Invitation Manager
Contents
Invitation Manager
Each invitation you create is stored in the Content 2.0 Library. You reach an invitation by clicking on its name in the Invitation Name column in the library.
Clicking on the link displays the Invitation Manager for that invitation.
Here, you can edit the various parts of the invitation (the invitation itself, Thank You page, AutoConfirm E-mail, Notification, Comments and Ratings Preferences, and AdSense Aggressivity) as well as Test this Invitation.
Also on the Invitation Manager tool page is Content 2.0 Manager. To view help for it, click here.
Finally, there are links to delete this invitation and to create a new invitation based on this one.
Do You Upload Your Own HTML?
If you're using an HTML editor to create your web pages, then you need to add the invitation to its associated content page. You do that with an invitation tag. To get your tag, go to the Built-in Functions section of the Upload Your Own HTML tool page.
To have your look and feel remain consistent across all the Content 2.0 pages that Solo Build It! will create, you'll also have to build three template pages in your editor using tags that SBI! provides. Click here for help creating those templates.
Invitation Name and Data
At the top of each invitation, in the gray bar, is the name of the invitation. You named the invitation as the first step to creating it.
Just below the name is the current number of built (approved) submissions for this invitation, and the total number of comments about all its submissions.
The Invitation
- Click on deactivate to make an active invitation inactive. Click on Activate to reactivate it.
- Click on preview to view the invitation.
- Click on edit to make changes to the invitation.
If the invitation is active, you'll see a green check mark on the left side of the first row. If it's not active, you'll see a black minus sign in that position.
If you can't remember what the invitation is about, a preview will show you what it looks like on a dummy page from your site.
If you upload your own HTML, you'll see it on the submissions template page you created for Content 2.0.
If you decide that you do not want to accept submissions temporarily, you can deactivate an invitation. That will keep existing submissions available for viewing, but the invitation will disappear from the page.
Click on the Deactivate link to make the invitation inactive. The green check mark will change to a black minus sign, and the word "Active" will be replaced by "Not Active."
To reactivate an inactive invitation, click on the Activate link. A green check mark will replace the minus sign, and the word "Active" will replace "Not Active." The invitation will then appear again on the page.
Click on Edit if you want to make changes to the lead-in, instructions, and/or other sections of the invitation.
Tips
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If you decide to deactivate an invitation, you may need to add a new headline and some text to introduce and explain the list of submission URLs displayed on the page that used to show the invitation.
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You can use the Deactivate feature with time-sensitive invitations. For example, if you're holding a contest, at the close of the contest simply deactivate the invitation. Links to all submissions then remain on the page, but no one else can enter the contest.
See Step 5 of The C2 Guide for other creative ways to use invitations.
The Thank You Page
- Click on preview to view the page.
- Click on edit to make changes to the page.
If you replaced or customized the default text of the Thank You page (you should customize it to suit each invitation), you'll see a green check mark on the left side of the second row.
To view what your visitors will see after submitting a contribution, preview the page. If you upload your own HTML, you'll see it on the Thank You page/comment-form page template you created for Content 2.0. If you haven't yet uploaded your templates, the preview will appear on the default Site Designer template for your site.
Edit the page to make any changes to the headline and navigation options, Thank You content, or SBI! promotion. Adding your navigation is highly recommended.
AutoConfirm E-mail
- Click on preview to view the email.
- Click on edit to make changes to the email Look and Feel, settings or content.
If you replaced or customized the default text of the AutoConfirm E-mail your visitor receives, you'll see a green check mark on the left side of the third row.
Preview the message to read what a contributor will receive if she asks to be notified when you accept her submission.
Edit the email to change the Look and Feel, settings or content of the message.
Notification
- Click on edit to make changes to the email address(es) or notification option.
If you set custom preferences (prefs) for the Notification email you'll receive for every submission, you'll see a green check mark on the left side of the fourth row.
Edit the prefs to change your Webmail email address, add CC's, or make a change to your notification option.
Comments and Ratings
- Click on edit to change commenting and rating settings for this invitation.
The default for each invitation is to have comments and ratings on.
If you want only comments, or to have neither comments nor ratings, or to change other options for comments, click on edit to make changes.
You can also change the ratings graphics here, from stars to anything you want.
Submission Thumbnails
- Click on activate to show thumbnail images next to submissions for this invitation.
Any submission associated with an invitation can display a thumbnail image next to the submission title on the invitation page.
If the submission has only one image included, that image will become the thumbnail. If 2-4 images are included, the first image will become the thumbnail.
To have thumbnails appear on the invitation page, you must activate this option for the invitation. This can only be done on a per-invitation basis.
Go to the invitation. In the sixth row, Submission Details, the text says that thumbnails are not displayed. Click on the activate button.
The text will say that thumbnails are displayed now. And the link now says "deactivate," which you can use if you decide to remove thumbnails from all submissions associated with this invitation.
Repeat the process for all invitations, if you want thumbnails to display for all of them.
Important Note to Uploaders
You must copy the following styling to your CSS file, then re-upload the file if you want thumbnails to display properly on your invitation pages...
.with_images .othervisitors p {
margin-left:56px;
}
.thumb_container {
float:left;
width:50px;
height:50px;
overflow:hidden;
margin-top:3px;
}
.with_images .othervisitors .submission_thumbnail {
width:100%;
}
.othervisitors {
clear: both;
}
AdSense Aggressivity Invitation
- Click on edit to change the AdSense aggressivity for this invitation.
Unless you select an option here, the Global setting (which you selected in AdSense It!) will affect all submissions associated with this invitation.
Click on edit to select a different aggressivity level.
Test This Invitation
- Click on Test This Invitation.
- Complete all sections of the invitation, naming it Test Submission.
- Submit your test contribution.
- Edit your submission on the Thank You page. Set your contributor notification options.
- Click on the new submissions link in Content 2.0 Manager, then click on the test submission's link. Review the contents and click on Build It!.
- Check that you received a Notification email in your Webmail account.
- Make any required changes. Test again, if necessary.
- In Content 2.0 Manager, click on Manage Existing Submissions/Comments, click on the Test Submission link, then click on Delete to delete the test submission.
To ensure that all parts of your invitation work before you add it to a page, test it.
First, submit a contribution (name it Test Submission), including a photo if you have one. Read and accept the Submission Guidelines, and enter the graphic challenge word.
On the Thank You page, edit your contribution and click on Click Here to Save Your Changes.
Then set how you want to be notified when the submission is approved. Check the first box. Your Name and Your E-mail Address boxes should appear.
Enter your name and address. Click on Set Notifications to complete the Thank You page process.
Once submitted, return to the Library. In that invitation, you'll see "You Have 1 New Submission to Approve." Click on that link. Or click on the Quick Approve Submissions button at the top of the library.
Click on Test Submission on the next page. Review the submission. Click on Build It!. You'll see a placeholder page with some information.
Check that you received the notification email (as the SBIer) in Webmail, or your ISP account if you have your Webmail redirected. Note, you must wait 90 minutes before editing the submission, otherwise you will not receive the notification email.
If all is good, click on the Back button and click on Delete to delete "Test Submission."
Tip
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After clicking on the Set Notifications button on the Thank You page, you're still on the same page. Your contributors will be too. If you haven't added your navigation, your contributor will have no way to get back to your content pages.
To add your navigation in a BlockBuilder-built page, return to the second row in the Content 2.0 Library for that invitation, click edit to open the Thank You tool page, select Yes to add your navigation to the page, and click on Build It!.
If you're uploading your pages, you'll need to add the applicable navigation tag (vertical NavBar or horizontal menu) to your Thank You page/comment-form template, or add custom navigation.
Delete This Invitation
- Click on Delete this Invitation.
- Confirm the deletion.
If you decide that you no longer want to accept or display submissions about a particular topic, you can delete the invitation. Click on Delete this Invitation.
On the Delete Confirmation page, confirm that you want to delete the invitation.
If there's at least one contribution, the confirmation page will list all content pages that contain that invitation, plus all the current contribution pages built. The invitation will be removed from the content pages containing it, and all contribution and comments pages will be deleted as well.
If you upload your pages, you'll need to remove the invitation tag from each page that displays the invitation.
Tip
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If you want to preserve one or more of the contribution pages, but don't want to keep the invitation, you can...
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Build regular web pages with the content from the contribution pages you want to save. Then delete the invitation.
Or...
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Deactivate the invitation instead of deleting it. The invitation will disappear from the content page.
Then delete any unwanted submission pages using Manage Existing Submissions in the Content 2.0 Manager.
The links to the remaining published submission pages will remain at the bottom of your content page. (You'll want to add a headline and perhaps some text to lead your visitors to these links.)
Or...
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Move the submissions you want to keep to another invitation (active or deactivated).
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Create New Invitation Based on This One
- Click on Create New Invitation Based On This One.
- Go to the new invitation and click on Edit.
- Change the name of the invitation and anything else you want to change (title, content, etc.).
If you want to create a new invitation based on an existing one, go to that invitation, then click on Create New Invitation Based On This One.
SBI! will build an exact copy and add it to the Library. It will have the same name, plus "Copy of" added to it.
For example, if the copied invitation is "Favorite Anguilla Restaurant," the copy will be called "Copy of Favorite Anguilla Restaurant."
Edit the invitation to change its name or add/edit/remove any content.
Important Note
The name becomes part of a text link at the bottom of every published submission page and every comments page.
If you do not change the name of this copied invitation, visitors will see "Copy of..." as part of the link text. For example...
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Copy of Favorite Anguilla Restaurant.