Allow Custom Template Upload for Comms Hub and Custom Pages
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Elizabeth Babb ’82
Add the ability to upload templates to the Comms Hub and Custom Pages. (1) Comms Hub: Currently Bee Editor is used as the editor in the Comms Hub but you cannot upload a custom template made in Bee Editor. So if your school already has templates created, they have to be recreated from scratch within Almabase. (2) Custom Pages editor: unfortunately for some reason the Bee Editor is not even offered as a Pages editor. And there is no ability to upload a template. The current Pages editor is clunky, featureless, and difficult to deal with.
Many of us have creative departments that already are familiar with Bee Editor and have created or could create templates for the Alum department to use in Almabase. In addition there are graphic design consultants one could hire on a one-off basis to create a communications template for a particular program you are launching such as a reunion, where you would like all your communications to look a certain way or maybe have a slight variation to them. The thought of having to create that from scratch within Almabase is overwhelming. This feature- ability to upload a template- should be added.
Finally, it has been suggested that we use WordPress. Almabase should recognize that for a lot of small schools, having the Alum Director learn WordPress is NOT a high priority. Our school does not use WordPress for any of our sites and thus there is no one on campus who even knows how to use it and this certainly would not be approved from a financial and time management perspective. You have provided the Bee Editor. You should use it throughout the site (i.e. with Custom Pages too) as well as allow for upload of templates that could be created outside of Almabase. This would really allow us to get creative. Being allowed to upload templates no matter which editor created them, but sticking to some sort of guidelines, is what is needed. I only mention Bee Editor because it's already being used in Almabase. Not sure why the upload template feature is not available.
Sahil Mallick
Hey Elizabeth Babb ’82, thanks for your feedback! I have a few more questions for you:
- Can you provide examples of specific templates you would like to upload to the Comms Hub and Custom Pages?
- How frequently do you anticipate needing to upload new templates, and for what types of events or communications?
- Are there any specific features or functionalities in the Bee Editor that you find particularly useful and would like to see integrated into the Custom Pages editor?
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Elizabeth Babb ’82
Sahil Mallick 1. I will upload a screenshot of a template from Finalsite that our Comms team had created for me using Bee Editor before we purchased Almabase. I would also like to have templates for our Reunion/Alum Day, for our "In Memoriam" announcements to classes, for our "Event Invitations". We want to have templates that solidify our alum branding and our program offshoots such as Reunion. I am not a designer and should not be expected to alter the templates you provide to make them "on brand" for us, and I should not be expected ot create templates from scratch when I have a Comms Department whose responsibility it is to do so. Or I could hire an outside graphic designer. 2. See answer above. I would anticipate uploading templates for the year one time, but then as new programs come into play - for example we are going to implement a new program for YA engagement and I will likely create a template for that - I could need to upload throughout the year. 3. There is probably a middle road there, more than what is available now and probably not the whole thing. I don't know the technical side of it, but if you can't have the entire BEE EDITOR incorporated then the option to upload a template with Advanced (?) functionality is probably the way to go. I thought for example, I could hire a designer, give them access to the comms hub ONLY, and have them create the templates for me. When I discovered that I could not only grant access to that limited part, and that I could not upload templates etc...I was shocked and had to spend time trying to recreate the bare minimum myself and it shows.
Basically by taking on Almabase, my ability to communicate has improved and increased but the "look and feel" of my communications have been signifcantly downgraded because I am not a designer.