Requirements: Channels have been activated for the network. Other requirements can be found here.
The channels module can be called up via the module bar on the left-hand side. Once the module has been opened, the user is taken to the channel that has been specified on the network as the homepage for the module.
It is also possible that the Channels module is specified as the start module for the network. In this case, the user is taken there directly after logging in.
Structure of a channel #
Administrators have numerous layout options and widgets available to them to configure and layout a channel. This allows different channels on the network to be custom configured and designed, allowing different content to be presented in a targeted manner. Each channel in each network therefore has a different look.
Next to the channel headline are menus with the following options:
- Subscribe (see ‘Subscribe to a channel’)
- Favourites (see ‘Add channel to favourites’)
- Translate (see ‘Translate channel’)
In context menu, independent of administrator status:
- Show blog -> Direct link to the channel blog. All blog articles for the channel are displayed here. You can also retrieve the RSS URL to display the blog as an RSS feed elsewhere (e.g. in the RSS Widget). To do this, simply click on the RSS icon next to the blog headline.
In context menu, based on the existing administrator status:
- Edit channel -> -> Takes you to the general channel configuration under ‘Edit channel’
- Edit layout -> Takes you to ‘Configure channel layout’
- Create new blog post -> Takes you to the editor for new blog articles
The following content types (widgets) can appear:
People widget #
→ e.g. for displaying important contact persons.
Up to nine people can be displayed per person widget. The number of people displayed is determined by the size of the widget (single column: max. three users; two columns: max. six users; three columns: max. nine users). The widget allows you to select people manually, but can also be populated with the newest users or upcoming birthdays. In the case of the latter, there is also the option to show or hide ages. Further details from the user profiles of the people shown appear as an option.
Blog widget #
→ e.g. as an internal organisation blog for interesting topics from the industry.
The blog widget displays the five newest blog articles including title, teaser-text and preview image if available. Users can access the full article of their choice with one click.
Appointments widget #
→ e.g. to highlight an important upcoming appointment.
The date displayed can either be set by the creator of the channel or the next date of a stored calendar will be displayed by default.
Images widget #
→ e.g. to display an image gallery from the last company function or the last event.
Up to twelve images are presented, with an indicator on the last image pointing to additional images. Clicking on an image opens the image gallery, where you can navigate through further images.
Free Text widget
#
→ e.g. for important information from the management or the office, a channel imprint, current alerts, a team introduction, …
Link widget #
→ e.g. as a click recommendation to an external website on which interesting events are published.
Links to videos contain an integrated player that makes it possible to watch the video within the channel. All other links are displayed with an image and a text description of the linked website.
RSS widget #
→ e.g. as an information feed of the latest news from your own organisation that is published on the website.
Up to 12 feed entries are displayed on the RSS widget. Clicking on the headline of a feed entry redirects the user to the corresponding entry.
Navigation widget #
→ e.g. to display navigation or various links both within or outside the network.
Up to 12 links can be displayed within the Navigation Widget. Clicking on the title of a link takes the user to the linked content.
Subscribe to a channel #
You can subscribe to channels in two ways:
- Via the channel directory
- Via the channel itself (next to the name of the channel -> ‘Subscribe’)
There is an extra area in the context bar for the channels you have subscribed to.
Blog articles from subscribed channels are also displayed as posts in ‘My Feed’. The following is displayed:
- Title of the blog article
- If available: Teaser text
- If available: Preview image
- Text excerpt from the article
Note: In some cases, a ‘mandatory channel’ has been configured in the network administration. In this case, the user cannot unsubscribe from a channel.
Add channel to favourites #
You can mark subscribed channels as favourites (click on the ‘star’ icon next to the channel headline).
This means that they remain visible on the first level even when the context bar is collapsed (see also: Add group to favourites).
Translate channel #
If this function is available in the network, the user can use the ‘Translate’ icon at top right next to the channel title to have the channel translated automatically via DeepL. Clicking on the icon opens a context menu in which preselected languages are displayed. The option ‘More’ displays all other available languages. By clicking on the desired language, the entire Channel is translated into the selected language and a small notice ‘(translated)’ is added. Use the ‘Show original’ option to reset the text to the original language.
The translate icon is also displayed in the blog. Blog articles can also be translated into different languages using the icon.
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