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Create news categories

For communities that publish a variety of news items, we recommend categorizing them. The type of community you manage will determine which categories make the most sense (if any). Some examples of news categories could be Important Announcements, Monthly Updates, Local Updates, and so on. Having categories in place will help your audience quickly navigate to relevant news items that align with their interests.

Start by navigating to the side menu in your dashboard and click on the News option. Then select the Categories tab. Here, you will have an overview screen that lists all your categories and basic details such as the Author, how many Views a category page has, and the current State (Live, Draft, Archived, Upcoming).

To create a news category, click the Add Category button.

General

Like other setup pages within CommuniBee Suite, begin by including some general information for the category.

  • News Category Name: this is the name of your category.
  • Page Slug: a unique web address suffix for your page, automatically generated but this is editable.
  • Short Description: provide a summary of the category that will be displayed when shared online or on other pages.
  • Feature Image: upload an image that will be displayed when sharing this category on social media or within your community.

Once you have entered the above details, click Save.

Configuration

  • Parent News Category: optionally link an existing category if you want to create hierarchy. If a parent category is set, this new category becomes a subcategory, and all subcategories can be accessed from the parent. This is great if you have multiple categories that share a common theme.
  • Show Subcategory Tiles: decide whether you want your subcategories to appear as individual tiles on the parent category’s web page. If left unchecked, subcategories can still be accessed from the parent category dropdown from the side menu.
  • News Shown Per Subcategory: set how many items each subcategory will list on the parent category’s web page. You can choose to show 1 to 10 items, all items, or no items per subcategory.
  • News Category Description: provide a more detailed description of the category that appears directly on the category’s web page.
  • Color Highlight: optionally set a unique color that applies to all item tiles that are a part of this category.

Media

This section is all about the design of the category’s web page. You can upload images or link to a video that act as the banner for this page. The appearance of your banner can then be configured to create a truly stunning landing page.

  • Media Position: choose where you want your image or video to appear. If you added a feature image, this image would present here as well. You may remove it altogether if you do not wish to have an image shown on this page. Alternatively, you can upload a different image to take its place or add more images, which will appear as a sliding carousel.
    • Header & Body Only: no image, no problem. Your page will display the Category Name and any content provided on the Configuration tab (previous step). No image upload necessary.
    • Media On Left: keep your image and content together within a single section, allowing your image to appear on the left, and your page name and content on the right. This is suitable if you’re using square images.
    • Media Full Width At Top: emulate the classic web page header with this setting, where your image spans across the top of the page, creating a striking banner—often referred to as the Hero section.
      • Adjustments for images in this layout include:
        • Banner Aspect Ratio: dictate the general dimensions of your banner image(s).
        • Banner Max Height: set the maximum height for your banner image(s).
        • Image Anchor: choose where your image is focused by anchoring it to the desired section of the page—top, center, or bottom—ensuring the key parts of your image are always displayed prominently.
      • Use Custom Blocks Only: feeling ambitious and want to build this page from the ground up? Select this option and navigate to the Layout tab to create a unique page using our pre-built Page Blocks.
  • Media Type
    • If you selected Media on Left or Media Full Width At Top from the Media Position dropdown, you can decide on the media type (Images or Video).
      • Images: you can browse from your media library or upload new images. If you upload multiple images, they will appear in a carousel.
      • Video: Currently, we support embedding videos from YouTube. To link a video, go to YouTube, click the Share button beneath the video, and choose Embed. Copy the URL provided there and return to your CommuniBee dashboard to paste it into the Video URL field.

Layout

Not only can you preview your category’s page from this tab, but you can also make additional changes to the overall page layout.

To build on this page and add additional sections, follow the steps below:

  1. Under where it says, Choose Another Template or Block to Add, click on the Add Block To End
  2. A Page Block screen will appear that lists individual blocks that can be added to your page. For example, a Text Block to include text and an optional button, a Multiple Item Block to feature specific items from your community, and more.
  3. Click the Add button to have the block appear on your page.
  4. Depending on the block type you select, you will have different customization options. As you make changes to a page block, a preview will update live on your screen so you can know exactly how your page will look before you save.
  5. After you finish customizing a page block, be sure to hit the Save button so you don’t lose your work.
  6. For any additional blocks you add, you have the option to edit, duplicate, or delete individual blocks by using the icons on the right side of each block.

To rearrange a block, use your mouse and hold left click on it, then drag the block above or below another block. Let go of left click to set the block in place. Learn more about the available page blocks.

Visibility

With your category’s page fully designed and ready to share to your audience, the Visibility tab is where you make the page visible.

Status

  • Draft: the default status for any newly created page. Pages set to Draft cannot be shared or and viewed by your audience.
  • Live: the status given when a page is published. You can share and have your audience view the page from your website.
  • Archived: for pages that you want removed from your website. Once Archived, the page will be accessible from your dashboard and can be permanently deleted by navigating to its General.

At any time, you can manually update the status of this page. You can also schedule a Publish Date to have a page switch from Draft to Live at a specific date and time. If you include a Hide After date, this page will automatically switch from Live to Archived at the specified date and time.

Additional Engagement Guides

Design a news home page

Create news categories

View survey results

Build a survey

Create and manage news

Monitor engagement activity

CommuniBee does not display active communities right now. If you are looking to view a specific community, you will need the community’s website URL.

Be sure to check your email to see if you received an invitation to the community; otherwise, you should contact a community admin for access.

Still stuck? Email us at support@communibee.ca