MagdalenaHo460

CCT460H5 S 2012

Provided are 3 options to add social media widgets to your Drupal Website:

http://drupal.org/project/share //9574 sites report using this module.//
 * 'ShareThis' Module**
 * I previously used this module in my CV Assignment
 * Access this module by going to Modules > ShareThis > Configure to change settings.
 * Easy to use, set up and configure.
 * Allowed different options to display social media widgets.
 * Options for this module include options to keep users on your page with the social media widget or redirect them to the social media website.
 * Module functionality note: When I used it, I had to go into the code to position it into the centre, since this module does not offer positioning options.
 * Screenshot below is one choice of how the icons can look


 * Below are other options available:




 * I decided to experiment with other social media modules to see how they compare.**

http://drupal.org/project/socialmedia //1684 sites report using this module.//
 * 'Social Media' Module**
 * Module > Install New Module


 * Access this module by going to Configuration > Media > Social Media to change settings
 * Settings: Allows you to choose which social media platforms you want on your website.

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 * The next tab next to Settings is Profile. Profile allows you to "link" your different accounts to the Drupal social media widgets.




 * Configuration > Media > Social Media also allows you to choose what icon set you want to display your social media widgets. There is an option to install other icons.

Overall thoughts of **'Social Media' Module**
 * Allows user to download different styles of icons if they are not satisfied with the default one provided.
 * I liked that this module allowed me to have my Twitter feed. It would probably be more beneficial in another location other than the footer.


 * Another Option:**
 * 'Widgets' Module**

http://drupal.org/project/widgets // 1477 sites report using this module// .
 * When I installed this module, I also had to install a Service Links Module for the Widgets Module to function correctly.
 * Once installed, module can be accessed through Structure > Widgets


 * Once clicked, it takes you to the Widget Sets that shows previews of how you want to display the widgets.


 * Editing these Widget Sets allows you to change the order in which they appear.

__**Demo:**__ .
 * For demonstration purposes, I have added all of the icons from Widgets and Social Media in the footer of my homepage


 * As seen above, not all of the widgets are optimized to be placed in the footer.
 * ie. The Twitter RSS feed would look better in a left/right column.

__**Conclusions:**__ Overall, I would not advise to install so many different social media modules because it gets very confusing. The only reason I would pick another module over the 'Share This' Module is because it may be missing some social media sites (ie. Google+). My preference is as follows: For my website, I have been spacing the icons out manually, as I have not come across positioning options within the module.
 * 1) ShareThis
 * 2) Social Media
 * 3) Widgets (requires installation of a 2nd module to function)