there was a gap in the market for a user friendly Drupal related site where users can interact, showcase projects, ask questions no matter how basic and generally network in a fun and relaxed manner. I see DrupalSN as another string to the Drupal bow by complementing Drupal.org and promoting Drupal in a fun and different manner, similar to the way in which drupalmodules.com offers an alternative way to browse Drupal modules.

What Can Users Do on DrupalSN?

On DrupalSN, users can:

• Create a profile to promote their Drupal skills or create one just for fun.
• Submit projects to the DrupalSN showcase for other members to rate and comment on.
• Browse a list of Drupal freelancers and companies – if you’re looking to
  hire a Drupalier, check it out.
• Learn how to use Drupal via the Learn Drupal section which offers resources, original tutorials and a popular questions and answers section, where users can interact to solve their Drupal problems.

DrupalSN also offers all the standard social networking tools such as buddy
lists, Facebook-like statuses (now integrated with Twitter), profile shouts and more.

Who can benefit from joining DrupalSN?

Short answer is anyone who is interested in Drupal! Companies and freelancers have reported getting leads as a result of creating a DrupalSN profile and being active in the community. It’s a great way to promote you or your company to users in a direct but approachable manner. If you’re not looking to promote Drupal skills but rather learn them, DrupalSN is a great place to hang out with other Drupalers in the making and Drupal experts and interact to learn Drupal together.

What next for DrupalSN?

Probably too many things to mention, but here are a few things in the pipeline:

• A premium guide to creating your own SN site
• Drag and drop profile layouts
• Improved performance
• Steps and new features to become ‘the LinkedIn.com for Drupal’
• Job posting/CV section and extended company profiles

Feel free to check out the site at DrupalSN.com We’ll look forward to your visit.

Tom James
Drupal Developer for ImageX Media
Founder of DrupalSN.com