What it is and what it's for#
News is the programme's internal channel: what you announce, what you celebrate and what you remind people of. Unlike an email, it stays visible in the app and people can comment on it.
There are three formats, each with a different purpose:
| Format | What for |
|---|---|
| News item | Content people read and comment on. It lives in the Content block on the home page. |
| Notice (Pop-ups menu) | A message that appears when people open the app. For things that must not be missed. |
| Notification | A message on the phone that brings people back to the app. See Notifications and email. |
How to set it up#
1. Channels#
Before publishing you need at least one channel. A channel groups news items and decides who receives them.
Each channel covers some Organisations and some Locations; with none ticked, it reaches everyone. It is switched off with Channel active. Channels are created in News Feed, a screen titled News channels.
Start with a single general channel. Creating several channels at the start splits the audience and makes everything look empty; split them when the volume calls for it, not before.
2. News items#
Each item has a Title and Body in Spanish and English (the body accepts simple HTML), an Author (free text: signing with a real name works better than with the programme's name), an optional Image, a Publication date, Channels (at least one), Order, Featured and News item on.
Three things must be true for it to show: switched on, its date reached and at least one channel. A new item starts switched off and with no channel, and the form itself warns in red that, as it stands, nobody will see it. Without a publication date it never publishes.
Featured items also appear in the BREAKING strip that scrolls across the home page.
The fields and steps are in News.
3. Comments#
Under each news item, people can write a comment and post it. Like every comment, it is checked by the AI when it is sent: anything it finds doubtful is held in the inbox until an administrator decides. Published comments are removed with Hide in Comments, which is also where you reply to them.
Opening comments is a cultural decision, not a configuration one. If you open them, you have to read and answer them: a thread full of unanswered questions is worse than not having opened the channel. The Comments dashboard tells you what is still unanswered.
4. Notices on opening the app#
A notice appears on top of everything when people open the app. Use it sparingly: to welcome people, to announce the end of a campaign, for something that must not be missed.
Notices are created in Pop-ups, a screen titled Notices. Each notice has a Title and Body in Spanish and English, an optional Image, the From date (left blank, it shows from now on) and Until date (left blank, it never expires), an Order (when several are due for someone at once, the lowest letter comes first) and Notice on. Each person sees each notice only once; the Seen by column tells you how many people have already seen it. The Not translated and Translated filters tell you which notices still lack their English version.
What employees see#
- On the home page, the Content block with the news from their channels, newest first. Clicking Read opens the full item with its comments.
- The BREAKING strip with the headlines of featured items.
- The Write a comment… field and the Post button under each item.
- The notices in force, when they open the app, once each.
- If they have notifications turned on on their phone, the messages you send through that channel.
Frequently asked questions#
Can I find out who has read a news item?
Not from the panel. The News list has a Sent to column, but it is not a read log. For notices you do see how many people have seen them, in the Seen by column.
Can I schedule a news item?
Yes, with the Publication date. It does not show until that day, even if it is switched on.
Can I edit a news item that is already published?
Yes. If the change is substantial and many people have already read it, it is more honest to publish a correction than to rewrite it quietly.
How many notices can I have at once?
Technically several, but chaining notices on opening the app is the fastest way to teach people to close them without reading. One at a time.
How often should we publish?
One steady post a week is worth more than five at once followed by three blank weeks. A board with nothing new is the clearest sign that a programme has been abandoned; the admin dashboard reminds you how many days it has been since the last post.
Limits and caveats#
- Anyone not in any channel sees no news. If a channel is narrowed down and a person has no organisation or location assigned, they are left out.
- Deleting a notice removes it from the list. If you only want it to stop showing, switch it off: you keep the message and the count of who has seen it.
- Notices are shown once per person. They do not work as a recurring reminder.
- Notifications depend on each person having them turned on on their phone, which they decide and you do not control.
- A notice with no Until date never expires. It is the most common oversight: finished campaigns that keep welcoming people months later.