Default Settings and Allowed Settings of Posts in a Channel

Posts are created within a channel. Therefore, you can configure the default setting for all the posts within the respective channel. The defaults are used for all newly created posts in a channel. Additionally, you can allow editors to deviate from this default for a specific post.

Staffbase takes you through the settings of a channel step by step. You can always skip a step or customize the settings later:

• Step 1: Setting the Visibility of the Channel
• Step 2: Adding Authors and Editors to a Channel
• Step 3: Setting Default Settings for Social Interactions
• Step 4: Setting Defaults for Notifications
• Step 5: Show or Hide the Author of a Post
• Step 6: Setting the Layout of Articles

Setting up the Visibility of a Channel 

With the visibility settings, you can select the target group(s) for your content. Here, you configure whether a channel is available to just one team or to the whole company. To properly use the visibility settings Staffbase recommends that you configure your user groups keeping the publication of content in mind.

The visibility is a setting that can only be configured as the setting of the channel. All the posts in a channel have the same visibility.

1. In the Studio, navigate to the channel for which you want to modify the settings.
2. Click the gear wheel to open the settings.
   The settings page of the channel opens.
3. Navigate to Common Settings.
4. Set the visibility of your app by selecting an option from the dropdown menu.
   
   
5. Use the slide bar to define whether the channel needs to be visible in the public area or not.
   The public area is visible without signing in to the app.
6. Click Save.

Adding Authors and Editors to a Channel

Specify which users are allowed to contribute to and edit the posts in the channel. This is also called giving a user content-specific rights, in this case, channel-specific editing rights.

The editor has extended rights and can manage posts from all contributors in a channel.

The authors and editors can only be configured as the setting of the channel. All the posts in a channel have the same authors and editors.

1. In the Studio, navigate to the channel for which you want to modify the settings.
2. Click the gear wheel to open the settings.
   The settings page of the channel opens.
3. Navigate to Common Settings.
4. Select one option for authors from the dropdown menu.
5. Select one or more of the options to add editors.
   Next to single users, you can also give groups or API tokens the rights to edit the page.
6. Click Save.

Setting Up Defaults for Social Interactions for all Posts in a Channel

You define the default settings for the social interaction for this channel. If you specifically allow it, the author or editor can change the default setting in the post.

Commenting

Allows users to add a comment to this post directly from the news feed or from within the post. The comments are visible to all readers of this post and encourage further engagement of the users on the topic of the post. This feature converts a one-way or top-down communication into an interactive one.

Liking

Allows users to show their positive opinion and support to this post with a single click directly from the newsfeed or from within the post. The number of likes is shown to all readers of this post. Likes are an easy tool to give the writer of the post credit for the contribution and to follow on hot topics and trends in the organization.

Acknowledging

Allows users to acknowledge that this post has been read. Typically, the acknowledgment feature is used for mandatory information that needs to be acknowledged by the user that it was read. For example, security-relevant information.

Highlighting

Adds a mark-up ‘important’ on the post to make it stick out in the newsfeed.

Sharing

Allows administrators and editors to add direct links or custom links to news posts that users can share internally with their coworkers or externally on social media. 

• Public posts: Provide a direct link to the post or a custom link that can be shared on social networks.
• Internal posts: Since only signed-in users have access to content in internal channels,
• you have to provide an external link to other related content, such as a blog post, so people outside your organization can open it.

Adjusting Default Settings for a News Channel

You can define which social interactions are available by default for all posts on the channel. Authors and editors can change the specific settings on each individual news post.

1. In the Studio, navigate to the channel for which you want to modify the settings.
2. Click the gear wheel to open the settings.
   The settings page of the channel opens.
3. Navigate to Plugin settings: Channel.
4. Move the toggles for Allowed to Yes to allow social interactions on that news channel.
5. Move the toggles Default Settings to Active to activate social interactions.
6. Click Save.

Setting Up Defaults for Notifications for all Posts in a Channel

You define the default settings for notifications for this channel. If you specifically allow it, the author or editor can change the default setting in the post.

Push Notification

On a mobile device where the native app is installed, the app can display push notifications.

Email Notification

The platform can send email notifications if an email is known for a user. 

1. In the Studio, navigate to the post for which you want to modify the settings.
2. Navigate to Plugin settings: Channel.
3. Define which notifications are required for all posts on the channel. Move the slider for Allowed to Yes to allow the notification.
4. Define the default value for notifications, which are used for each newly created post in the channel. Move the slider for Default to Activated to generally always switch on the notification.
   Authors and editors can then change the allowed settings in the post itself.
5. Click Save.

Showing or Hiding Author of Posts

With this advanced setting, you can display the author of each post from the respective channel.

The display author feature is only supported for the following channel types:

• Articles
• Media

1. In the Studio, navigate to the channel for which you want to modify the settings.
2. Click the gear wheel to open the settings.
   The settings page of the channel opens.
3. Navigate to Plugin settings: Channel > Advanced features.
4. Enable the slide bar for Display author.
   
   
5. Click Save. 

Setting the Layout of Articles 

You can choose different layouts to display articles in the news feed of the app. Each layout supports different use cases:

Enhanced The enhanced news feed layout shows the main article images in large format giving each article post instant appeal that draws the users to the individual posts.

Standard The standard news feed layout shows the latest article image in large format, whereas all the other previous article posts in compact mode. This layout is suitable when you want to give importance to the latest post.

Compact The compact news feed layout lists all the articles in the news feed in compact mode and gives equal attention to all the posts within the feed.

What does each layout look like to the users?

Additional Helpful Information

• More information on rights and roles in the Staffbase platform