Content Types

Your school will likely use many types of content as part of your communications. Content types control how content is managed and shown on your site.

Most content types include a field that enables you to control the dates when the content is published and when it expires. Content is published at 12:00 a.m. on the Publish date and remains published until 11:59 p.m. on the Expire date. The same applies if the Publish and Expire dates are the same date. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved. This applies to Sign in actions messages and Events, as well as to some of the content categories.

  • Affinity - create lists of associated users (such as people who work in the same department) to show their contact and biographical information. For example, you might use an "Admissions Staff" affinity group on a “Meet the Admissions Office” webpage.

  • Announcements - notify users about important information on group pages, or page builder pages. You can also send these as emails or text messages to users who have subscribed to notifications. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Application - create customized application forms for prospective families to submit online.

  • Annual fund - show your school's campaign progress.

  • Audio - create albums of sound files for use within the Media Gallery and webpages. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Business index - create a list of contact information for local businesses (hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc.) such as for a visitor's guide.

  • Calendar - includes school calendars (such as school athletics) and persona generated calendars (based on an individuals classes, teams, and groups, and children).

  • Custom forms - create forms for users to submit electronically. This is a legacy contact type compared to "school forms."

  • Directories - create directories which users can use to search for other individuals.

  • Downloads - post downloadable files to your school website. Review the supported file types. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • FAQs - show information in a question and answer format. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Links - use buttons or text as hyperlinks to direct users to other parts of your website or to external websites. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Lists - Content type - create listings that include a title, brief descriptions, long discription, and photo for each item in the list. Consider listing community service opportunities, extracurricular clubs/activities, employment opportunities, library services, admissions process steps, and giving programs. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

    Note: These are not filterable or exportable lists for reporting purposes. For those functions, see Lists.

  • News - show current happenings and achievements via webpages or group pages. You also use this for emergency bulletins. You can use this blog; users can comment on news stories. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Photos - show images as thumbnails, stand alone photos, multiple images in a Gallery (with next/previous buttons), or stacked vertically. Use albums to group photos together in categories. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Polls - engage users with questions.

  • Resource boards - post general content that remains relatively static throughout the year (library resources, school handbook, hyperlinks to quickly access other sites and single sign on/SSO, emergency action plans, employee benefit information, etc). This content isn't designed for specific classes, teams or activities. You can publish posts to specific resource boards. For example you'll probably have specific resource boards for faculty only, alums, parents of students in specific school levels, and students in specific school levels.

  • School forms - collect and update information from parents of current and future students (including users with "parental access" rights), and the students themselves.

  • Text - as the most heavily used content type you'll use it on every page of your website. You can add text and embedded HTML into a text channel.

  • Trivia - give users a fun way to interact with the site. When a user submits an answer, the next screen shows them if their response is correct. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

  • Upload miscellaneous files - use this to upload files to the database outside of a content category. Review the supported file types,

  • Videos - create albums of videos files. If the item is published on the current date, it publishes immediately when saved.

Tip: Refer to Supported file types .