Note: items in this color are currently documented on the Support section of

Transcription

1 My-PTA.org Tutorial Outline Note: items in this color are currently documented on the Support section of A. Getting Started Basic information on how the sites are organized, edited, and used. 1. Introduction a. Why the Sites Were Created b. Get Going in 15 Minutes 2. Site Philosophy c. The 4 Vehicles of Communication i. News ii. iii. Calendars iv. Schedules d. Make the Sites EASY to Customize! i. Pages ii. Navigation iii. Layout iv. Content e. Security Levels are Key i. Contributing & Approving Content ii. Viewing Content f. Benefit for Schools, Teachers, and Parents i. Recruiting Volunteers ii. Always Fresh Content iii. Zero Cost (no need for RevTrak, Constant Contact) g. Benefit for School Districts i. Zero Cost to Districts ii. Resource your school population needs iii. Recruit volunteers & cut costs iv. Eliminate Overhead v. Reduce Liability

2 3. Understanding the Security Levels h. Why Security is Important i. Security Categories j. Approved Volunteer Special Added Status k. Changing Security Levels 4. Edit Site ( Webmaster only) l. Selecting a Template m. Customizing a Template n. Changing the Masthead o. Creating Sections p. Setting Viewing Rights (Use Hidden sections while working on your site!) q. Using Include Content to populate your site. 5. Add Navigation Content ( Webmasters & Admins) a. HTML Content [see Site Content: HTML] b. Links to other Pages c. Individual News & Events [see Contributed Content: News & Events] d. Content Page e. Group Content [see Site Content: Group Content] f. Document or PDF 6. Contributed Content ( Posters & Above) r. Calendar Example s. Poster contributes Content Status set to Pending t. Automatic Notification u. Approved to go Live Status set to Approved v. End Date Passes Status set to Archive w. Delete Status set to Trash x. Delete from Trash actually deleted 7. Managing Users & the Database (Admin - Webmaster & Admin) a. Self-Registration b. Adding one User at a time c. Creating and Managing Groups d. Update Database: Upload User Fields & Data, Add Users to Groups e. Editing Users f. Adding new Fields to the Database NEW g. Updating Database Fields with Custom Forms

3 B. Contributed Content Content that can be added by Posters and approved by Admins or Webmasters 1. News a. Summary vs. Article Page b. Dates: Visible and Display Until c. Uploading and Linking to PDF Documents 2. Calendar a. Sizes & Types of Calendars b. Link to News Articles or Event Schedules 3. Events (Volunteer Schedules) a. Summary vs. Schedule Page b. Set Date Visible c. Adding Dates & Times d. Options i. User-Editable Notes ii. Display: Weekly, Monthly, or All iii. Record in Volunteer Hours iv. Require Approved Status e. Everyone on a Schedule f. Copy Event NEW 4. Sending a. To: Set to Groups or Security Levels b. Site Marshalling (through site, to your address) c. Reply To: (your address) NEW d. Managing (Removals, Bounces, & Boxes) 5. Photo Gallery a. Upload Batches of Photos b. Security on each Photo c. Different rendering modes 6. Documents a. Upload Any Document b. Security can be placed on each Document

4 C. Site Content Content that can be added by Webmasters (site structure) 1. HTML a. Named vs. Un-named b. Linking around the site 2. Volunteer Hours a. Automatically added from Schedules b. Users can add manually c. Easy to review monthly data 3. Custom Forms a. Collect Data on your users b. PTA Sign-Ups c. Export Data d. Redirecting after Sign-Up NEW e. Clear Data NEW 4. Directories a. Main Reason for Directories: Hide b. Two Types Simple and Custom c. Simple targets Groups (one custom field) Good for PTA Member List d. Custom can be anything, in any order Good for Board Member List 5. Group Content (Room Rep) NEW a. Establish Group (and optionally, GroupMaster) b. Establish Link in Navigation c. Site within Site GroupMaster is Webmaster for Group d. Add Tabs & Content e. Group 6. ecommerce (School Stores) a. ecommerce Application is in Support section at b. Credit Card Processing: I. You don t NEED credit card processing to operate a store checks are OK II. Checks sent 15 th of Month Moving to ACH this Fall

5 c. Creating a Store d. Adding Items e. Automatic Invoice f. Viewing and Fulfilling Invoices g. Reports from the Site 7. Sponsor Module NEW a. Still in Beta will activate on school request. b. Sponsors add themselves (or Webmaster adds them) c. Payment Invoice Approval Process d. Advertisements run on the site and in the based on donation. D. Managing the Site (Webmaster & Admin) The Admin Page: Fine-tuning your site for maximum performance 1. Site Preferences a. School Name b. Site Name c. Organization Set default URL here. d. Footer Disclaimer e. Registration Message NEW f. i. Test Mode ii. Live Addresses in Test Mode iii. Forward to: iv. Notify Approvers on Pending Content v. Max Bounces for Opt-Out g. Sponsor Module Sponsor module is still in Beta contact admin@my-pta.org to activate. h. ecommerce i. Notifications on Invoices to: ii. Invoices sent from (Name, ) iii. Accept Checks? 2. Automatic can go out.. a. When Adding Users to the Database b. When Establishing Approved Volunteer Status c. Before and after Events (Reminders and Thank-you s)

6 E. Usage Tips: Here are some additional tips that may help you. 1. Establishing Links on the Site a. How content is organized (frames) b. Two ways to get a URL to specific content i. RT-Click, Properties (for internal pages) ii. Address Bar at top of page (for full pages) c. Adding Links in Navigation d. Adding Hyperlinks in HTML 2. Using the HTML Editor a. SEE HTML Tips and Tricks on the left of Support at b. Pasting Content from Word c. Cleaning up Content d. Adding & Formatting Images e. Establishing Hyperlinks f. Uploading PDF documents g. Deleting old images and PDFs 3. Adding Volunteer Hours Basic Steps are: a. Link to Page Content in Navigation on your Volunteer page. b. Add Volunteer Hours Content c. Add some HTML above it to explain it. 4. Creating a Watch D.O.G.S. Page Basic Steps are: a. Link to Page Content in Navigation on your Organization page b. Add some HTML to explain Watch D.O.G.S. For a good example, see c. Add an Intake Form on the page d. Direct them to an I m Interested Volunteer Schedule e. Add a Confirmed Calendar on the Watch D.O.G.S. page.

7 F. Resources: 1. Free PDF Conversion a. PDFOnline.com: b. Freepdfconvert.com: 2. Getting a Custom URL a. Example: b. Purchase a domain name from anyone. c. Point it to or our IP address d. Add the URL to your site definition on 3. Reporting Issues & Getting Support a. See Support Page for link, or to support@my-pta.org. 4. User Manual (covers basic site operation, section A. above) a. Thank You! Whether you are a PTA or PTO board member, a Volunteer Coordinator, or a Volunteer in any capacity, it takes a special kind of person to devote the time, energy, and talents to improve the quality of education at their school. On behalf of My-PTA.org, thank you for your dedication and efforts in your school. Ed Downs founder