C3nola.org is based off of the content management system (CMS) Drupal. While there are a wide range of CMSes their primary use is to organize, manage, and publish large amounts of information. The goal of any CMS is to hide the underpinnings of website development so that the user can focus on creating content.
But this does not mean the user should be unaware of how the site is structured. In order for C3nola.org to be an affective community, its users should understand how the site is organized and structure, both on the surface and in depth. Users that understand how the site works are better able to aid in the development of the site. They know which features they enjoy, what features they want, and what doesn't work.
Structurally, there are three directions to approach C3nola.org.
One approach is from the perspective of the web surfer. C3nola.org has three classes of websurfers: the anonymous user, the registered user, the moderator, and the administrator.
The drupal CMS controls the interaction between the users and the database.
The database. All of the content of the C3nola.org is stored in a database, as well as user and site preferences.