Training Notes for Article Application

September 30, 2011

I. Introductions and Login

  1. Introduce everyone and the CHSSWeb team
  2. Show CHSSWeb2, the help site
    1. Walk through the site.
    2. Note Articles help section, which has everything covered in training and more.
  3. Login to Sandbox Department: this is where we will work today.

II. Why Articles?

Explain in general, "mission-driven" terms why what you are about to teach matters to them.

Websites should be current. They should reflect the vibrancy and dynamism of your unit. They should show all the activity of your faculty and students. Ideally, there would be new news items at least every few weeks, but it isn't really hard to add one thing a week if you carefully mine what is already available, what has already been written. We've designed the Article Application to help you accomplish this. So, let's go.

III. Overview of Articles

Build the conceptual understanding of the application so they will have a framework into which to fit the details.

  1. Kinds of news articles:
    There are different kinds of articles (full, brief, special). Each has different features and serves different purposes. More on this as we get into the application.
  2. Where news articles appear:
    An article can appear in potentially 3 of 4 places on your website
    1. list page (lists all news articles if all kinds)
    2. show page (IF you’ve added something to the “Main Content”)
    3. homepage front and center (IF Full and “Featured” it to your homepage) OR
    4. homepage right sidebar (IF Brief and “Featured” to your homepage)
    5. PLUS it appears on any other site that associates your article with their site

IV. Basic Editing with Articles

Using gradual steps, teach how to add a new Full article, edit the article by adding a link out, edit the article by adding Main Content (which makes a Show page).

  1. Before they start, have them do these three things (or ask them in advance to bring to session):
    1. Craft a title. Make the title short, informative, and interesting. Think of a newspaper headline.Use sentence capital style.
    2. Write a Short Description: 2-4 sentences for a "Full" article. Keep the sentences short and punchy.
    3. Find an image if it is a "Full" article. If you don't add an image to a "Full" article, the system will show a default image.
  2. Add a minimum Full article
    From the Dashboard, top navigation, add a new article. Guide them through adding the minimum information necessary to create a Full article
    1. Kind: Full
    2. Originating site: Sandbox
    3. Title
    4. Short description – 2-4 sentences maximum
    5. Upload image
    6. Save
    7. Check on article list page (news page)
    8. It's not there. Why? Go back and under Publishing Controls, publish it.
    9. Check on article list page (news page) (no link, nothing more but the three things you added)
  3. Edit article by linking out to a larger story
    1. Find your new article, edit button, find a URL link, type in link
    2. Save, check on news list page. Note the changes: the title, image, and Read More >> all link out to the URL you entered.
    3. Suggest how this could be used to mine other people's content: Gazette Story, for one. Remind them to credit sources appropriately.
  4. Edit article again by adding Main Content and creating Show page
    1. Find and click edit; type in subtitle, byline, and Main Content. KEEP SHORT - no one reads long web articles
    2. Save. Check on news list page. Note link to full page (title, image, read more).
    3. Check on Show page: Note how the different fields appear in the Show page. Note where the URL appears. But it is an ugly URL. Go back to edit mode and name it something so the user will know where it will take them.
    4. Discuss adding other links in the For More Information window; give your user more information in gradual chunks; if they're interested in this they might also want to know ...
  5. Finally, the article doesn't appear on the home page. How can you make article appear on your home page front and center? You Feature it.
    1. In Manage Connections, click Feature. "Feature" means -- "appears on home page".
    2. Save. Check.
    3. Note that the 3 most recent appear; they can manipulate which ones are coded “Feature” to make sure the most important appears. Can also manipulate date.

Exercises

  1. Search for an Existing Article in CHSSWeb system and Associate it with the Sandbox. Save. Check. Disassociate from Sandbox. Save. Check.
  2. Search for an existing article in CHSSWeb system and Associate it with your unit's website. Check.
  3. Add an article using a Gazette story: Go to Gazette. Find an article relevant to your website. In Sandbox, create (add) a news article with a new headline and few lines for the brief description slanting the story to your department/program. Add URL of the Gazette article; save; check. critique together. Go back and change originating site to be yours. Now you have a new news article on your website.
  4. Add an article: Create it in the Sandbox; everyone critique; if you like it, change originating site to your own website.

IV. News Briefs

Let’s say you don’t have an image, don’t have much time, want to put up a brief piece that doesn’t merit more attention. You want to do this all the time without taking much time. Your solution: A news brief.

  1. Go through the types of news briefs. Use drop down on the Editing window. Describe each type of brief and what it's intended to be used for. Show examples from English, History, Economics, possibly. To show all the icons, show news section of chssweb.
  2. Have each person pick a different news brief. Save. Check. Critique. Notes: Faculty afoot should mention specific locations; In the media should mention the media outlet; encourage them to be specific.
  3. Showing News Briefs on Homepage: Homepage can be set for one (and only one) kind of news brief. In right Publishing Controls box, see Display news brief. Set up the page to receive one brief (have one member do this); does the brief appear? No. Why not? Hopefully one of them will answer, you have to Feature it. Critique the titles: if they are long they will look off in the sidebar. How to fix: Use short title (not currently working, but Danny should fix it).
  4. Finally, you can display News Briefs on other pages following the same process; have one of them demonstrate by displaying undergrad on undergrad page.

V. Creating a New News Article to Promote an Event

Do this as an exercise, perhaps. Have them start with an existing event on their site and ask them to do a news article on the event so it can appear on their homepage front and center.

  1. Find image or use the default image for your site
  2. Write 2-3 sentences that promote the event; try not to duplicate information that you've already put in the event listing
  3. Link to the event listing using the URL of the event in the URL field for the new article.

VI. Best Practices

Mention best practices throughout where they are relevant. End by reviewing them all at once.

  1. Check your work.
  2. Always check your work in all the places the article appears: List page, show page, home page front and center or homepage side bar.
  3. Keep sentences short.
  4. Main content: Keep articles short. Web writing (and reading) are different from other writing (and reading). Almost no one reads more than two or three paragraphs on the web, so writing long articles is basically a waste of time.
  5. Titles: Construct titles carefully. They are headlines and should be short, snappy, but informative. The title should catch the attention of your readers and give enough clear information to encourage the reader to click to learn more. Use sentence capitalization.
  6. Keep the Short Title short. This is important if a news brief article is Featured to your homepage.
  7. Avoid abbreviations. Visitors to your site don't know what CHSS, CSSR, ICES, NCC are. Use "the college" "the center" or spell out the names, where possible. Your information should be outward looking and inclusive not inward-looking an chummy.
  8. Construct titles with all sites in mind. When you come up with Title and Subtitle for the article, keep in mind the fact that it might be featured to other sites. If possible, note why this news item is important or relevant to your department or program. Don’t assume that the reader will know that John Jones is your chair or Sally Smith is a University professor in your dept.
  9. Use Subtitle for Clarification of the Title.
    1. Title -- The Economic Crisis
    2. Subtitle – Economics Professor Gives Views in NY Times
  10. If you have a Show page, use the For More Information field to feed the reader with more information about the program, the faculty member, the degree, etc.

VII. Parting Thoughts

Remember why you are doing this:

  • To keep your site current. No one wants to see "news" that is months or years old.
  • To show the vibrancy of your department, program, or center.
  • To attract prospective students and faculty.
  • To provide information to anyone who wants to learn about what you do.

Go back to your office and add one news article and one news brief. Use it or lose it. (There's a nicer way to say it, but this is the gist of what to leave them with.)

If you need help: chssweb2.gmu.edu. If you can't find it there: chssweb@gmu.edu