Posted by: Will Strohl
6/15/2010 8:46 PM 

This article is cross-posted from my personal blog.

You spoke, and the folks at the DotNetNuke® Corporation have listened.  The user group module that’s on the DNN site hasn’t been updated in quite a long time.  There are many things that we probably would like to see that module do.  This is one of the primary topics that the DNN User Group Advisor Committee has been talking about for a little while now.  As a group, we have all been talking about several things that both important to the user groups in the world, and also important to the community in general – but I will be focusing on this module update for this post.

The initial view you get if you’re not in a user group already on the DNN site is quite simple.  You are given a drop down list to choose the country you live in.  Then, if necessary, you are shown a list of regions (or states) to choose from.  Once again, select the one you live in.  These steps should result in you being shown a listing of the user groups in your area.

Clicking on a group name will open the unique user group page, where you can view more information about that specific group.  You will be able to join it if you’re not in a group, switch to the group if you’re in another one, or leave the group altogether if you desire.  The image below shows you how a user group leader would see the module, in all of it’s administrative glory.

Among the things you can see in the group view is a map where the user group is located, a list of the members, a list of events, and any social networks that the user group belongs to.  But a user group leader can add and edit/delete events or members, and send newsletters.

Adding an event is pretty simple.  Click on the Add Event button, and fill out the event form.

One of the cool things about this form is the use of the Telerik date and time picker.  They are very user friendly and fun to use!  I have definitely seen worse.  I won’t name any names…  Especially UGSS.  Whoops!  ;)

One of the cool new features that I really like is the ability for the user group leader to manage members.  Not only can the leader see all of the current members, but they can remove members.  A leader might want to remove a member either by request, or if their e-mail is bouncing.  However, the user group leader can also designate specific members to be an additional officer, allowing them to help manage and use this module!  All you have to do is check the checkbox next to the members name.

The newsletter feature is virtually unchanged, but it remains a useful feature for any user group that’s just starting out.

These are just a small amount of the updates that are coming to the user group module.  We, as user group leaders and committee members, are very dedicated and passionate about this module and how it can help the DNN community at large.  As a result, we have a laundry list of features that we cannot wait to see included into this module as updates are able to be made.  We cannot thank the DNN Corporation enough for dedicating resources to make these updates happen, and specifically to Chris Paterra, who is the brain behind the development of this module.

If you have any updates that you’d like to see made to this module, or have any other ideas for it, please let us know.  You can simply leave a comment here, or catch me on twitter.

I told you before that good things were coming to the DNN community, and this is only the first drop in the bucket.  I cannot wait to tell you about and talk about the other things that are coming!

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