What is the purposethe reason for which something exists or for which it has been done or made of your site, what do you need it to do? One way to answer this question is to put your site into one or more categories. Categories not only convey the purpose of the site but also start the process of identifying site features.

Some categories include:

• Marketing
• E-Commerce
• Learning management
• Collaborative community
• Media hosting
• Media broadcasting
• Informative dissemination
• Business management
• Online applications

You can categorize sites anyway you want to. This list is simply a place to start. Does the purpose of your site fall into one of these categories or is there another you want to use? 

More Than One Purpose

It's been my experience that many sites have more than one purpose and therefore fit into more than one category. For example, the reason some sites exist is marketing and selling products on line. This could mean a marketing brochure site combined with an e-commerce feature. It could also mean an information dissemination site combined with a marketing site and an e-commerce feature. 

Other combinations can include:

• Marketing + Information dissemination
• Marketing + Information dissemination + E-Commerce
• Training + Media
• Information dissemination + Media
• Community + Information dissemination + Media
• Marketing + Media
• Business management + online application + Information dissemination

There are many combinations and by choosing a CMS like Drupal, you afford yourself the opportunity to support each purpose with one site if you plan well.

When you identify the purpose(s) of your site, you are taking the first steps in planning how your site might need to be configured. For example, the technology you would use for a media site is not necessarily the same as the technology needed for e-commerce. By simply knowing the purpose of your site, you have narrowed down the features and functionality your site might need.

Doing it All

Out-of-the-box, content management systems like Drupal are designed to create information oriented sites and community sites. You can add modules that provide additional services and features and turn your site into an information and media site or an information and e-commerce site. It is like an assembly process, adding on features and services until you have what you need.

When you have a multi-purpose site, the requirements process might seem a little overwhelming. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, you might want to take a phased approach and implement one aspect of your site at a time. Taking a phased approach is acceptable as long as you establish some core requirements for each purpose. Your objective would be to create solutions that can be connected as they are developed, thus reducing the chance that redevelopment is required.

Conclusion

It is important to decide up front the purpose(s) of your site so that you can plan accordingly. But, before you get too far along, can you answer the question “If you build it, will they come?” Are you creating something your target audience will want? Do you even need  your own site to reach your goals?