The cartoon that management didn't like
[image:179]I took a little heat for this swipe at AFGE's Local 1286 web site. To help clean up my sullied reputation as a "bitchy" person, let me now offer some words of high praise for a site that's doing things right, AFSCME Local 3800.
Here's Exhibit A from the site: The cartoon management didn't like. Now when I think about using the Internet to engage members, this is what I'm talking about! It shoves management's nose in its own poop with a good dose of humor. It also demonstrates for the first time that I've really ever seen on any union web site, how union members can use the web to make the inner dealings between union leadership and management more transparent (read the comments below the cartoon to see what I mean).
This Drupal-powered site has many other things I like, including:
- Negotiation blog. Keeps members informed on what's going on at the negotiating table
- Discussion forums. An absolute must on any union site.
- Contract online. Time to quit killing trees.
- Dues there in black and white. Too often, unions try to hide the fact they collect dues. Why? The pooling of collective resources is the lifeblood of any union.
- Easy to navigate.
Is this the flashiest site I've ever seen? No. But it doesn't have to be. I think the down-to-earth, grassroots flavor of the site works. You can tell it's a site "of the people." Besides, when it comes to union sites, content is definitely king. If it's got good information of interest to members (and pocketbook issues always are), they will keep coming back.
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Thanks for the kind words
Thanks for the kind words about the AFSCME 3800 website; I'm the webmaster of the site and just recently started using drupal for our website.
We've been doing fun stuff with the website since our 2003 contract negotiations, when we created a negotiations weblog and posted all the verbatim notes there, which drove management crazy. They sent the union a threatening letter demanding that we stop posting the negotiations notes, so we knew we were doing something right!
We also set up a strike solidarity website when we went on strike in 2003 ( www.uworkers.org ). That site was my first experience with content management systems; I did it using php-nuke. uworkers.org is still up and is now used for various projects. During our strike it was a valuable resource for debate and information for our members and supporters.
Now the uworkers.org site hosts the "University Unions United" website, www.uworkers.org/uuu which was the first place I used drupal. That gave me the experience to switch the Local 3800 site over to drupal and I'm still working with it to keep improving it.
I'm glad I found your site and will try to check in regularly here.
Brad Sigal
AFSCME 3800
Welcome, Brad
Great stuff. Please do keep dropping by and posting here. Keep up the goog work on your site. If you want to kick around ideas, please keep us in mind. I'm also knowledgeable about Drupal so if you have any questions, just ask. We have a help topic in our forums.
I have a question for you. How do you find Drupal compares to PostNuke?
Drupal vs php-nuke, post-nuke etc
I like Drupal much better than php-nuke, post-nuke, etc.
On the superficial level I like the look & feel of Drupal sites better out-of-the-box. PHP-Nuke sites all look very boxy and very much the same.
I also have found many of the features of Drupal to be very nice and there are lots of great modules that I'm still in the process of discovering and experimenting with. I've also found it easy to alter themes to my liking. I was able to upgrade from 4.6.1 to 4.6.2 without difficulty. I like the logs on Drupal; PHP-Nuke doesn't have that integrated.
Both the nukes and Drupal have very active online communities, so it's easy to find help and support with some digging on either one.
I did get feedback from more than a few union members that the php-nuke site at uworkers.org was difficult for them to use. PHP-Nuke has PHPBB integrated for forums, which I like but many people told me they found it not intuitive. Many of our union members don't have experience with online message boards and the like, so easy of use and 'intuitiveness' is important. So far I haven't received any negative feedback about the useability of the drupal site.
I really like the integrated multiple blogs of drupal and the multiple rss feeds. One thing I miss from PHP-Nuke is the integrated "print this page" and "email this page" for everything you post there. I don't get why drupal doesn't have that in its core; it seems so basic these days.
Those are a few of my thoughts so far...
Comparison
I've only read about PHP-Nuke. From a programmer's perspective, I guess it was a mess to modify. I change Drupal code regularly and it's very easy to do. It's a very well-designed program.
The good news for you: There is a "Print Friendly Pages" module. See http://drupal.org/project/print. You will need to have your host install this functionality.
I am not aware, however, of an up to date "email this page" module. Someone had written one here: http://drupal.org/node/7420. You can also see it in the CVS repository: http://cvs.drupal.org/viewcvs/drupal/contributions/modules/emailpage/
But it may not work with version 4.6 of Drupal. Do you know what version you are using?
Nice Work
I too like the site, very progressive and using the net during negotiations like you did is way awesome. We used it that way for years and it drove management nuts. It isn't all just about forums and message boards, it's about good communication and empowering the memebers through knowledge. It's about two way communication and getting workers involved.
Guess it comes as no surprise, turns out the local is run by an old friend and a very good labor leader...Gladys McKenzie. She was one of those folks who when you needed a hand, was always there. She was never afraid to push the envelope either.
Nice job gang, and my best to Dave.
"It is often easier to fight for one's principle's than to live up to them."
Friendly tip
Bill,
Each comment has its own "reply" link. Make sure you hit the correct "reply" link. This will make threads easier to follow.
Print & Email This Page
I've installed the print module on another drupal site that I still have in the testing stage. I'll check out the 'email page' module in CVS, thanks for the tip on that. I'm using Drupal version 4.6.2.