This morning a light bulb went off. At last! I had an event to Twitter about.

I packed up my trusty laptop and off I went to Living in Full Bloom: A Celebration of Cancer Survivorship. Not only that, I checked Twitter on my iPhone just in case wireless wasn’t working.

As the crowd of 500 or so settled down, I started up as discreetly as I could. Of course, how discreet can one be when yours is the only laptop at the event?

Following an invocation, Ruth McGinnis, an ovarian cancer survivor, pulled out her violin and together with her band, launched into a gorgeous melody — St. Anne’s Reel. I feebly tweeted again, but when she started to tell the story of her cancer, I just couldn’t do it any more. It felt disrespectful. I would be horrified if someone Twittered in a church service. And while there were photographers and a video crew, nonetheless this had more in common with church than a media event. She spoke from her heart of living with cancer, and the crowd responded, creating a patchwork of deeply touching stories.

So have I now resolved my Twitter dilemna? Does this mean I can now safely dispense with it? Alas, no. Life is messy. As I was getting ready to Twitter earlier in the day, I happened on a tweet by Barack Obama,: “Thanking Hillary. Our party & our country are stronger because of the work she has done.” I followed the link and it led me to a form where I too could (and did) thank Senator Clinton. This is Web 2.0 at its best.

And I’m still lost in Twitterland.

Getting Drupal up and running involves a few squirrelly first steps that will literally either make or break your new site. At times they work like a charm. Everything falls right into place and your site is up and running in a matter of minutes. At other times, your head is at risk of a bloodying from banging it into the desk. If you are setting Drupal up on Pair.com and, like me, aren’t an Apache and Unix adept, you are at risk of the blood-on-head scenario. So to save your noggin, here is what I have learned over the last few days, using a combo of trial-and-error and talking to the good people in Pair.com support.

Trap number 1. Your database server is not the default localhost. This one is actually easy. On the “Database configuration” page the trick is to click the rather subtle “Advanced options” link near the bottom of the page. Then you can enter the name of the server.

Trap number 2. Register_globals needs to be disabled. To do this, set up an .htaccess file, and add the following code:

php_value register_globals Off

Trap number 3. Your system configuration does not support clean URLs. You could just ignore this one, but increasingly friendly URLs are seen as a basic site need. To do this, you have to expand the .htaccess file. Replace the one line in step two with the following more comprehensive code (where XXX is the path of your Drupal site if it’s not in the root):

<IfModule mod_php5.c>
  php_value magic_quotes_gpc 0
  php_value register_globals 0
  php_value session.auto_start 0
  php_value mbstring.http_input pass
  php_value mbstring.http_output pass
  php_value mbstring.encoding_translation 0
</IfModule>
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  RewriteEngine on
  RewriteBase /XXX
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
  RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?q=$1 [L,QSA]
</IfModule>

Trap number 4. You run cron manually. There is nothing wrong with running Drupal’s cron.php by hand at first. However, if you set up a search engine or do other things requiring cron, sooner or later you are going to have to face this UNIX beast. To do it, you can either SSH into your server and enter the appropriate crontab or use the Account Control Center. If the latter, go to the Advanced menu and then the Crontab Manager. Choose how often you want it to run, then enter the following (where XXX is the URL of your Drupal site):

/usr/local/bin/wget -O - -q http://XXX/cron.php

With these out of the way, you should be off and running, ready to do the real coding for a fabulous Drupal site.

Like most webmasters I know, I used to think the way to learn analytics was to just dive in and do it. That simple method works amazingly well in most other areas of webmastery. Moreover, since the statistics one generates using a tool like Google Analytics are so impressive, it’s got to just be a matter of spending a little time with them, right?

Wrong. That way madness lies — or at least eyes-crossed by a sea of numbers. The usual pattern is you get your analytics tool to work, you’re enchanted by what you see, you poke around in the numbers, you show your supervisor, she is impressed too, and then what? You return a month later, and the numbers are up. That’s great, but you have no idea why and you’re smart enough to know that if you don’t know why, it won’t be too long before they go the other direction. One month later, the numbers are plateauing, and you still don’t know why. The next month you don’t go back. You’ve got better things to do with your time.

It seems to me (in retrospect) that it’s like trying to teach yourself finance by looking at ledger sheets with no one to explain them to you. Chances are you will see some things, but not enough to make it worthwhile. It will be an exercise in frustration.

And then the day comes when your boss says: “What about those statistics? Do you have something I can share with the Board?”

You could continue to give her the big picture numbers and be done with it. But I would suggest there’s a better way that will be a great investment of your time not only for your company, but also for your career. And it doesn’t even take that long.

I took one day each week in April to learn analytics. Specifically, I took the University of British Columbia’s online Introduction to Web Analytics course. It’s the first in a series of four, leading to the UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics, a certification recognized by the Web Analytics Association.

The result? To my surprise, with just this one course, I am (for now) Vanderbilt’s foremost expert at web analytics. That won’t last long. Several others are interested, and as soon as one of them takes the second course, my moment of analytics glory will end. But more important than that, I’m already finding easy ways to apply analytics. Best of all, as promised in the course, these simple things are already making management happier. And as you might imagine happy management makes a very happy web diva.

Of course, there are other ways to learn analytics. There’s an excellent book by Avinash Kaushik: Web Analytics: An Hour a Day. And there are plenty of tutorials on line. Just search YouTube. However, I’d caution you not focus too much on any one analytics application to start with — not even Google Analytics.

The first step is to learn the fundamental principles and practices. After that, the tools will make more sense, so you can use them more effectively. If you possibly can, take the UBC course. It’s first-rate.

Last winter I set off in a quest for the perfect Drupal web host. Originally I hadn’t conceived of it as a quest. My needs were modest:

• Drupal optimized (as opposed to any old host)
• Great customer service
• Reasonable cost - comparable to other shared hosts

Two months later, I have yet to find this holy grail — but I’ve learned enough about Drupal hosts to deem it worth sharing my findings.

Frankly I’m surprised this has been so hard. I’m reasonably good at web research and this host is for a modest site. Specifically it’s a redesign of Gilda’s Club Nashville. This is a small, low-traffic site to begin with, and all they want is a new look-and-feel using a simple content management system they can easily update themselves. Fairly basic Drupal will be more than enough. It doesn’t require any fancy-pants high-end Drupal coding.

My bet is in another year it will be much easier to find the kind of Drupal host they need. But for now, here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of the hosts I’ve looked at.

DreamHost

I have a soft spot for DreamHost — so soft it’s what I use for this very blog. Moreover, my first test Drupal install was on DreamHost. It worked like a charm. Nevertheless, my soft spot defies logic. DreamHost can be incredibly slow with MySQL-powered sites. I guess it’s because they are so much better than my previous host — plus they have excellent customer service and, even better, they are hilarious. One way of framing my quest is as a search for something better than DreamHost. I want a fast DreamHost that specializes in Drupal installs.

Bryght

At first blush, Bryght appeared to be the perfect match. Initially my biggest concern was that it was too dumbed-down. A certain amount of simplifying would be great — thinking of upgrades in particular. But it could easily be too much. So I used their contact form. I tried it a few times, but my sense was the form wasn’t working right. Sure enough. I never heard back from them. That did not auger well. So I crossed them off my list.

(mt) Media Temple

mt has a great reputation. I contacted them and heard back almost immediately. They even offer a one-click install for Drupal. That sounded promising, but it’s still (as of May 2008) only Drupal 4.7. Version 6 (not to mention version 5) has been out for quite some time. Ergo they must not care all that much about Drupal.

DrupalValueHosting

I came very close to going with DrupalValueHosting. They look ideal. In fact, they’re the reason I say it should be much easier to find a Drupal host in a year. My only hesitation with them is that they are very new. Since the host will not be for my own site, for now it seems just a bit too risky.

And the winner is…

pair Networks

pair was highly recommended at PodCamp Nashville, and like (mt) has an excellent reputation. I did discover one potential problem over memory caps in Cheny U’s thoughtful review of Drupal hosts. However, when I reached a sales person (right away) he knew about and acknowledged this issue quite openly. When I explained Gilda’s needs, he was confident it wouldn’t be an issue. He said they host an increasing number of Drupal sites. Also in their favor, he was able to quickly answer my questions about multisite installations (which means they really are used to Drupal), plus they offer a discount for non-profits.

So pair Networks it is — and I will let you know how it goes.

To my fellow web professionals: I can hear you groaning. “I’ve already had to learn so many technologies,” you say. “Why one more? Give me a good reason for yet another responsibility.”

There are two compelling reasons to carve out some of your valuable time and learn analytics.

1. Using analytics moves website improvement past opinions into hard data. No longer will site design and architecture be based on subjective viewpoints — not even on HiPPOs — the Highest Paid Person’s Opinions.
2. It bridges the communication gap between senior management and web professionals. It speaks to what’s happening on your website and what can happen in terms that are much more familiar to management, e.g. data to back up the ROI (return on investment).

A favorite scene from a favorite movie:

Daniel: You know, Sammy, I’m sure she’s unique and extraordinary, but… the general wisdom is that, in the end, there isn’t just one person for each of us.
Sam: There was for Kate and Leo. There was for you. There is for me. [holds up one finger] She’s “the one”.
Daniel: Fair enough.
-Love Actually

I have the devil of a time picking what to focus on about the web. The problem is I love it all: PHP, databases, XML, CSS, Flash, convergence, standards, and so on. But for the past six weeks I’ve been focused on one that shows strong signs of trumping the lot: analytics.

I can’t begin to share all that I’ve learned in one or two posts. Instead, I’m going to take it in bite-size chunks. And today’s topic is…

What the Heck Is Analytics?

Once upon a time (measured in web eons, meaning back in the 1990s) analytics meant geek aracana like log file statistics, hits, page views. In other words, it was all about the raw numbers.

Then it evolved to mean the application that gathered the numbers — typically Google Analytics.

Now, however, as it comes into its own, it means much more. In essence, analytics is the process of matching core goals with objective numbers.

For those wanting a more thorough definition, it’s the practice of collecting, analyzing and reporting meaningful numbers about website usage. The data must be analyzed in an objective way through testing and measurement by those responsible for the site. Then the resulting information is used to optimize the site to more effectively accomplish the organization’s goals.

In other words, it’s powerful web juju.

It’s difficult for me to imagine what it’s like in Zimbabwe now. I read in the New York Times how Zimbabwe’s Rulers Unleash Police on Anglicans or In Zimbabwe Jail: A Reporter’s Ordeal. And my thoughts return to a once beautiful country.

When I lived there as a girl (1963-1965), it was impoverished, but reasonably safe. More than anything, I remember what you never read of in the news.  I remember the countryside — the most beautiful flora and fauna I’ve ever seen, the spectacular sunsets, the dusty air and near perfect temperatures.

In retrospect, the seeds of what was to come were evident. The racism was palpable even to a child — much worse than anything I’ve witnessed in the United States. For example, I, a young white (”European” in their lingo) girl, was expected to call a grown African man “Boy.” I don’t think I ever did. You find ways to dodge things like that. But it was all around.

And look what it’s become.   I grieve.

Gerry McGovern once again hits the nail on the head — this time in Intranets are not information dumps. I couldn’t agree more. “The ‘top serious obstacles’ … lie with the intranet teams themselves who see their intranets as this vague way to ‘distribute information’, rather than make the organization more efficient and productive.”

The other misconception I run into with some frequency is that intranets are merely static collections of links to a random hodge-podge of applications and websites that might (or might not) be useful to staff.

Both of these misconceptions seem to stem primarily from those who have never seen, much less worked with, a real intranet. Unlike the web, an intranet almost by definition has limited access — typically requiring authentication to view it. Thus most people vaguely conceive them to be public websites adapted for insiders. While there might be a small component of this (e.g. directories and search engines), the good intranets I have seen are fundamentally different.  All they really have in common with public websites is the use of a browser.  Typically they are much more dynamic and application driven than a standard website.

For those wanting to learn how to build a great intranet, the best starting place in my opinion is the Nielsen Norman Group’s Intranet Design Annual.

LifeHacker asks, How Do You Organize Your RSS Feeds? I’ve been meaning to blog about this very topic for some time now. (It’s that inner librarian thing again.) So here it is….

First, after happily using FeedDemon for a year or so, and then switching to PulpFiction on a Mac, eventually I migrated to Google Reader because it’s so easy to access from machine to machine — including my iPhone.

Within Google Reader, I always put a new subscription into a folder. If it’s a topic I think important to monitor daily (or close to it) then I put it in one of my top five folders, which are cleverly numbered 1 to 5, with short explanations afterwards. The “1priority” folder is a peculiar mix of blogs I maintain and news from my host (e.g. server X is down). The “2vu-cancer-news” is the news I most need to monitor (”vu” meaning Vanderbilt) and the rest is self-explanatory.

It’s not a panacea, but it does help tame the monster that my RSS feeds inevitably become.

MIT does fashion? Apparently so. Battery-powered dresses, 802.11 apparel, and more. Check out some entertaining links about the Seamless Computational Couture fashion show held at Boston’s Museum of Science this past January.

• Media Lab video
• Wearable technology fashion show (YouTube)
• Museum of Science event announcement (with a couple more video clips)
• Power Dressing, Technology Review