Guide to Recurring Front Office Website Tasks. Holy Trinity Parish (Bremerton WA) November 10,

Transcription

1 Guide to Recurring Front Office Website Tasks Holy Trinity Parish (Bremerton WA) November 10, Compiled by the Pastoral Council s Communications Committee and edited by Dave Clemens (dwclemens@yahoo.com), (360) (These are the procedures I use and that I know work. There are frequently different procedures that can get you to the same result. Use whatever procedures you wish that give you the same desired result. DC) 1

2 1. How to Upload the Weekly Bulletin and Then Link To It From the Bulletin Article 2 A. Procedure 1. Plan your work so you can work on this uninterrupted and don t stay logged on (even with the Joomla system screen minimized) for more than 15 minutes at a time. Log in at the Administrator page at 2. Have the new Bulletin (in pdf format) on your computer in a location where you can easily find it. 3. At the Site Control Panel, select the <Media Manager> icon. 4. Open the Documents folder and then the Bulletins folder. You will see the most recent bulletins there Click on the <Browse> button bar at the lower part of the window to find (select, <Open>) the pdf Bulletin file you wish to upload. 6. Click on the <Start Upload> button bar on the lower part of the Window. 7. Once you see your new pdf Bulletin file successfully uploaded to that Bulletin folder, select the main pull-down menu <Content> and then <Article Manager>. 8. When the Article Manager screen opens, click twice on the Title column heading to sort all the article titles in alphabetical order by article name. That makes it easy to scroll down the Title column until you get to Bulletin. Click on the title Bulletin to open that article for editing. 9. The Article Edit screen for the Bulletin article will then open. (Remember to select <Save> frequently while in the Article Edit window.) At the top of the list of dates, type in the date (e.g., November 20, 2010) for the Sunday of the Bulletin you just uploaded to Media Manager. (Ensure the font type and font size is consistent with what is already there.) 10. Highlight the date with your mouse. 11. Click on the <Linkr> button at the bottom of the Article Edit window. 12. A window will open. Select <File> and then click on the folders until you have located the same new Bulletin file you uploaded in steps 1 through 7 above. 13. Click on the chain link (Get Link) icon just below the document you just uploaded. A new window will open. Click 2 Joomla calls individual web pages articles and this document uses that same terminology. 3 Some of the older bulletins are in the Media Manager folder PDF and then Bulletin. 2

3 on the text Get Link which appears above the text Link Attributes. 14. You will return to the Article Edit screen. Confirm that the text is now a link. Select <Apply> then <Save> from the icons on the upper right of the screen. The Bulletin article is saved with a new date as a document link. You are then back at the list of all articles. (Select the check-block next to the Bulletin article title and then <Publish> at the upper right. 4 ) 15. Select the word Preview from the upper right of the screen, navigate to the Bulletin page from the front page (via QuickLink on the right or via Bulletin under the About Us menu) and confirm (by clicking on it) that your link actually takes you to the desired uploaded Bulletin document. 16. Logout. B. Policy This task is accomplished weekly, typically on Friday, after the bulletin has been prepared. The Bulletin page is currently the most popular of our web pages and the prompt and regular publication of the Bulletin at the website is a top communications priority of the parish. 4 As of the date this was written, the system is set up so that all articles saved by authors are automatically published. However, this may not always be the case. Right now, the sentence is parenthesis is optional because it is not strictly necessary in order to publish the updated article. However, it is not a bad habit to get into, as always remembering to Publish will help in other administrative website tasks. 3

4 2. How to Revise (Add/Remove) What s New News Items on the Front Page A. Procedure 1. Plan your work so you can work on this uninterrupted and don t stay logged on (even with the Joomla system screen minimized) for more than 15 minutes at a time without using the <Save> button. (Remember to select <Save> frequently while in the Article Edit window.) Log in at the Administrator page at 2. Become familiar with the types of items best put into the What s New block and those items more suited to either (1) Events This Week on the left of the homepage or (2) the calendar on the right of the homepage. Please read the Policy section below. Generally, the same event should not be duplicated on other parts of the front page. 3. At least weekly, decide in advance which old/expired items will be removed (see steps #1 to #5, #10 in this document) and what new items will be added (see steps #4, #6 to #10 in this document). The most recently added news items appear at the top. If you add a fourth item, the oldest What s New item will disappear from the front page, but it will not be deleted and will still be visible to the user when selecting More News and Events at the front page. If one of those three most recent (therefore front page) articles is then deleted, the older article will then reappear in the three-item What s New block unless deleted. 4. From the Site Control Panel, select the <Article Manager> icon. All the current news items are here as individual separate articles, with the three most recent (by date) appearing in the What s New block on the front page. 5. [To Delete a What s New Item]With the Article Manager screen open, click twice on the Title column heading to sort all the article titles in alphabetical order by article name. This will make it easier to find your article. Scroll down the Title column until you get to the item you wish to delete. Click the check-block next to the article s title. Select the icon <Delete> at the upper right of the screen to remove the old/expired item. Using Preview at the upper right, confirm that the item no longer appears at the front page. 6. [To Add a New What s New Item] You may wish to compose your text in Word first (where you can even add hyperlinks within that Word document to Holy Trinity web pages or to other websites). Word has spelling and grammar checkers that the Article Edit screen does not have. In addition, by creating 4

5 the text in Word, you will always have a backup copy of the text in case there are system problems. At the Article Manager screen, select the <New> icon at the upper right. You must create a New Article every time you create a new What s New item. Don t just edit an existing item by deleting the article text or the (old) date will never change. 7. In the Article Edit window, type in a title. This will become the first line shown for the What s New entry. Select "Home" for the Section and "News" for the Category. Don't change any of the other buttons selected in the article header (Published: YES; Front Page: NO). Type in your article s text or paste in the article s text from your previously created Word document. If you need links to other sites within your text, select the text with your mouse, click on the chain link icon (Add/Edit Link), and paste or type the destination webpage into the Link URL text block that appears. 8. Select <Apply> then <Save> from the icons on the upper right of the Article Edit screen. The newest news item is saved. You are then back at the list of all articles. (Select the check block next to the new article s title and then <Publish> at the upper right. 5 ) 9. Select the word Preview from the upper right of the screen, navigate to the front page and confirm that the news article is there. In addition, click on More News and Events and view all the news there. 10. Logout. B. Policy The front page will accommodate up to three news items at any one time. The What s New block should be kept current and reviewed weekly. At that time, expired items should be removed and new items added. Items with a clear expiration date (typically tied to events) should be removed promptly after the event has occurred. News items without a stated expiration date should generally not remain in this block for more than ten days. The priorities for categories of new items are (in priority order): (1) news of the parish, (2) news of the Archdiocese of Seattle, and (3) news of the universal Church/Vatican. In keeping with the mission of the parish website, at least one of the three currently-listed news items should be parish news. Parish news can be drawn from the parish Bulletin or other 5 As of the date this was written, the system is set up so that all articles saved by authors are automatically published. However, this may not always be the case. Right now, the sentence is parenthesis is optional because it is not strictly necessary in order to publish the updated article. However, it is not a bad habit to get into, as always remembering to Publish will help in other administrative tasks. 5

6 parish sources, including late-breaking news occurring after publication of the Bulletin. Archdiocese of Seattle news can come from the Catholic Northwest Progress website, the Archdiocese website, the Archdiocese s Catholic Northwest Media Digest , or articles in the popular press (e.g., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Kitsap Sun). News items on the broader universal Church could come from the secular press, religious press (e.g., Catholic News Service), or church hierarchy (WSCC, USCCB, Vatican) press releases/websites. News items shall be recent/current and selected on the basis of broad appeal to the greatest number of parishioners and the broadest appeal (greatest variety) of Church-related subjects. News items on the same subject, at any one time or from time to time, should be avoided wherever possible. Inherent in the What s New editorial discretion is a sense of balance, fairness, and good journalism. Any controversial, divisive, or political content should be avoided. If in doubt, seek direction from your Supervisor or from the Pastor. 6

7 3. How to Revise (Add/Remove) Events This Week Listing on Left Side of Front Page A. Procedure 1. Plan your work so you can work on this uninterrupted and don t stay logged on (even with the Joomla system screen minimized) for more than 15 minutes at a time without using the <Save> button. (Remember to select <Save> frequently while in the Article Edit window.) Log in at the Administrator page at 2. Become familiar with the types of items best put into the Events This Week block and those items more suited to either (1) What s New in the middle of the front page or (2) the calendar on the right of the front page. Please read the Policy section below. Generally, the same event should not be duplicated on other parts of the front page. 3. At least weekly, removed the expired items and add new items. All of the displayed Events This Week are found in a single article which is edited and re-edited. The number of events displayed at the front page is limited only by the amount of space available on the left column there. 4. From the Site Control Panel, select the <Article Manager> icon. Find the article entitled Events This Week. (Hint: With the Article Manager screen open, click twice on the Title column heading to sort all the article titles in alphabetical order by article name. This will make it easier to find Events This Week. ) 5. Only make changes to the text appearing with the text edit block, keeping the current default fonts for consistency throughout the edited article. Do not make any changes in the header information Select <Apply> then <Save> from the icons on the upper right of the Article Edit screen. The modified Events This Week article is saved. Select <Close> and you are then back at the list of all articles. (Select the check block next to the Events This Week article title and then select <Publish> at the upper right. 7 ) 7. Select the word Preview from the upper right of the screen, navigate to the front page and confirm that the revised text in Events This Week is there. 6 Settings that remain unchanged: Section: Home; Category: Home Page; Published: Yes; Homepage: No. 7 As of the date this was written, the system is set up so that all articles saved by authors are automatically published. However, this may not always be the case. Right now, the sentence is parenthesis is optional because it is not strictly necessary in order to publish the updated article. However, it is not a bad habit to get into, as always remembering to Publish will help in other administrative tasks. 7

8 8. Logout. B. Policy The purpose of this block on the left side of the front page is to include events of parish-wide interest from the current Bulletin and late-breaking events that did not occur in sufficient time for inclusion in the Bulletin (e.g., funerals). It is important that Events This Week be kept current with review occurring at least weekly, typically early in the week. The entries must be kept short with only the event, date, time, and location. If the event requires more information, links/documents, special promotion, recurs as part of a project or program, or occurs repeated across multiple days or weeks, the best place for it would instead be the What s New news section. Most meetings and events from specialized departmental calendars are typically more appropriate in the calendar section of the front page. Information should generally not be duplicated on multiple parts of the front page. Only the most important events of parish-wide interest should be included in this section. Inherent in the Events This Week editorial discretion is a sense of balance, fairness, and good journalism. Controversial, divisive, or political events should be avoided. If in doubt, seek direction from your Supervisor or from the Pastor. 8

9 4. How to Revise (Edit/Add/Remove) Calendar Entries (Right Side of Front Page) A. Procedure 1. Become familiar with the types of items best put into this calendar block and those items more suited to either (1) What s New in the middle of the front page or (2) Events This Week on the left of the front page. Please read the Policy section below. Generally, the same event should not be duplicated on other parts of the front page. 2. At least weekly, review the calendar to determine if new events should be added or if any existing future events should be revised. There is no need to delete expired (past) calendar items. The only time you will need to completely delete a calendar entry is if that future event is cancelled. To review the current calendar (as any website visitor would see it), go to the front page and click on a future calendar date with information. The calendar dates with event information are shaded blue on the monthly calendar displayed at the front page. When clicked, that date will open and information about the event will be displayed. Display by week or by month by selecting the desired display option. Go to the next month or next week by clicking on the green arrow. 3. Plan your work so you can work on this uninterrupted and don t stay logged on (even with the Joomla system screen minimized) for more than 15 minutes at a time without using the <Save> button. (Remember to select <Save> frequently while in the Article Edit window.) Log in at the Administrator page at 4. From the Site Control Panel, select the pulldown menu Components and then select JEvents from that menu. 5. At the JEvents Control Panel, click on the icon Manage Events. 6. The screen that opens will display all the events. Notice that past events become Unpublished when they have expired. To modify an existing future event, click on the Event Title to open it for editing. The Edit Event screen will open for that event. Make your desired changes in the Common tab and the Calendar tab. Save your changes by clicking <Apply> and <Save> icons in the upper right. 7. (or) To add a new event, click on the <New> icon at the JEvents Events screen that displays all the calendar events. 9

10 8. A blank Edit Events window will open. Note that information is required in both tabs, so you will enter information in both the Common and Calendar tabs for this new event. 9. In the Common tab, type in the title of the event, select Parent Calendar(all) in the Categories pull-down, and type in the event location (if known) in the Location text entry box. 10. Now select the Calendar tab for that same event. Check All day event or unspecified time if there are no clock times associated with the event (e.g., a holiday when the parish office is closed). Under Start date, click on the calendar icon and select the start date. If there is a start time, type it in, making sure to select the correct am or pm button. For many events, you may not know the finish time. If this is the case, check the block No specific end time. If you know the finish time, type it in, making sure to select the correct am or pm button. Most of the new events you enter will not be repeating. The default, No Repeat is already selected as the default. If you wish to enter the event as a repeating event, select the appropriate frequency button. 11. Save your changes by clicking the <Apply> and <Save> icons in the upper right. When you return to the events listing, you should see it there with the correct date and time Select the word Preview from the upper right of the screen, navigate to the front page and confirm that event is shown in the revised calendar. (Hint: Use the monthly view, which is a good way to check for duplications, too.) 13. Logout. B. Policy The purpose of this calendar block on the right side of the front page is to include longer range events of parish-wide interest or more specialized interest beyond the current week. It is important that the calendar be kept current with review occurring at least weekly, typically early in the week. Entries should be as complete as possible based on all information known at the time. Additional information can be added later as it becomes available. Event title, date, and time are required. If the location is known, that should also be provided. If the event requires more information, 8 Sometimes, and for no known reason, the system will make a duplicate of your calendar event. This will be easy to spot in the listing of the events, as the duplicate will be listed immediately below the original entry. To eliminate these occasional duplicates, pick one to delete by checking the check-block next to one of the duplicate event titles. Then click on the <Delete> icon in the upper right. 10

11 links/documents, special promotion, recurs as part of a project or program, or occurs repeated across multiple days or weeks, the best place for it might be the What s New news section. Meetings of councils and commissions and upcoming liturgical events are appropriate in the calendar. Information should generally not be duplicated on multiple parts of the front page. Where Events This Week are events in the current week of parish-wide interest, events in the calendar are typically of longer range (usually two or three months at a time) and can be scheduled events of likely interest to only a subset of the parish. Inherent in the selection of calendar events is exercise of sound editorial discretion including balance, fairness, and good journalism. Controversial, divisive, or political events should be avoided. If in doubt, seek direction from your Supervisor or from the Pastor. Other Tasks Related to the Front Page of the Website 1. Quicklinks. To suggest changes to the QuickLinks on the front page, please contact the Communications Committee of the Pastoral Council: Lloyd Sandell (lesandell@comcast.net, ) or Dave Clemens (dwclemens@yahoo.com, ). 2. Slide Show. To suggest changes to the front page slideshow, please contact the Communications Committee of the Pastoral Council: Lloyd Sandell (lesandell@comcast.net, ) or Dave Clemens (dwclemens@yahoo.com, ). 11