WebMedley Training Overview

Our basic training for each new WebMedley client covers a lot of ground and it is very easy for you to get overloaded. That is why we have made this review available for you to help you remember all the information you were given and to share this with other volunteer who may be helping with the Web site.

(We also have this training guide available in a printer-friendly version as either a Word file or a .pdf.)

Web Pages:
Write this out on paper first:

• Figure out your website layout - determine main pages, sub pages, etc. (Keep in mind the ease of navigation of your site.  A general rule of thumb is no more than 6-8 main pages.)
• Draw your website out flow chart style and include details such as titles for the pages and what their web page file name will be.  
• Figure out who's going to have permission to use what and make note of it.

Then go into Webmedley and:

• Create your website layout.  Click 'Create New Page' to make a sub page of the one you're on.
• Give each page a name, layout & web page file name (under 'Advanced'- be sure to keep the .html at the end).
• Save each page by clicking 'save this page'.

Then go to Users and Groups and:

• Set up groups and put users in each. (see below)
• Assign group permissions for each page. (Go to the page, click permissions, and assign permissions for the groups you want to work on each page.)
• Remember that permissions apply to the page you're on as well as its sub pages, so go to the 'highest level' in the layout you want them to have access to.
• Don't worry about assigning permissions to your Admin group - they automatically have full permissions.

Now you're ready to put content on the pages!

• Click on the page you want to edit in the folder tree.
• Click 'Edit this Page' and once the new window opens, click in the content area.
• From here, you'll always be using your toolbar to save and work w/ text & pictures. (Before you try something tricky, be sure to save just in case you make a mistake- then you can close the window and bring up the last saved info.) 
• Once you finish content, Save w/ toolbar and then close the window.  Move on to next page you want to edit.

Media Libraries:
To Create a New Library

• Open the Media Libraries Folder on the left side of the screen.
• The cogwheel icon w/ 'New Library' creates a new library every time you click it.
• After you create a new library, give it a name and save it on the library index screen.

To Insert a File Into a Library

• Click "Create New Media" any time you want to add a graphic/document/etc.
• Give the media file a name (For a picture, this name will be to remind you of what the picture is, no one but you will see it - for a document, this field will determine how the link for that document appears on the page and it will be seen by visitors to your site.)
• Find the file on your C:/ drive or your A:/ drive or wherever you have it on your computer. Click on the file, then click "Open."  The location of the file will appear in the Upload Media box. 
• Click the "Save" button, and the picture should show up beneath the Save button.  If you are uploading a document, it should show up as blue underlined hyperlink once you save.

Making Your Pictures and Documents Web Friendly

• Before placing your picture in a media Library, re-size your pictures in a photo editor program. (If you don't have any graphic conversion/editing software I recommend irfanview. You can get a free download at http://www.irfanview.com.)
• I recommend your pictures be no larger than 200x300 pixels in width or height and be sure they are already at the size you want them to appear on your web page when you load them into your media libraries.
• Set the resolution of the picture to 72 DPI (dots per inch).  The human eye can't tell the difference at this level and it will make you pictures radically smaller than the same image at a higher resolution.  This will make them load quickly on your site, take up less space and be easier to manage.
• Make sure all graphics are either .jpg or .gif files!  (.JPG files are typically used for photographs, and .GIF files are used for clip art-type images, such as logos or cartoons.)
• For newsletters you want to put as downloads on your site, either save them as locked document template files in Word, or save them as .pdf files in Publisher. For a walkthrough of this process as well as free .pdf conversion software, visit www.webmedley.com/newslettertip.html.

Users and Groups:
To set up groups and users with permissions:

• Go to Groups
  • Click 'Add New Group'
  • Enter Group Name and description (for example, Youth, Outreach Committee, etc.)
  • Click 'Update Group'
• Go to Users
  • Click 'Add New User'
  • Enter all fields; make sure to write down user names and passwords in case they forget.
  • Click 'Submit'
  • Click 'Edit User's Groups'
  • Add User to Group you want for them - for full permissions, put in Admin group. (Note: The admin group may not be called 'admin' but it is typically the top group on the list.)
  • Click 'Done'
  • Click 'Update User'
• Go to Web Pages
  • Click on page you want to assign permissions to
  • Click 'Permissions'
  • Select Group you wish to give permission to for this page
  • Assign permissions
    • Permissions:
      View allows viewing of page only.
      Edit allows editing/updating of pages.
      Create allows creation of sub pages.
      Delete allows deletion of sub pages or page itself.
      Manage just checks previous four boxes, no additional features
  • Click 'Close'
  • Click 'Save This Page'

At this point in time, all groups will have permission to the Manage Calendar, and will be able to create a New Library and put New Media into the New Library, as well as access the Manage Guestbook and Email.  As far as web pages go, they will only have access to the pages you give permission to access, as well as all the sub pages of that page.  (For example: if you want them to have permission to edit all pages, give them permission on the home page.  If you want permission to youth page and its sub pages, give them permission on the main youth page.)

Calendar:

• Go to 'Manage Calendar' to add dates (Do not do anything with your Calendar Web Page unless you want to put a heading on it that says 'calendar' or something like that.)
• Click 'Add an Event' or 'Add a Recurring Event'.
• For Start Date and End Date, click the button to the right of the box - then select a time AND the date.
• Click 'apply' 
• For an open-ended event you do not need an ending time and date- checkmark 'Open Ended'.  Otherwise, select ending time and date.
• Enter in details about the event in the Message box and then click 'Submit.'
• (Be aware that you can use your toolbar while entering a description in the 'message' box.  This will allow you to place links in your calendar descriptions to pages on your website or email addresses.  For example:)

Family Picnic at Jacobson Park:  For more information or driving instructions, click here.  Please RSVP the church office via email if you are coming by clicking here.

• To edit the event, go to the main Manage Calendar page, click on the event's time (looks like a hyperlink), and that will bring up the event for you to edit.

Email:
Tell us what you want your email addresses to be.  We will set them up for you.  We will need two to three pieces of information for each account you want us to create.  You can send us this information via email, or, if you need to, call us with it (800-434-8607).

1). User Name (This is the part before the '@' in the email)
2). First Name/Last Name (This is not a required field, but is useful if the email is for a specific person.  If it is a general email like 'office@mychurch.org' then this is unnecessary.)
3). Password (At least four characters and it is case sensitive)
Once they are set up, you can go to 'Manage Email' and log in there with your user information.  You can also go to your webmail account, which is http://mail.yourdomain.com, (or .org, .net, etc.) (instead of http://www.yourdomain.com) and log in that way.

For a walkthrough of how to set up your mail in Outlook or Outlook Express, visit www.webmedley.com/outlook.html.

Guest Book:

• Go to the 'Guest Book' folder on the left side of your site manager. And open it to reveal 'Manage Guest Book'.  Click 'Manage Guestbook'.
• Clicking 'view' will allow you to view your guestbook entries.
• The email address in the 'Email Recipient' field will be the individual who will receive a copy of all Guestbook entries - perhaps you, the secretary, someone handling prayer requests, visitors, etc.  Once you have entered this address, click 'Update'.
• You also need to decide on an 'autorespond message' - this is an automatic email that goes to the email address of whoever visits your guestbook.  You might just want to say 'Thanks for visiting the Church's guestbook and prayer request page', or you might want to put some information about your service times or something more detailed.  To edit this message, simply type your text in the 'Auto Responder' box and click 'Update' to apply these changes.