Best Practices Tutorial

Image Management Tutorial

News Item Tutorial

Content Hub News Items

Sample News Item with Optimization Tips

Kelly Hansen — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 16:05:35 +0000

Sample News Item with Optimization Tips Kelly Hansen Wed, 03/09/2022 - 11:05

Add a CTA to balance page - looks so nice!

Use Correct Image Sizes

Use Intro Text formating to create an abstract. A compelling sentence or two summarizing the key takeaways from the article will draw in your reader.

Be Ready to Share

Add a Custom Summary and Thumbnail Image to Every News Item

Thumbnail images should be a 1:1 image ratio (otherwise known as a square), and no larger than 400 pixels by 400 pixels.

Expect news items to be shared on social media. Social media shares increase Mason’s digital impact by connecting with potential new visitors and improving a news item’s search engine ranking. Even if you have no distribution plans of your own, web content is highly shareable, and you can never predict which stories will be shared by your readers.

The summary text is a news item's 'elevator speech'. It is a one-sentence highlight of the article which displays both as the search engine snippet and intro text on a social media share.

A custom thumbnail image is the visual version of a news item's summary text. Thumbnail images should be a 1:1 image ratio (otherwise known as a square), and no larger than 400 pixels by 400 pixels. Thumbnails display with summary text in search result snippets and social media shares.

Use a Social Media Share Checker

Preview what your news item will look like on social media with a social share checker. The OUB Digital Communications team likes OpenGraph XYZ and the Social Share Preview browser extension. Search for 'Social Share Preview' in your browser's extension library to download.

Use a Fact Box

Headings are Also Great for Breaking Up Text

Another way to add visual interest is to give your reader article highlights in a fact box. Create a fact box by formatting a bulleted list within a blockquote then removing the attribution. List the sizzle and key facts. Here is a sample fact box of tips to make your news item more reader-friendly for improved social shareability and search engine ranking.

Improve web readability by:

Putting important information first

Using concise language, short sentences

Breaking up articles with intro text, headers, fact boxes, and smaller images

Placing large images and videos at the end

Use Small Images

Small images are a great way to captivate readers. Small images load more quickly than large images on all devices and browsers. Load time is important, as users do not tolerate long waits, and long load times negatively affect search engine optimization.

Videos and Larger Images at the End

Pages load into a browser on any device from top to bottom. Keep large images and videos at the bottom of the article so they have time to load while your user is busy reading your compelling text.

This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance. This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance. This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance. This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance. This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance. This is filler text, please notice the fact box and image guidance.

Topics

How to… Understand Versioning and Publication States - Draft, Published, and Archive

Kelly Hansen — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 19:21:28 +0000

How to… Understand Versioning and Publication States - Draft, Published, and Archive Kelly Hansen Wed, 02/02/2022 - 14:21

What is Versioning?

SiteMasonry's versioning workflow allows content to be modified in an unpublished Draft state without changing the publically viewable Published version of the page or content item (news item, profile, or program).

When an Editor makes content changes, SiteMasonry creates a previewable Draft version of the page or content item alongside a copy of the currently published page or content item. Each version can be viewed or retrieved on the page or item’s Revisions tab.

SiteMasonry's Publication States

SiteMasonry utilizes three publication states - Draft, Published, and Archive. The Publication State selector is located near the bottom of the page or item's 'Edit Settings' screen.

Draft

The Draft state allows an editor to make changes to a page without making content visible to site visitors. This acts slightly differently depending on whether or not an item has ever been published before. However, all drafts require a user to be logged in to view or edit. This means that should you wish to send a preview of edited content to another person, you'll need to either make sure they have an account on the site you are working on or rely on screenshots to show the changes.

New Content

If you are working on a new page or piece of content, setting a page in draft mode will let you see the page if you are logged in. However, you and visitors will not be able to see or visit the page until it is published.

Existing Content

If you are modifying currently published content, you can save changes as a draft. This will add a tab to your page labeled "latest version." The latest version will reflect your changes, while the current version is still public and viewable on the View tab. Once the page is re-published from Draft mode, all changes will become live and the old version will only be viewable via the revision log.

Published

A Published page is the most recent version of a page. It is 'live' and viewable to site visitors. You can make changes and push them as published immediately.

Topics

SiteMasonry Basics

Image Management Tutorial

SiteMasonry Tutorial

How to...Add Alt Text to Images

Kelly Hansen — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 21:51:40 +0000

How to...Add Alt Text to Images Kelly Hansen Mon, 12/13/2021 - 16:51

��AV is committed to ensuring an inclusive digital experience. One essential practice to maintain accessibility is adding descriptive alt text to images.

What is Alt Text?

Alt text, or alternative text, is a brief description of an image that allows screen readers to convey the image’s content to users with visual impairments. It ensures that images are accessible to everyone, providing essential context for those who cannot see them. Alt text also improves SEO, as search engines favor pages that provide meaningful alt text for images.

Best Practices for Writing Alt Text

Be specific and relevant: Focus on what the image represents and its function within the content.
Be concise: Keep descriptions short but informative. Avoid overly detailed or redundant explanations.
Describe the purpose: If the image contains information not provided elsewhere, include that key information in the alt text.
Use context-appropriate language: Tailor the description to fit the surrounding content, avoiding technical jargon or irrelevant details.
Handle decorative images appropriately: If an image is purely decorative and doesn't add to the content, use null alt text (alt="") to signal screen readers to skip the image.

Example of Alt Text in Action:

For a photo of a tree: “A large oak tree with green leaves in summer.”
For a chart: “A bar chart comparing enrollment data from 2022 and 2023, showing a 15% increase in enrollment.”
For decorative images: Use empty alt text (alt="").

SiteMasonry CMS – How to Add Alt Text to Images

SiteMasonry offers two main ways to add images: via the Featured Image block and by embedding images into a Text Block. Adding alt text ensures that images remain accessible and compliant with accessibility standards.

Adding Alt Text to a Featured Image

Featured images automatically prompt for alt text upon upload.

Navigate to your page and select the Featured Image block.
Upload your image and enter a brief, descriptive alt text.
Click Save to finalize.

Adding Alt Text to an Embedded Image

Embedded images require manual entry of alt text.

Place your cursor in the text block where the image should appear.
Use the Insert Media icon to upload or select an image.
After inserting, click the Edit Media icon on the image.
Add a descriptive alt text, then select alignment and size if needed.
Click Save to apply the changes.

Additional Resources

Topics

Accessibility Tutorial

SiteMasonry Tutorial

Digital Accessibility

How to...Create and Place a Webform

Kelly Hansen — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 02:19:48 +0000

How to...Create and Place a Webform Kelly Hansen Wed, 11/17/2021 - 21:19

View more SiteMasonry tutorials

Attention:

Webforms created using the Drupal Webform Module are not appropriate for collecting sensitive information such as:

birth dates

test scores

application materials

payment processing

file uploads of any sort

social security numbers

personally sensitive information

any item that may become part of an official record.

Contact the Admissions Tech Team for assistance if you are creating a form for the purposes of collecting information for an admissions-related process.

Contact ITS for access to the Qualtrics secure form building tool, if your form requires file uploads or the collection of personally identifying information (PII) or FERPA protected information related to an academic or administrative process such as a fellowship or scholarship application, or other administrative process.

It is every Mason Web Editor's duty and responsibility to be good stewards of our website users' information.

The Webform builder allows Site Owners to create and place forms on any SiteMasonry page.

Collecting Personal Identifiable Information (PII), documents or images? Contact ITS for access to the Qualtrics secure form building tool.

Create and Place: Webform Basics

Create a Webform

From the Admin toolbar navigate to > Structure > Webforms:

At the 'Webforms' page > Click ‘Add Webform’
Click ‘Add Element’ to add form elements

Of the many element options to choose from, email, phone, text field, and text area are the most commonly used field elements.

Webforms may be placed on any SiteMasonry page - Basic or Landing.

Want to learn more? Watch the recommended deep-dive webform video tutorials:

Conditional Elements

Multi-step Wizards

Pre-Defined List Options

Emailed Submission Confirmations

Submission Confirmation Page

Place a Webform

Navigate to and open the desired page:

Click the ‘Customize This Page’ tab
Locate, or create, the section to place the webform block in
- click ‘Add Block’, notice the fly-out sidebar admin menu
From the sidebar admin menu
- select ‘Webform' from the block list (will be close to the bottom of the list) to 'pop-up' the 'Configure Block' screen
From the ‘Configure Block’ pop-up
- Add a name for the block in the title field
- Use the type-ahead feature in the ‘Webform’ textfield to select form

In the unlikely event you need to modify the ‘Default webform submission data (YAML)’ or redirect the webform, please file a support ticket for assistance.

Click ‘Add Block’
Admire your new form!
Save the page

Additional Resources

Topics

Site Owners

Forms