The Group for Group Admins

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New features on Commons 1.15

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  • #76249

    This week we are introducing some exciting new features on the Commons. Read on for more infor!

    Creation Portal

    The Creation Portal will be a one-stop launch point for our three types of spaces — Groups, Sites, and connected Group + Sites.

    The portal provides a quick comparison of the tools available on the Commons to help users choose what will best serve their needs. It simplifies the creation process and clarifies the option of the connected Group + Site configuration that allows members to link a group and site together to harness and integrate the functionalities of both spaces.

     

    Directory Information

    Creators will now be required to select the Campus and Primary Purpose associated with their new Group and/or Site. This information will be used to better organize and surface teaching and other innovative uses of the Commons in the future, and will help the Commons team better understand and support varied uses across CUNY.

    Creators who select “Teaching” as Primary Purpose will also be prompted to choose the relevant academic term and year, as well as the disciplinary cluster within which their course fits: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM, Professional, Other, or N/A.

    Spaces identified as teaching-oriented will be added to the Commons Courses directory, making it easier for students and faculty to find their courses and to explore the range of teaching-related projects on the Commons. The course directory will, over time, become a showcase for a wide range of student and faculty work across the CUNY system.

    Groups and sites that have been marked as public and private will appear in the directory, though the content of private groups and sites will not be visible to non-logged in members who are not part of those spaces. Admins also have the option of removing groups and sites from public view in the directory.

     

    Other Features

    • Analytics: Users can now more easily integrate Google Analytics with a Commons site to improve their tracking and understanding of its traffic. Read the documentation here for more on setting up both Google Analytics and the Commons integration.
    • Leave a Multi-Author Site: There is a new option under “My Account > My Sites” in the toolbar menu or under “My Sites” in the Sites Directory tab to leave a site one no longer wants to be associate with their Commons account. Here’s the My Sites option in action:

     

    With all of these new improvements, Version 1.15 of the Commons makes the process of using the Commons to teach, to share research, and to connect with others across the CUNY system more intuitive and effective. We hope you enjoy these new features and we invite you to send us your feedback as you begin to explore them.

    #76333

    Hello all, following up on this post, the new Commons release is now live. We’ve posted a full rundown of the new features here. A couple of particular note for this group:

    • Directory Information: Creators will now be required to select the Campus and Primary Purpose associated with their new Group and/or Site (you will also be prompted to add this info retroactively to pre-existing spaces). This information will be used to better organize and surface teaching and other innovative uses of the Commons in the future, and will help the Commons team better understand and support varied uses across CUNY.
    • Group Notification Controls: Users can now control whether group members are notified of new posts on an associated Site on a post-by-post basis. There is a “Send to Group” checkbox to toggle on or off when hitting the Publish button.
    • Leave a Multi-Author Site: There is a new option under “My Account > My Sites” in the toolbar menu or under “My Sites” in the Sites Directory tab to leave a site one no longer wants to be associate with their Commons account (documentation here). Here’s the My Sites option in action:

    Thanks, and the Commons team is here or at support@cunycommons.zendesk.com with any feedback or questions!

     

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