Aurora: Featured Guides Widget configuration
The Featured Guides Widget allows community members to easily discover and access highlighted guides on your community pages. With this widget, admins can showcase curated guides, providing members with quick links to essential content. They can be made available for use on designated community pages and helps drive engagement by featuring important or popular guides. Open the Account menu. Go to Designer > Page Templates. The Page Templates page opens. Select the page template where you want to add this widget. In this example, let’s open the Community Home template. The designer page for Community Home opens. Find where you want to add the widget and select Add widget (plus icon). Select Content from the Add Widget pane. A list of widgets that you can add appears. Select the Featured Guides widget. Layout The Featured Guides widget includes the List and Card layouts. From the Edit Widget panel, select one of these options to change the layout. List The List layout gives you a simple view of the guides featured. Card The Card layout showcases the guide’s name in the center of the card. The options in the List style section for List layouts are the following: Space: Uses whitespace to create space between items. Divide: Adds a horizontal line to divide items. Border: Creates a border that separates items into individual boxes. Widget title Enter a title to appear at the top of the widget. If the Visible only to screen readers toggle is on, the title is relayed only through screen readers. Edit Sample Featured Guides Select Edit Sample Content to open a window where you can select a sample guide to preview how the widget will look in the community. Search for the guides you want to feature on the community page. You can then reorder the content by grabbing it with your cursor and dragging it to the desired location. Select Preview to return to editing the widget. Number of items Use the slider to indicate how many guides (up to 20) can be displayed on the widget. Max lines of description text Use the slider to set up to 20 lines of text for the Featured Guides description. Lead with From the Lead with menu, select one of the following: the author’s Avatar the Icon None More options Additional configuration options for the widget include: Include “More Guides” link: Creates a Show More link if there are more guides than designated on the Number of items slider. Optimize page-load time: Optimize the page's load time using a lazy load method. Widgets only appear as the member scrolls down the page, shortening the time to render the page. Notes If there are no articles in a guide or if a guide is hidden, and you choose that guide to be featured in the Featured Guides widget, that Guide will not be visible on the widget on the published page. As shown below, “Analytics Dashboard” is an empty guide. Let’s add this guide to theFeatured Guides widget. After publishing the page template, the “Analytics Dashboard” guide is not visible to the community.Aurora: Comments and replies to posts
Replies and comments spark excitement and lead to more engagement on content because they can transform a static piece of content into an interactive conversation with peers and other experts.. Threaded comments and replies help visualise the hierarchy of different conversations that can splinter off from the main topic. This article covers: an example of commenting on topics managing Comments withnotifications and sorting the order of comments and replies Members can engage with published posts by giving Likes and commenting on them. Let's take an example of commenting on a knowledge base article. Comments on blogs, events and ideas, and replies on forums follow the same process. 8 STEPS 1. Scroll down on the article you want to comment on 2. Click Comment 3. Or scroll down and directly comment on the comment box available. 4. Type a comment 5. Click Reply 6. Your comment is posted. 7. You can also comment on another comment. 8. That's it. You're done. Here's an interactive tutorial ** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) ** https://www.iorad.com/player/2051688/comment-on-articles-and-posts You can view all the comments based on its recency and likes received. You can also reply to comments in a threaded fashion and give Likes Managing Comments Community is a place where a lot of conversations pour in from different sources. It becomes necessary to keep the community clean, maintain relevance of topics being discussed, and have a healthy engagement. There are several options with which you can manage comments or replies to forum discussions, Blogs posts, and KB articles. The availability of these options are based on member permissions. Note: By default, members who comment or reply on a piece of content (Forum discussion, blog post, idea, or KB article) will automatically follow that piece of content. Members must have Manage comments on any post and Manage comments on own post permissions to edit and delete comments or replies to the post. As an Admin or moderator you can use these options to: Edit comments: Members who posted the reply or with elevated permissions (Admins and Moderators) can edit the reply or comment. Move comments: Members with elevated permissions can move a reply or comment to the new location or start a new discussion from the reply or comment. Copy Link: Any member can copy the link of the reply. When you open the link in new tab, the page focuses on the respective reply of the post: Click View Full Discussion to view all the replies to the post. Follow: Members can follow replies and comments to get notified of the updates. Learn more about following comment or reply. Delete: Members with elevated permissions (Admins and moderators) can delete a comment or reply to the post. When you delete a reply, all its threaded replies are deleted along with the main reply. Reject: Members with elevated permission can reject content. If you mark a post as spam and change your mind later, you can recover the message. Block or allow Replies and Comments: Authors of the post or members with elevated permissions (Admins and moderators) can block and unblock new replies or comments to the post. As a member, apart form copying link and following content you can also Report an inappropriate content. Notification Options for Message and Reply Actions To comply with DSA requirements, we've added a feature that notifies members when their replies or comments are edited, moved, or deleted by members with appropriate permissions. Additionally, all members who have replied to the post will receive these notifications. Below is an example of the confirmation message you receive when you try to delete a comment on an article. Replies and Comments sort order Admins can customize the sort order for replies and comments at both the community and board levels, offering additional control over how discussions are organized and displayed to members. To set the sort order: Open theAccountMenu. Go toSettings > Features > Content Features > Replies and Comments. From the Default sort order drop-down menu, select your preferred sorting method to organize all replies and comments across your community. The default sort order does not override member's individual preferences. For example, if a member has chosen to view replies and comments in Oldest to Newest order but the admin has set the default to Most Liked, the member sees them displayed according to their personal preference of oldest to newest. If members choose the Community Default option, the admin's settings apply across all boards for those members. Also, members can change the order from the community post page containing comments or replies. Changes to the sort order on the post page are saved in member’s preferences. Note: By default, the admin setting is set to order by Most Liked, and for members, it is set to Community Default.Aurora: 3-step workflow for Knowledge base articles and blog posts
Let’s walk through an example of how a blog post moves through the three-step workflow until it is published. The same applies to Knowledge Base articles. Before you continue, you may find it helpful to first read the articles on assigning authoring and publishing roles to membersand what these roles help with. The BlogAuthor clicksCreate a blog postto start a new blog post. The BlogAuthor writes the blog post. They can either click Save Draftto update the blog post later orSubmit for Reviewto send the blog post for review to the BlogEditor. Assume that they clickSubmit for Review. The draft is saved. Theversion numberof this draft is 0.1. The status appears on the top-right corner. In this example, the draft status isAwaiting Review. TheVersion Historydisplays this version as v0.1. TheVersion History also lists all the actions taken on this blog post until it is published in the community blog. The blog post is now in theAwaiting Reviewstate and waiting on the BlogEditor to take action. Note:BlogAuthors and KBAuthors can stillrecallblog posts and articles at this point in the workflow. The BlogEditor opens the Manage Contentdashboard and sees that there are articles in theAwaiting Reviewstate. The BlogEditor can open the draft to review or edit by either: clicking Edit Draft on the draft page: OR clickingEdit from the Manage Content dashboard The BlogEditor can: Editto make changes. Return to Authorif the blog requires changes from the BlogAuthor. Submit for Publicationto send the article to the BlogPublisher. In this example, the BlogEditor clicksSubmit for Publication. The draft moves to theAwaiting Publicationstate and is forwarded to the BlogPublisher. The BlogPublisher opens theManage Content dashboard and sees that there are articles in theAwaiting Publicationstate. TheBlogPublisher can either click the name of the blog postto review the draft or take actions from the Manage Content dashboard. The BlogPublisher can: Return for Review to send the blog post back to the BlogEditor. Publish to publish the blog post in the community blog. Schedule for Publicationto publish the blog post at a later time. In this example, the BlogPublisher clicksPublish. The article is published in the Community with version number 1.0. You can view the history of the blog post even after it is published Learn more about restoring older versions of a published blog post or knowledge base article. Learn more about editing published blog posts or knowledge base articles. Workflow process for members with multiple roles and permissions You can assign more than one of the default roles to a member. The drafts have to go through the review state to be published.The below screenshot shows the workflow page where the member has all the three default roles. The Submit for Publication button will not be visible until the draft passes the review state. But if the member has all 3 default roles, and the draft has passed the review state, then the member can take all the workflow actions. Related topics: Overview of Content Workflow for Knowledge Base articles and Blog posts Return a Knowledge base article or blog post back to draft state Send a Knowledge Base article or blog post back for reviewAurora: Overview of Content Workflow and Approval feature for Knowledge Base articles and Blog posts
To enable people to create high-quality and engaging content quickly, you need a simple process for authors, editors, and publishers to follow. Different people have different responsibilities in the content creation workflow, and it’s important for teams to be able to collaborate on new and existing articles at scale and not get in each other’s way. Granular control over author, editor, and publisher permissions, enables you to clearly define who can perform each task in the publishing workflow. Each blog post or KB article moves through different states, and members can view the latest state of articles and blog posts via Manage Content Dashboard. This flowchart shows how an article moves through the publishing workflow and the tasks members with specific roles can perform. Feature Enablement Admins can enable content workflow in your community. To enable it, goto Account menu> Settings> Features> General and enable Content Workflow. Learn more on how to enable Content workflow in the community. Key features The default roles for content workflow include: BlogAuthor:Can start and edit blog articles BlogEditor:Can edit on articles that are in the Awaiting Review state. BlogEditors can send articles back to the BlogAuthor if there are changes required or can forward the article to the BlogPublisher for publication BlogPublisher:Can approve and publish articles that are in the Awaiting Publicationstate or send the article back to the BlogEditor if additional changes are needed. KBAuthor:Can start and edit TKB articles KBEditor:Can edit articles that are in the Awaiting Review state. TKBEditors can send articles back to the TKBAuthor if there are changes required or can forward the article to the TKBPublisher for publication KBPublisher:Can approve and publish articles that are in the Awaiting Publicationstate or send the article back to the TKBEditor if additional changes are needed. You can find these roles when you clcik your Account Menu >Settings > Users > Community Permissions Default. Learn more about enabling this feature and assigning roles to members 3-step workflow: Once you assign the above roles members, every draft will go through the process of publishing articles with a 3-step workflow that provides for authoring, editing and publishing. Below is an example of a blog post’s draft page that was written by a member with a BlogAuthor role and submitted for review. You can see the status of the draft, version number, and perform further actions depending on your role in the workflow process. When the drafts are in the 3-step workflow and yet to be published, you can Manage Content:Trackan article’s or blog post's journey in the publishing workflow and make it easier to take relevant actions using thecontent managementdashboard. Compare two revisions of a draft:Compareany two versions when the article or blog post is in the workflow process. The differences between the two versions are highlighted View Draft History:Track every action each member performs on an article or blog post until it is published. Note: As of today, email notifications are not sent to members with these roles. This feature will be available in a future release. Knowledge Base article and blog post states In this publishing workflow, knowledge base articles and blog posts can be in one of four states: Draft:Articles or blog post has been created or edited but isn't ready to be reviewed or published Awaiting Review:Article or blog post draft is ready for review Awaiting Publication:Article or blog post has been reviewed and is ready for approval and publication Published:Article or blog post has been published. If this article or blog post was a revision for an already-published article or blog post, respectively, this new version replaces the previous version in the community Related Topics 3-step workflow for Knowledge base articles and blog posts Return a Knowledge base article or blog post back to draft state Send a Knowledge Base article or blog post back for reviewAurora: Publish blog posts
When a blog post is reviewed and approved to be published, there are two possible scenarios for publication: It is ready to be published and you can go ahead and publish it. It requires a precipitating event, such as a product release or update, and needs to be published at a later date. To publish blog posts immediately, click the Publish button. The blog post is immediately available for viewers to read. Scheduling content to be published later The scheduling feature gives you control in managing when your blog post is published in the community. This makes it possible to manage your growing inventory of content. When scheduling at a future time, you can also indicate the time zone to use. Follow the walkthrough below to learn how to schedule a blog post for publication. Note: If Content Workflow is enabled, you must submit the blog post for review and submit for publication before you can selectSchedule for Publication. Note: The tutorial below depicts publication scheduling when Content Workflow is turned off. 14 STEPS 1. Open the draft of the article that you want to schedule to publish. Click Edit Draft 2. The article opens in an editor. Scroll down the page and click Publication Schedule 3. Click the text box to choose the time 4. Pick a date 5. Pick a time 6. Pick a Time Zone 7. 8. Click Schedule 9. Your article is now scheduled to be published 10. Click Change if you want to reschedule 11. Select a date, time and timezone 12. Click Change 13. Click Remove, if you want to remove the scheduling 14. The schedule is removed. Here's an interactive tutorial https://www.iorad.com/player/2052286/Schedule-Publiation Permissions Permission Purpose Additional permissions required Publish posts To publish edits to previously published KB articles View draft articles Edit any published post To edit your own blog posts and blog posts published by others View draft posts Related topics: Create a blog post Edit blog posts Follow Content TagsAurora: Event types
Events offers three types of events that enable members to connect and engage. With Online, In-person, and Hybrid events, you can ensure that every member in your community can participate in a way that suits their preferences and needs. Event type: Online To set an online event: Select Online from the Event type drop-down menu. The Event URL field appears.By default, we supportYouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo videos as well as Zoom meetings and webinars. Enter the event's URL in the Event URL field. The published view indicates that it is an online event and also shows the preview of the event. Event Type: In-Person To set an In-person event: Select In-Person from the Event type drop-down menu. The Location field appears. Start entering the address and select from the suggestions. (Optional) Turn on the toggle if you want to display the location on Google Maps. The published view of the event shows that it is an In-person event along with the location of the event. Event type: Hybrid To set a Hybrid event: Select Hybridfrom the Event type drop-down menu. An option to enter the location or address where the event will be held and an option to enter the URL of the event appear. Start entering the address and select from the suggestions. (Optional)Turn on the toggle if you want to display the location on Google Maps. Enter the URL for attendees to view either a livestream video (YouTube, Facebook. Vimeo videos) or join a Zoom meeting or webinar. The published view of a Hybrid event shows that it is a Hybrid event. It also shows the location where event will be held and a preview to the livestream videos or link to the Zoom meeting or webinar. Related Topics: About Events Creating an events node in community structure Create an event Events permissions and settings Integrate Zoom with Community EventsAbout Aurora Content Types
Khoros Communities excel at connecting people, building relationships with product experts, and driving brand engagement. Of course, at the heart of any community is the content, and Khoros Community provides several Content Types your members can participate in. But which content type should you use? Each content type is designed for different types of content and drives different types of community engagement: Forums: Connect product experts and brand enthusiasts through peer-to-peer discussions. Blogs: Attract customers by publishing content from top experts. Blogs are one of the best ways to build your audience and keep your community informed. Knowledge bases: Empower customers and employees to turn peer-generated conversations and knowledge from Aurora Communities into polished, searchable articles. Events: Events are a collection of community-hosted activities (seminars, meet-ups, conferences). You can notify community members of online or in-person events by publishing them in the Events calendar. Ideas: Crowd-source innovation by enabling customers to submit ideas, vote, and provide comments. Generate thousands of prioritized ideas that help you build better products and deepen customer loyalty. Groups: Groups deliver an enhanced experience for community members to engage around a common theme or purpose. Each group has its own configurable set of content types (the content types shown in this article) to organize content and communication. Forums Khoros Forums enable you to connect product experts and brand enthusiasts through peer-to-peer discussions. Both newbies and experienced members can read, post, and easily respond. You can create forums that are as broad or as focused as you need for your products or services. For example, you could have a forum dedicated to an entire product line of printers or forums focused on a specific printer. It’s up to you. Check out Atlas Community’s Discussion Forum Learn more about forums. Blogs Blogs drive traffic to your community. Unlike standalone blog products, Khoros Blogs is integrated with our community platform, ensuring a cohesive experience as users explore and learn. Blogs are a great way to publish content pertaining to your brand, be it product announcements, industry expertise, or news and events. Check out Atlas Community’s Developer Blog where experts share information and recommendations based on products and labels. Learn more about blogs. Knowledge Bases With Khoros knowledge bases (or KBs), members can create trusted content focused on specific topics or themes. For example, you might have KBs focused on product documentation, support FAQs, best practices, or use cases. You can enable specific members to write and maintain these articles as well as enable trusted community members to contribute to these articles. Check out Atlas Community’s Support Information Knowledge Base articles shared and curated by Khoros experts in an efficient and organized way. Learn more about knowledge bases. Events Events provide a platform to schedule, announce, inform, and discuss everything from the smallest group gathering to the largest user conference. These community-hosted activities harness the enthusiasm generated by interactions between your customers, company, and brand ambassadors and foster deeper connections with your customers.With Khoros Events you can: host live Stream Video outside your community (for example, from YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo) by providing a URL of the live video. You can also provide the URL of a pre-recorded video. integrateZoom meetings and webinars within your community. Learn more about Events. Ideas From time to time, your customers might have ideas about how to make your products better. These ideas could be minor enhancements or a completely new feature. Khoros Ideas enables you to capture these customer ideas, let other members vote on these ideas, and share these ideas with your internal product teams. By enabling members to submit their own ideas, you are encouraging them to be thought partners with your company and stand out among their community peers. Submitted ideas are reviewed by your internal teams and assignedstatuses(for example, Under consideration, Accepted, or Declined) so everyone in the community can track the idea’s progress, vote on ideas they like, and even discuss the ideas by posting comments. Learn more about Ideas. Groups Within a community, smaller communities form organically or out of necessity. Groups help you to create, organise and scope these conversations to the right audience so that the conversation remains relevant and insightful, enabling customers to say what they want to say, how they want to say. With Khoros' Groups you can have Open, Closed and Hidden Groups. With Open Groups, you provide access to all community members to read and comment on the content in the Group although only owners of the Group can create content . Closed and Hidden Groups take privacy a step further. Non-members of Closed Group can see that a Group exits but only members can read, comment or reply. Hidden Groups are completely invisible to the community except for its members. Use Hidden Groups when you need confidentiality, security and privileged access to information is need, yet you need right members to easily access right content. Learn more about Groups Related topics: About Community site structure Set permissions at the board level
