Training Notes for Events Application

Last Updated: November 9, 2011

O. Before the Session

Give every participant editing rights to the Sandbox.
Check to make sure that the Sandbox has been cleaned up after the last training session. In particular,
1. Delete extraneous events
2. Delete featured news articles about events
3. Make sure the audiences pages are set so they do not display events.

I. Introductions, Overview, and Login

Introduce everyone and the CHSSWeb team
Today's session is about events. What do you want to know? What do you hope to learn today? We want to be sure that we cover the things they are most interested in.
Show CHSSWeb2, the help site
1. Walk briefly through the site.
2. Under the Applications tab, there is a section on the Events Application section. This has everything that will be covered today in training and much more. You can always find this link when you are logged in to CHSSWeb. There is a link from the help button (question mark) in the upper right of the top navigation bar.
Today we are going to go over these basics about events:
1. Adding an event to CHSSWeb and editing an event you already added
2. Using the RSVP feature
3. Finding and associating events on other web sites with your site
4. Coding pages to show events; coding pages/events for specific audiences
5. Creating a news article to promote an event
6. Handling a series of events (time permitting)
7. Handling recurring events (time permitting)
8. Highlighting best practices for displaying events
Login to Sandbox Department: this is where we will work today. Make sure everyone is logged in (using Chrome).

II. Event Basics

Let's start by looking at some events on websites. Where do events show up on websites? There are actually events that can appear in potentially 4 or more places on the website
1. List page -- this page shows all the events associate with a site going from closest in future time to the farthest in future time; the list page shows very basic information. Go through the fields that show up on the list page.
2. Show page -- some events have a full page called a show page; if an event has a show page, there will be a link from the list page title and a Read More with a link to the show page. An event has a show page only IF there is some “Main Content”.
3. Right side bar on pages: Some events are featured to a home page (or other pages). They show up in the side bar (IF you’ve “Featured” it to your homepage)
4. View of all events in the college -- show them this page.
5. PLUS any other site that associates your event with their site – e.g co-sponsored events
Fields for Events
1. Minimal event: Title, (Short title, Subtitle), Start time, End time, Location, Short description
2. Other fields: URL, Main content, Sponsor and/or Host, RSVP
The Event Application: Events are not typed on static webpages. Events are entered, stored, and displayed by the Event Application. The Event Application. This application enables us to share events across multiple sites. Because the information is stored in one place, if something about the event needs to be changed, it only needs to be changed once. But, it will be automatically updated on every "page"

III. Basic Editing with Events

Add and Editing a New Event

From the top navigation, over on "Events" and click on "Add an Event". This is the "New Event" edit window.
First, add just the minimum information necessary for an event.
1. Title (make it long; make it descriptive; don't use abbreviations; use title case)
2. Subtitle (use for further information or for the name of a series -- give examples from best practices) (optional)
3. Start time, end time, location (go through fields)
4. Short description. Keep it short!!
Publish. Save. Check. Look at the events people have added on Sandbox list page. Critique.
Second edit your event: Click on events in the left navigation. You'll see a list of the events in the Sandbox (the site you are logged into).
Find your event and click on the "Edit" icon (the pencil).
Edit the event based on critique we just did.
Then, flesh out the event by adding more information to these fields: Main content field (for a show page). URL (links to something). Sponsor.
Points about the "Main Content" field. What is the "Main Content" field for? To give more information about the event -- abstract of a talk, summary of a film, bio's the speakers, program for a day-long workshop, etc. Best practices:
1. If pasting from another text: Always use the "Paste from Text" box (explain what it is and where to find it)
2. A web page isn't a poster. Don't copy the formatting for a poster. Centered text is great on a poster and terrible on a webpage.
3. Use the "Headings" from the format drop down menu as headings. Don't make your own styles with underlining or bold or capitalization. (Show them the drop down menu and show how they appear on a live web page.)
Save. Check the revised events on the Sandbox List page. Go from List page to Show page; check the URL. See where it appears on the Show page of the event.
Third, look at the homepage of the Sandbox. The event isn't on the home page. Let's fix that. Go through how to feature to home page. Find your event, click on the "Manage Connections" icon and feature. You don't even have to go into the edit window (though you can).
Save. Check. Critique - specifically vis a vis titles. If you have a long title, it may run 2 or even 3 lines when featured to the homepage. That's what the "Short Title" field is for. Use this for a short, zippy title, one that will only appear when the event is displayed in the right sidebar of a page.
Finally, find and edit your event a third time. This time add a title in the "Short Title" field. Save, check, critique.
Note 3 most recent events appear. You can manipulate what's marked “Feature” to make sure the most important events appear on your homepage.

Suggestions: You can edit an event and add additional information as event develops. Change the date. Change the room. Add an abstract when the speaker sends one along. After the event, you can add a full page post-event to serve as a record of the event. Finally, you can reuse event entry for annually-recurring events: Just change the date and update information and keep what's constant, constant. This would be a good idea for things that are fairly canned, such as Information Sessions or Orientations. Things like that where you don't need or want a record of what the event was.

RSVP Feature

CHSSWeb lets you set up an RSVP for events. Let's go back to your event and do that.

Set up RSVP. Note: You have to have some content for the Show page for the RSVP to appear.
Have people RSVP to each others events.
Check RSVPs and Download RSVP Information

Suggestions: Use the RSVP to keep track of who attended. To do annual reports of participation in events. To collect emails so you can communicate with people attending the event. Let people know if the room has changed or the speaker postponed. Use the list after the fact to send more information. To send out a survey or assessment of the event.

IV. Search for an Existing Event and Associate it with your Website

Why do this: Keep your site fresh. Help promote other events. Provide information your students/faculty might be interested in.

Find an event that is on your current webpage and add it to the Sandbox.
Show how to search using search box.
Manage connections.
Feature or not feature to the homepage of the Sandbox.
Save. Check. Critique, if necessary.
Go back, disassociate. Save. Check.

V. Advanced Editing with Events

Creating a News Article to Promote an Event

Some people want to have an article front and center on their home page to help promote important events. This is how to do that.

Before you Start:
1. Find image or use the default image for your site
2. Write 2-3 sentence brief description that promotes the event. Try not to duplicate information that is already in the event listing
3. Write a headline. Try to make it more like a headline (newsy) than the official title of the event.
From the Dashboard, click on "Articles".
Create a "Full" news article. Use your headline, description, and attach the image under "Thumbnail". In the URL, link to the event listing. (Find the show page for the event and copy its URL.)
Be sure and "Feature" it to your homepage.

Coding Pages to Display Events and Coding for Specific Audiences

Explain how this works. Do this only for pages that are target to specific audiences.

Find the page you want to display events. This is very simple. Go to "Pages" in left navigation; pick the page you want to display events. In the "Edit Page" window, the "Publishing Controls" box, check the "Display events" box. This page will now display all events that are associated with your website.

Coding Pages for Specific Audiences to Display Events Code for those Audiences

You might just demonstrate this or, time permitting, have one participant do the grad page, one the undergrad page, one to the prospective student page for the Sandbox.
In the "Publishing Controls" box, check the "Display events". Now this page will show all events associated with your website.
You can also code the page to receive events only for specific audiences.
For example, on the undergraduate student page, you might display dates and deadlines that are relevant for undergraduates. You don't need to add these in yourself. We've done a lot of them for you. See all the schedule on the UAA site. Show them how to find those events.
1. Find the date/deadline you want to display.
2. Associate with your website.
3. Note that once you've set this up, the dates will be updated automatically each semester.

Recurring Events

If you have recurring events, consider reusing the event entry rather than recreating a new one from scratch. Update the time and location information. Go to the event and just change what needs to be changed. The purpose: all the things you set up for the event both links and associations with other sites: they remain in place.

Create section /annual-event
Create /current page
Create /generic page to hold the history of a recurring event
Link from the event listing to the /annual-event
Check out an example: Convocation

VI. Deleting and Disassociating Events

Before we leave. Clean up the Sandbox.

Delete the event that you created:
Find it.
Delete it.

Best Practices

Check your work. Look on all pages the event appears. Play with wording of title, subtitle, and short title so they work well. Events can appear in these three places:
1. Event listing page
2. Event show page
3. Homepage (if the event is Featured).
Construct titles carefully. The Long Title can be descriptive but the Short Title should catch the attention of your visitors and give enough clear information to encourage the reader to click to learn more.
Keep the Short Title and Subtitle short. This is important if an event is Featured to your homepage because both will show up on right sidebar on home page.
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.
Construct titles with all sites in mind. When you come up with Title and Subtitle for the event, keep in mind the fact that they will appear on the list of "View all Events in the College". If possible, in some way note the department or program so that will be apparent from the full listing of all events.
Use Subtitle for Clarification of the Title. For a single event the Title (Short and Long) might be used to give the actual title of the lecture, film, etc while the Subtitle might be used to provide more descriptive information.
1. TItle -- The Economic Crisis
2. Subtitle -- Analysis by Columbia Professor First-Name Last-Name
Use Subtitle to Name a Series of Events. If you have a series of events that you want to be connected, Title (Short and Long) might be used for the actual title of the specific event while Subtitle might be used for the name of the series.
1. Example: Short title -- The Crisis on Wallstreet; Subtitle -- Economics Brown Bag
2. Example: Short title -- Cowen on Wallstreet; Subtitle -- Economics Lecture Series
3. Example: Short title -- The Maltese Falcon; Subtitle -- Bogart Film Series

Parting Thoughts

Use it or lose it: Best to go back and enter some upcoming events - or even past events to put them in the system. If you wait a few days or week, it will be harder to remember.

Baby steps: Don't try to run before you can walk. Enter simple events and work your way to more complex things.

Thanks for coming.

Appendix

Samples of titles and subtitles

A Century of Italian Cinema
Lecture by Kristina Olson

Scheppach to Lecture
Harold Gortner Distinguished Speaker Series