Achieve Internet and Volacci Release the Drupal 7 Stickynote Module

Give the New Stickynote Module a Try!

When Volacci, well-known Drupal SEO experts, approached Ron Huber from Achieve Internet with an idea for building a suite of powerful SEO modules, Ron jumped at the chance. “These modules will change the way people think about their content and SEO, and we’re proud to be part of this game changer.” 

Achieve Internet and Volacci have released the first of these new Drupal 7 SEO modules. The module is named Stickynote, and it has uses far beyond just SEO. It allows you to add, edit, and delete notes for any page in a “sticky note” block. Think of this as putting a PostIt(R) sticky note right on each web page. Just like with any other block, you also control which user roles see the sticky note block. 

To install the module, go to www.drupal.org/project/stickynote.

Why the Stickynote Module is Useful

Volacci intends to recommend that their clients use the Stickynote module as a reminder of what happened or what was implemented on each page of a website. Examples include: 

• Began linking building on this page on the terms “dramady” and “comedy.”
• Revised body content with the new brand messaging.
• Ran a multivariate test on this page between 9/1/11 and 9/23/11 with the new Cart button. New button increased clicks by 28%.

The Stickynote module is useful even outside the SEO world. Instead of writing your reminders and to-do lists on a piece of paper or in an electronic file, you can just put your items into this sticky note block, right on the website page they are related to.

From a content authoring perspective, imagine a content manager giving feedback on a blog post. “The intro is a bit lengthy, let’s cut that down,” or “Make sure to link keywords to the appropriate site.” It creates a way for content approval to happen right on the page. Even developers can keep notes on tasks related to a specific page. 

The nice thing is that this is just like a regular a block, so you can place it in any region that makes sense with your theme. It will show in the same position on every page – and it doesn’t hide any of the page.

Want to See All Notes for the Site?

A useful feature of the Stickynote module is the admin screen, where you can see all notes for the site. This will give you a history of the site changes you recorded in the sticky notes. If you use it as a “to do” list, this feature helps ensure you didn’t forget to take action on any of the items in your notes. 

You can also review all of the notes, then navigate directly to a page, so you can review the page itself, along with the notes for that page. 

To see all of the notes for the site, go to the Structure menu and select Stickynote.

Installation

Installing the Stickynote module is as simple as downloading and enabling the module in Drupal.  We don't presently have any configuration options, and we're open to hearing what configuration options would make using Stickynote more useful or powerful.

After you’ve enabled the module, place the Stickynote block in a region. Place it on the part of the page where you want to see it, and so it will allow enough room for the notes. Then you should be able to begin creating sticky notes.

Known Limitations

Currently there is no concept of ownership of a note. Anyone who can see the Stickynote block will be able to delete or edit any note. 

Also, because the module was implemented using Entities, Stickynote is “fieldable.” This means that fields can be added to the add stickynote form. Currently additional fields do not display well in the block. 

Ideas for Improvements

One idea for improvement is to add the ability to give users permission to view, edit, and delete only their own notes. 

Improvements could also be made for how custom fields that are added to a stickynote are displayed in the block.

Future Plans

We welcome all feedback and suggestions for improvement. We plan to release a Drupal 6 version of the Stickynote module, and to make some improvements to the Drupal 7 version. 

In the meantime, give the Stickynote module a try. It moves your sticky notes from your desk to your screen. We all could use a cleaner desk, right? 

To install the module, go to http://www.drupal.org/project/stickynote.