Content is what we're all about – and as Content Owners, you make it happen. Thank you!

Here's everything you need to know to:

• Select types of content for the site
• Create new content
• Revise existing content 

How to select a content type

Your first task is to determine the type of content you want to create. In turn, this will determine the template you use within the content management system (CMS). A list of content types follows.

Service: Content defined by an action that your group is responsible for managing, implementing or supporting (e.g., Services offered via ServiceNow)

Project: Content describing an improvement to an existing or new Service (e.g., phone upgrades at MCB)

Knowledge Base: Content providing support for customers to find answers to questions about a Service (e.g., FAQs, How-to instructions, Tutorials)

Standards & Guidelines: Content describing the methods, policies and compliance requirements for using a Service 

Event: Content related to a Service or Project that describes training, outreach, outage or an update with a specific start/end date and time

Group:  Content that identifies a team or group (not a person) that supports a Service

Person: Content identifying an individual (not a team) within a Group

Questions? 

Need help regarding content type? Contact Vanessa Palacios

How to add content

1. Click on the Content button at the top left of the admin bar.
2. Click Add Content under the Content drop-down menu.
3. Select the content type that describes your content. 

How to use the WYSIWYG fields

WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get. Here's how to make sure that what you get is what you want:

Body text styling:  

Use this to change text from the normal roman (plain) type.

• Highlight the text you'd like to style, then select the style you want.
• For example, you could select B (bold), I (italicize), U (underline), S (strikethrough), x_a/x^a (subscript or superscript) or any other style change you see and want.

Symbols:

Click on this icon to use these special characters sparely or when specifically required.

Remove Format:

Use the Remove Format icon to strip off formatting from pasted content.

Link: 

This icon lets you hyperlink your copy to relevant content:

• Highlight the contextual information you want to make into a link and copy it.
• Select the link icon showing a button if you'd like your link to look like a button, instead of simply hyperlinked copy.
  • Choose a style from the Button Link Style drop-down menu.
  • Paste your highlighted copy into the space, then click Save.
  • Double-click on the link to change its style.
• If you want only hyperlinked text, click the small link icon, paste your highlighted copy into the space, then click Save.  

Lists: 

Create numbered or bulleted lists to differentiate information:

• Type each content list item on a new, separate line (hard return after each entry).
• Highlight all the items.
• Click on either the numbered or bulleted icons to create a numbered or bulleted list
• To change from a numbered to a bulleted list or vice versa:
  • Highlight the list and click the "live" icon to remove the formatting. Then follow the instructions above and select the type of list you want.
  • (You cannot change from one type of list to the other without deselecting the first type as described.)

Indent: 

Indenting content distinguishes it from the rest of the page:

• Highlight the section of copy you'd like to indent.
  • Click the right-indent icon (small arrow, facing right), or, if appropriate, the left-indent icon (small arrow, facing left). 
  • To move text back to the left or right margin, flush with rest of body copy, highlight the section of copy to be moved and click the left-indent icon (small arrow, facing left.) 

Quote: 

Beneath the Gear icon, click quote:

• Select a background color, alignment (left or right recommended), and size
• Double-click on the quote's directional icon to change these settings

Image: 

Click the landscape icon to add an image:

• Select a file and click Choose File.
• ALT text: Use this feature to add alternative (ALT) text for all images to describe them.
  • This supports accessibility via the screen-reader description.
• Alignment: Select Alignment (Left or Right recommended).
• Image caption: Click Caption to add a caption.
  • Captions are optional but are often helpful with step-by-step or detailed-image content.
• Change these image settings by double-clicking the image.

Headings and font sizing: 

Always use headings to create logically organized and structured, searchable and easily accessible content.

Body text and paragraphs should always present as Normal font. However, you can choose from a variety of different heading sizes for page titles, subtitles, and section headings.

• To begin, highlight the text you'd like to style as a heading or a font (type size) change, then click on the dropdown list that starts with Normal and select the level of heading you want. 
• In Edit mode, the title of a page, a No.1 heading, does not appear, which is why it isn't listed on the dropdown menu. Therefore, your first content heading should be a No. 2, and subheadings under it should be No. 3s.
• In general, content under a No. 3 heading is best styled as Normal/boldface rather than using the smaller (Nos. 4 & 5) headings.
  • Be careful not to overuse headings; at most, use Nos.  2 and 3. Chances are your content is not so dramatically nested that you need more than two heading levels, and the cleaner copy appearance will make it more readable.

Source: 

This feature allows you to toggle between the WYSIWYG editor and full HTML.

Drupal & Content Strategy Support | Tuesdays at 9 a.m.

Web Services hosts weekly Drupal/content strategy work sessions each Tuesday 9 to 10 a.m. in MCB 303A. We're here to answer your questions and provide hands-on support for your audience-centric content development and organization, content type selection, CMS challenges, and more!

Still have questions about where to start? Contact Vanessa Palacios