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What are EasySocial Group Helpful Links? - a feature concept to consider for EasySocial Groups
Step by Step mockup images and Overview Video below
How many times as an Administrator have you had to decide, do I create a new main menu item for the community site? Do I add a menu module, and where do I put it to add new links to features within the community? Giving users access to helpful links is important, but menu items are not always the best solution.
Purpose of Feature Request
In the future it would be a very helpful addition to add a feature to EasySocial that would allow site Administrators or Group Community Admins to add individual Helpful Links to each Group. These Helpful links can refer to other Groups or internal site pages within an EasySocial enabled community, or the Group Helpful links can be external links to information pages, such as Google Apps, or the StackIdeas forums, or any other external link.
This quick article provides the basic steps to create Helpful Internal and External Links for existing Groups in EasySocial. This is a mockup, and a proposal for such a module in future versions of EasySocial.
Creating Helpful Links
Note: To create Helpful Links for Groups, you must either be a Group Admin or a Community Group Admin.
Zoom Out View of EasySocial Helpful Links
New “Group Helpful Links Internal Module”
A new “Helpful Links” section would be added to a future version of EasySocial Groups that allows the Site Administrator or the Group Administrator to create Helpful links for the Group that would link to internal and external web page resources. The links are managed by system administrators or Group Administrators, and enable relevant training and resource information to be available at any time inside the Group within the EasySocial enabled community. This feature can be accessed through the DashBoard admin panel in Groups Links, or in the front-end of the site under the “HelpfulLinks” tab on the right side of the Groups page for some of the Apps including Discussions, or Announcements and any new app that would require access to internal or external Helpful links.
View of Edit Group Helpful Links - Create Helpful Link Section Title
Group Helpful Links Internal Links Section Title Added
Add a link title and link URL after Section Title is added
Add the URL link to Internal Helpful Links section
View of EasySocial Helpful Links during Editing - External Links
View of EasySocial Helpful Links after Editing - Internal and External Links
Once created, the Helpful links will appear in the upper right-hand side of the Groups main page (Discussions, Announcements, for all users. This would allow users to access these Helpful links at any time adding considerable value to the resources available from within the Groups section of EasySocial.
View of EasySocial Group Helpful Links in upper right-hand side of Groups main page (Stream - Discussions - Annoiuncements) set for all users by Administrator or Community Group Admin
This could also be a very good EasySocial Module for a future version of EasySocial, or a standalone module extension that can be used by Joomla administrators. Think of this new module as an advertising method for EasySocial. Call it something like StackIdeas EasySocial Links. I looked for such a module on JED and couldn't find anything like it.
VIDEO OVERVIEW & DEMONSTRATION OF EASYSOCIAL 1.X.x GROUP HELPFUL LINKS:
This is a mock-up demonstration of what a future version of EasySocial Group Helpful Links would function like, and the benefits it would provide to Admins and site users.
The internal and external Helpful links that the Administrator or Community Group Administrator added are displayed at the top right corner of the Group in the Discussions or News Announcements.
Note: If the link that you added refers to another site location within EasySocial, it is opened in the same window.
If the link refers to an external Web site outside your EasySocial community, it is opened in a new window.
I will be adding the EasySocial Group Helpful links proposal to the ES Voices section later today.
If you have comments, suggestions or ideas please submit your contributions below.
Randall
Step by Step mockup images and Overview Video below
How many times as an Administrator have you had to decide, do I create a new main menu item for the community site? Do I add a menu module, and where do I put it to add new links to features within the community? Giving users access to helpful links is important, but menu items are not always the best solution.
Purpose of Feature Request
In the future it would be a very helpful addition to add a feature to EasySocial that would allow site Administrators or Group Community Admins to add individual Helpful Links to each Group. These Helpful links can refer to other Groups or internal site pages within an EasySocial enabled community, or the Group Helpful links can be external links to information pages, such as Google Apps, or the StackIdeas forums, or any other external link.
This quick article provides the basic steps to create Helpful Internal and External Links for existing Groups in EasySocial. This is a mockup, and a proposal for such a module in future versions of EasySocial.
Creating Helpful Links
Note: To create Helpful Links for Groups, you must either be a Group Admin or a Community Group Admin.
Zoom Out View of EasySocial Helpful Links
New “Group Helpful Links Internal Module”
A new “Helpful Links” section would be added to a future version of EasySocial Groups that allows the Site Administrator or the Group Administrator to create Helpful links for the Group that would link to internal and external web page resources. The links are managed by system administrators or Group Administrators, and enable relevant training and resource information to be available at any time inside the Group within the EasySocial enabled community. This feature can be accessed through the DashBoard admin panel in Groups Links, or in the front-end of the site under the “HelpfulLinks” tab on the right side of the Groups page for some of the Apps including Discussions, or Announcements and any new app that would require access to internal or external Helpful links.
View of Edit Group Helpful Links - Create Helpful Link Section Title
Group Helpful Links Internal Links Section Title Added
Add a link title and link URL after Section Title is added
Add the URL link to Internal Helpful Links section
View of EasySocial Helpful Links during Editing - External Links
View of EasySocial Helpful Links after Editing - Internal and External Links
Once created, the Helpful links will appear in the upper right-hand side of the Groups main page (Discussions, Announcements, for all users. This would allow users to access these Helpful links at any time adding considerable value to the resources available from within the Groups section of EasySocial.
View of EasySocial Group Helpful Links in upper right-hand side of Groups main page (Stream - Discussions - Annoiuncements) set for all users by Administrator or Community Group Admin
This could also be a very good EasySocial Module for a future version of EasySocial, or a standalone module extension that can be used by Joomla administrators. Think of this new module as an advertising method for EasySocial. Call it something like StackIdeas EasySocial Links. I looked for such a module on JED and couldn't find anything like it.
VIDEO OVERVIEW & DEMONSTRATION OF EASYSOCIAL 1.X.x GROUP HELPFUL LINKS:
This is a mock-up demonstration of what a future version of EasySocial Group Helpful Links would function like, and the benefits it would provide to Admins and site users.
The internal and external Helpful links that the Administrator or Community Group Administrator added are displayed at the top right corner of the Group in the Discussions or News Announcements.
Note: If the link that you added refers to another site location within EasySocial, it is opened in the same window.
If the link refers to an external Web site outside your EasySocial community, it is opened in a new window.
I will be adding the EasySocial Group Helpful links proposal to the ES Voices section later today.
If you have comments, suggestions or ideas please submit your contributions below.
Randall
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