Microblog channel

Microblogs are similar to corporate X(Twitter) or social news feeds. Microblog posts share short bursts of information in threaded, context-rich discussions that fit the social sharing culture. They are a great way to communicate a brief thought to a specific audience or the entire digital workplace. 

A microblog channel showing a post with comments.

Sections in this article: 

Features

Microblog channels consist of the following components:

Component Description
1. Channel header

The channel header is shown below your workplace's navigation bar and above the channel's content. It contains the following features:

  • Breadcrumbs: Select to go to a location.
  • Channel title: If turned on and configured for the channel, a color bar showing the channel's color next to the channel's title and microblog post titles on the channel.
  • Actions: Visible to those with at least Edit access to the channel. Select for additional options.
2. Channel feed

The microblog channel feed occupies most of the space on a microblog channel. You can select Load More Posts to see additional posts. 

  • Share a thought: Visible at the top of the feed to those with at least Write access to the channel. Select to begin creating a new microblog post on the channel.

The feed shows these properties of a microblog post:

  • Author profile image: Hover over for their profile card.
  • By: This shows who published the microblog post. Select to go to the author's profile page.
  • Publish date: This shows the date and time when the microblog post was published.
  • Archived: Visible if the microblog post is archived.
  • Shared in: Select to view which microblogs the microblog post is associated with and their associated hash names. 
  • Actions: Select to view additional options dependent on access level. 
    • View Post: Select to view the post. 
    • Edit: Select to edit the microblog post. 
    • Translate: Select to translate the microblog's content. 
    • Delete: Select to remove the microblog post from this channel. 
    • Archive: Select to archive the microblog post. 
  • Post content: Displays the content of the microblog post.
  • Like: Select to like the microblog post. Select the number of likes to view who has liked the microblog post.
  • Comments: Visible when there are comments on the microblog post. Each post will include a display of the three most recent comments. Select Show more comments button to view 10 more comments.
3. Side panel

The side panel of a microblog channel channel provides metadata about the channel and additional actions for users based on their access. Features include:

  • + Add a post: Visible to those with at least Write access to the channel. Select to begin creating a new microblog post on the channel.
  • Add a post dropdown: If Email Content is turned on for the channel, this option is visible to users with at least Write access to the channel. Selecting this brings up a menu with the following options: 
    • Post via email: Select to open up an email in your system's default email application. The To field of the email is pre-populated with the channel's email address. 
    • Download Contact Card: Select to download the VCF file for the channel. 
  • Information panel: This section contains the following information and actions:
    • Follow: Select to subscribe/unsubscribe from notifications about new microblog posts.
    • Channel stats: This shows the channel's views, posts, and followers count. Select Follower to view a list of all followers.
    • Channel summary: This shows the configured summary for the channel.

4. Channel trailer bar

The channel trailer bar is shown below the contents of the channel and above the workplace's footer. Features include:

  • View count: Shows the number of views on the current location.
  • Follow: Select to subscribe/unsubscribe from notifications about new microblog posts being added to the current location and set the frequency of these notifications.
  • Share: Visible if the channel allows anonymous access. Select to share a link to the current location on social media sites. To configure which social media sites can be selected, go to the Social Media Sites page of the Control Panel.
  • Email Link: Select to draft an email that contains a link to the current location. 
  • Broadcast: If turned on in the workplace, select to broadcast a link to this location to selected workplace groups. See Broadcast.
  • Feedback: If turned on in the workplace, select to send a feedback message to workplace administrators. See Feedback.
  • RSS: Visible if the channel allows anonymous access. Select to go to the RSS feed for the channel.
Microblog channel components

Create microblog channels

The workflow for creating a microblog channel depends on what type of administrator you are.

Workplace administrators can create a microblog channel by following these steps:

  1. Select  Control Panel.
  2. Under Presentation, select Site Manager.
  3. Select + Add and then Microblog.
  4. Complete the following fields:
    • Title: Enter a name for the channel.
    • Description: (Optional) Enter a summary that describes the channel.
    • Location: Select where to create the channel. You can only place microblog channels under pages or spaces. The search box above the selection list returns up to 100 results. Only pages and spaces to which you have at least Read access are visible.
    • Hash Name: Enter an abbreviated name for the channel. Users can share posts from other microblog channels to this one by using the hash name in their post.
    • Hide from navigation: (Optional) Select to hide the channel from navigation menus.
  5. Select Add to create the channel.

Space administrators can create a blog channel by following these steps: 

  1. Navigate to the space.
  2. On the space's navigation bar, select  Administration.
  3. Under Presentation, select Navigation.
  4. Select + Add and then Microblog.
  5. Complete the following fields:
    • Title: Enter a name for the channel.
    • Description: (Optional) Enter a summary that describes the channel.
    • Location: Select where to create the channel. You can only place microblog channels under pages or spaces. The search box above the selection list returns up to 100 results. Only pages and spaces to which you have at least Read access are visible.
    • Hash Name: Enter an abbreviated name for the channel. Users can share posts from other microblog channels to this one by using the hash name in their post.
    • Hide from navigation: (Optional) Select to hide the channel from navigation menus.
  6. Select Add to create the channel.

Regardless of the method used to create the channel, you should configure the channel once created. 

Manage microblog channels

Configure microblog channels

To configure a blog channel, go to the channel and select  Actions. From the Actions menu, use these options to configure the channel:

  • Edit: Modify the channel's title, summary (shown in the channel's information panel), hash name, and custom content for the channel (shown above the channel's feed). If your digital workplace supports multiple languages, use the language tabs and translation button to ensure that any text you enter is readable in all your supported languages. 
  • Advanced: Modify the page title, enhance how external search engines index a page (if your digital workplace is public), and add custom JavaScript code and CSS to the channel's page. See Advanced page.
  • Access: Modify how users and groups interact with the channel and its contents. See Access rules.
  • Subscriptions: Modify which groups are subscribed to the channel and at what frequency they will receive notifications. In addition, control whether auto-following occurs. See Subscriptions.
  • Settings: Modify the following settings for a blog channel:
    • Email Content: Select whether users can email microblog posts to the channel and what email address the channel uses. See Add content via email. 
    • Channel Color: Select a color to associate with the channel. This color appears as an accent on the channel and microblog post names and helps differentiate the channel in widgets that aggregate content from many channels. See Channel colors.

Move microblog channels

The workflow for moving a channel depends on what type of administrator you are.

Workplace administrators should refer to Site Manager.

Space administrators should refer to Navigation page.

Delete microblog channels

While on the channel, select  Actions followed by Delete to send the channel and its content to the Trash Can. For more information, see Trash Can.

Audit microblog channels

To better understand how users are interacting with the channel, go to the channel, select Actions, and then Activity. You can view what actions (e.g., views, edits, etc.) users have been performing on the channel and when they did them. This page only tracks activity on the channel itself and does not include activity on microblog posts on the channel. See Activity page. 

For more in-depth auditing, see Data feeds or the Insights program.