In a recent blog post, I asked, "Is there no future for the Schema.org Blueprints module?" I wrote the blog post to determine what is next for the Schema.org Blueprints module. The overall feedback was positive, with very constructive criticism and advice. Reading the replies on Twitter, the comments on my blog, the pings in Drupal Slack, and tickets in the module's issue queue, I realized that people are interested in the Schema.org Blueprints module's overall goal, which is to build standardized and reusable content models in Drupal. Most of the questions and feedback I received were around clarifying the Schema.org Blueprints module's use case, getting started, and the project's roadmap.
Within the feedback, people raised many questions about the Scheme.org Blueprints module. I collected their questions and created a reasonably large FAQ page.
The first question I am answering is, "What problem is the Schema.org Blueprints module trying to solve?"
The problem that the Schema.org Blueprints module is solving is that every organization, website, and application has different ways of structuring, defining, and documenting its content and data. The Schema.org Blueprints module solves this problem by building content models that are standardized, reusable, and easily shareable. The Schema.org Blueprints module uses the public Schema.org specification to create content types, fields/properties, and relationships that machines, developers, and search engines understand.
The FAQ page further defines the goals, use case, process, and best practices for the Schema.org Blueprints modules. I am still perfecting my elevator pitch for why someone should take a Schema.org-first approach and use this module. Once I can entice someone to try the module, the next step is to be helping them install, configure, and build a Schema.org-first content model.
There is now an installation guide to help people get started with the process of using the Schema.org Blueprints module. One of the most important contributions an individual or organization can make to the Schema.org Blueprints module is sharing their approach and process while using this module. The Drupal community must determine the default and recommended out-of-the-box Schema.org types/properties and which contributed modules should be supported by the Schema.org Blueprints module. As people start using the module, I hope they share their stories.
On a final nice sidenote, the concept of a story, possibly multiple stories, behind every piece of Open Source project and code is fantastic. With each project, feature, or bug fix, there is a tale where a person has a problem or solution. The problem or solution is openly shared as a simple thought or some code, and other people use, refine, and improve on this thought or code.
I have put a lot of thought and code out there for the Drupal community to use, refine, and improve. I look forward to working with the Drupal community to help them tell their stories using the Schema.org Blueprints module. Ultimately, the simple goal of the Schema.org Blueprints module is to allow individuals and organizations to easily share their stories (and services) with others in a standardized, understandable, and reusable way.