Creating a Resource Center

Here's a step-by-step guide to creating and maintaining a resource center. Additional resources are available on the documentation page.

1. Set up a resource center
2. Get (almost) instant content
3. Create how-tos
4. Add weblinks
5. Create forum topics
6. Create special features
7. Invite other members

1. Set up a Resource Center

1. Click on "create content" in the right-hand sidebar to reveal a drop-down menu. Then click on "resource center".
2. Choose a name for your resource center, and enter it under "title".
3. Write a welcome message: a brief description of what your resource center is all about. Make it short, informative and engaging.
4. In the "description" field, enter a very short description of the resource center.(This will only show up in a few administrative pages.)
5. Under 'Team membership Requests', leave the check box set to "open -- anyone can join this team immediately, without approval".* Also, make sure you check the "Public" box.
6. Click "submit" (at the bottom of the page).

YOU CAN SAFELY IGNORE ALL THE OTHER FIELDS AND OPTIONS ON THIS PAGE.

2. Get (almost) Instant Content

We can populate your resource center with four types of pre-existing content:

•  Related articles from NetSquared
•  Related case studies & Net2Ask challenges
•  Related items on del.icio.ous
•  Related blog posts from the big world

To get this content we need to set up some keywords for your site. E-mail us with some suggested keywords and we'll set up these areas of content for you.

3. Add how-tos

How-tos give site visitors specific advice or tips related to your resource center's topic. A how-to might walk users through using a specific tool or piece of software, or it might cover an organizational or operational challenge and how to handle it.

Add a how-to by clicking "create content" and then choosing "how-tos".  

Give your how-to a title, and put the main content for your how-to under "body."**

At the bottom of the page, make sure there is a check in the checkbox next to "Public" AND a check in the checkbox next to the name of the resource center you want this how-to to appear in.

4. Add weblinks

Weblinks are collections of resources that can help people learn more about your topic. Resource centers organize weblinks into two different categories: "general resources", and "cases & examples". Each of these categories will appear in a different area on your main resource center page.

To add a weblink, choose "weblink" from the "create content" menu (right-hand sidebar again).

Fill in the appropriate fields. (There are many fields on the weblink form, but only a few are likely to apply to you.*)

•     Title: the name of the resource you're recommending
•     Link: the full URL (http://www.thiswebsite.com) of the resource
•     Author: if the resource has a specific author, enter it; otherwise leave blank.
•     Link type: choose either "general resources"  or "cases & examples".
•     Body:  Enter a description of your weblink.

At the bottom of the page, make sure there is a check in the checkbox next to "Public" AND a check in the checkbox next to the name of the resource center you want this weblink to appear in. Then click "submit". You can come back to revise or edit your weblink any time.

5. Set up Forum Topics

Discussion forums are the place for question & answer sessions or discussions related to your topic. Before you can start a discussion forum topic in your resource center, we need to set up your discussion forum. Please email us and we'll get you going. Then you can add as many topics as you like.

Once we've created a forum for you, you can create a forum topic by clicking on "create content" (in the right sidebar) and then choosing "forum topic". All you need to do now is to choose a title for your forum topic (this is what people will see on the main page of your resource center) and assign it to the appropriate forum ("Issues & challenges, " "Wishlist", etc).

At the bottom of the page, make sure there is a check in the checkbox next to "Public" AND a check in the checkbox next to the name of the resource center you want this forum topic to appear in.

6. Create Special Features

Special features allow you to create a collection of pages or stories about particular topics of interest or a current issues.

For example, if your resource center focuses on a strategic challenge, you might have a feature section called "Solutions to watch", which profiles how different organizations have addressed your challenge, with a page for each. Or if your resource center focuses on a technical subject, you might want to create a feature section called "Product reviews" where you assess different hardware or software options.

To create a new feature section, click on "create content" (in the right sidebar) and then choose "create feature".

Give your feature a title, and put the main content for your feature under "body."**

At the bottom of the page, make sure there is a check in the checkbox next to "Public" AND a check in the checkbox next to the name of the resource center you want this weblink to appear in.

7. Invite Team Members

The name of your resource center appears in the top-right sidebar. One of the items in that list will say "1 team member" (that's you!).  Click "invite friend" to invite additional team members. Other members of your group can invite friends to join, too.

It's likely, too, that you'll get users requesting membership on your team without having been invited by anyone. Unless you set your team membership to "moderated" (see documentation for details) you'll have to approve these requests; otherwise, they'll be signed up automatically.

That's it. Have fun!

*See documentation for details.

**Note: You may want to first write a draft of your how-to in a text editor, and then copy and paste it into the "body" field. If you take this approach, be sure that you are pasting PLAIN TEXT into the "body" field -- don't copy text directly from MS Word. If you use Word to write your text, please copy and paste it into a plain text editor (like Word Pad or Text Edit), and then copy it from your plain text editor into the "body" field. Trust us - it'll save you precious time in the long run.