Group & Department Pages
Group & Department Pages provide users with context around who is hosting your events. Using Group & Departments will add a directory to your calendar homepage so users can search via a particular Group or Department, or as a quick way to obtain extra information. Groups and Departments are used to bring distinct audiences together by highlighting events that happen at different places, but share a common host.
Functionally, Group and Department Pages are the exact same, the information is simply hosted in separate directories. You can also rename these directories in case there's something more familiar your community!
What’s the difference between Groups & Departments?
What are Group Types?
Benefits of Groups & Departments
Beyond just serving as another means to classify events, they're a huge SEO boost! Here are some benefits of using Group & Department Pages:
- Users can see both upcoming and recent events on one page.
- Users can follow a Group or Department Page so that all events/upcoming events are added to their Localist calendar. Group Managers can decide whether or not to require follow requests by selecting skip officer approval in the Group or Department's edit page.
- Information like social media accounts, description, website links, etc. is available directly on the page.
Adding Group & Department Pages
To add a Group Page: Navigate to Classifications > Groups > + Add Group To add a Department Page: Navigate to Classifications > Departments > + Add Department
- If you're not already using Department Pages and would like to turn them on, email support@concept3d.com.
Group & Department Page Fields
Field | Details |
---|---|
Name | No character limit. This will be displayed as the Group/Department's name in the directory listing, on the event list, and on Event Details Pages. |
Description | No character limit, but only around 150 characters will be displayed before being truncated on the main listing. |
Group (or Department) Website | This website will be linked under the Group or Department's name on the landing page as View Group (or Department) Website. |
Twitter Username | This will be linked in a Twitter icon next to the Follow and Facebook icons on the right side of the page. |
Facebook Page | This will be linked in a Facebook icon beside the Follow and Twitter icons on the right side of the page. |
Custom URL | This will give the group landing page a custom URL.
|
Group Type | Select all that apply. This refers to Group Type Filters that are assigned to Group Pages and live in the Groups directory. |
News Feed RSS URL | This feed will be displayed under Upcoming Events on the Group or Department Page. |
Skip Officer Approval | When checked, users who select Follow Group or Follow Department will automatically be added as a follower.
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Photo | This photo will be displayed on the listing and landing page for the Group or Department. It may be used as a part of the Fallback Chain when an event does not have a unique photo. |
Assigning an Event to a Group or Department
When in an event’s edit/create form, you will see a section titled Classifications. Group/Departments are listed with a corresponding drop-down. The Upcoming Events section of the Group or Department Page displays the 5 closest future events, starting with the closest.
Managing Live Groups & Departments
Group Officers
Group Officer is a Localist permission level. This would be assigned for either a Group or Department, Localist will not reflect a "Department Officer" role for Departments.- Use the Public Submission Form to submit events related to that Group or Department for approval
- Send messages to Group/Department members
- Approve membership requests.
To view a complete list of all Group Officers and their respective Groups/Departments, navigate from the Admin Dashboard to Classifications > Groups (or Departments) > Officers.
Approving Group & Department Follow Requests
Group Officers can review follower requests in their User Dashboard by navigating to User Menu > Dashboard > scrolling down to Notifications.Group Managers can manage follow requests in the Admin Dashboard. Navigate to Groups > Follow Requests OR Departments > Follow Requests. This page displays a list of all pending requests and can be filtered per Group or Department by using the drop down.
Field | Details |
---|---|
Reject | This user will not be allowed to follow the Group. |
Verify as Officer | This user will be allowed to follow the Group/Department and will be an officer for the Group/Department. |
Verify | This user will be allowed to follow the Group/Department. |
+ Bulk Adding Group & Department Pages
Navigate to Classifications > Groups (or Departments) > + Bulk Add Groups (or Departments). On this page you will see a link to download a CSV template. To populate a CSV, the field data will need to be entered the same way you would enter it manually in the edit/create form.Populating a CSV
Field data will need to be entered the same way you would enter it manually in the edit/create forms. Available Fields for Groups and Departments:
Field | Details |
---|---|
Name | No character limit. This will be displayed as the Group/Department's name in the directory listing, on the event list, and on Event Details Pages. |
Description | No character limit, but only around 150 characters will be displayed before being truncated on the main listing. |
Type* | This refers to Group Type Filters that are assigned to Group Pages and live in the Groups directory. |
URL | This website will be linked under the Group or Department's name on the landing page as View Group (or Department) Website. |
Photo URL | To include a photo with the Group (or Department), you will reference it using a URL that is hosted by your organization. |
Photo Caption | This is where you’ll note the photo’s alt text. |
Skip Officer Approval | Enter 1/y/yes/true |
This will be linked in a Twitter icon next to the Follow and Facebook icons on the right side of the page. | |
Facebook URL | This will be linked in a Facebook icon beside the Follow and Twitter icons on the right side of the page. |
Group Types are also assigned to Department Pages and live in the Group/Department directories. The Group Types will rearrange themselves in each directory based on the number of pages assigned to each Filter (i.e. the number in the parenthesis next to the Group Type).