Easy DNN News Overview
- Catherine Foss (Unlicensed)
The Easy DNN News module is similar to how blogs work and allows super-users to quickly update and add content sitewide. This article covers the benefits of this setup and a quick overview of how the pieces are set up. For in-depth technical setup please see here: Adding New Easy DNN News Sections to Pages
Differences between using a blog/Easy DNN News and standard webpages:
Hundreds of content items share a single page.
Instead of creating a page for each individual resource or article, only 1-2 pages need to be created (a catalog or list page and a details page. You could also list all articles and have them open on the same page). After setting these pages up, a super-user can add new content (new articles, resources, webinars, etc) without needing someone to build a new page and add/configure modules.
Add new content items in a fraction of the time.
Creating a Standard Webpage | Creating a Blog Item |
|---|---|
Add a page & configure settings Add individual content modules Configure modules Add and format your content Add links to your new page from other pages | Paste content into a form that is set up with a readymade template
|
Time: 30 min to 4 hours | Time: 15-30 min |
Left: Copy/paste text into these fields and upload an image into the box
Right: Your text and image are automatically formatted to use the correct template, display a responsive image, and have entry portals on the correct pages without additional work.
Share content across multiple pages.
Have a course or resource that is relevant to more than one section of the website? Add your resource, course or article once, and you can show a list of courses on as many pages as you like. If the information changes, you only have to modify it in one place--changes are reflected across all pages.
Below, the same article is displayed on both the homepage and the newsroom (as well as other places). Once this has been set up, all new items added in a given category will show up in the right place without manually adding new links or entry points. Users will see refreshed content immediately after it is published.
Set your content to be published and be archived--ahead of time
If you are publishing time-sensitive material, you can choose the dates you want your item to be published and unpublished when you enter the content.
View all content you publish in one place
Find all the articles or resources you have worked on in a single place. Items you publish are attached to your login/username to make them easier for you to manage later.
Track views and manage articles from one place
Instead of logging into Google Analytics, you can track user visits/views to the content from within the site using the article manager dashboard.
Choosing Blog vs Page Content
Here is a quick guide to when you would select Easy DNN News/blog content setup vs page setup:
| Blog/Easy DNN News | Standard Page |
|---|---|---|
Timing | Content has a known expiration date | Typically evergreen or seasonal |
Entry portals | Content could easily be relevant across many site sections or pages | Content only needs to live in a single place |
Similarity to other content | Multiple instances of the same type of content (ie, a library or catalog of items such as courses, calendar events, or articles that can be templated) | Content is a one-off item that is unlike other content on the site |
Timing | Content may need to be quickly updated or added | Content can be planned ahead and can be customized by a developer |
Maintenance | Ideally, content can be added and modified quickly without advanced skill (possibly multiple editors) | Content will not necessarily need to be changed quickly |
How the Blog/Easy DNN News Setup Works
To set up a new usage of this dynamic content, you will need to have help with creating the list view and the details view. This will require a developer or someone familiar with this module. Once set up, any content editor can add additional resources, articles or courses without assistance.
Part 1: List or Catalog View
First you will set up a primary page that contains a list or catalog of resources, articles or courses.
The list/catalog view displays a feed of content based on category or tags that you choose. The newsroom view below shows two lists: the list on the left, used to show the most recent article, and the list on the right, used to show the next 3 most recent articles.
Below is an example of the catalog view, used for the resource library. This view is using cards to display resources and a menu has been added to help users navigate through categories.
The list or catalog can be displayed as cards, text, or other templates and may contain different information depending on the template. It usually will contain a title, summary, and link for each item, and sometimes the date or other information.
Choosing or creating templates
There are a variety of templates in use across the site that can be leveraged already. Be mindful that the content will be identical across resources (type of content included, formatting, etc.). New templates can be added but only if absolutely necessary; more templates just creates more things to maintain and inconsistency across pages.
Part 2: Article or Resource Details View
The second piece to set up is the details view. This will be a second Easy DNN Module that displays the actual item after a user clicks on its title. This is usually a second page called “Article Details” or similar.
Below are examples of a resource and a newsroom article details view.
Final step: Add content and categories
Once the modules and pages are set up you will set up the categories (if they are new) and begin adding your content.
Information on these steps is outlined here:
Adding Items to the Resource Library