Folders are super flexible. They can be a place to store your content or link to a different part of your Community.
It can take some time to create your Folder structure, but we promise you it's worth the time and effort. So grab some snack and a drink, and let's get started!
Building your Root Folder:
Head to the Console, select Content from the left hand panel and click on Folders.
The first thing you'll be presented with when creating your Folders for the first time, is a blank canvas from which you can build out your whole structure.
Let's start off by renaming this starting point Folder by clicking on the pencil icon, and let's rename it to Root Folder.
Creating this Root Folder, will give you a lot of freedom and flexibility in creating your Folder structure, but don't worry, your members won't be coming to this Root Folder.
Now click on the Add Subfolder button and create a new main folder that will serve as a place to store all of your content. We've called this new subfolder Home, but you don't have to.
The new subfolder is where your members will be introduced to your content and is where you will be building out your structure.
Ps: If you ever want to use a folder as a home page, this sets you up for success. Learn more about Home Screen Layout Options here.
Adding Content to Home:
Click on your newly created Home folder and let's start building it out.
Start off by clicking Edit Cover so that to add a cover image to your Home folder. The image needs to be in a 16:9 ratio so that it isn't cropped.
Next press Add to start adding new Folders and content. There are 5 different things you can add to a folder:
A New Folder:
This creates a brand new subfolder, which can help you further segment your content. Like adding different rooms to a Home for all of your different content.
Assets:
Assets are made up of content such as Videos, Images, Audio files and PDF's. We support the following formats for your content: WAV, MP3, JPG, PNG, AVI, MOV, MP4, FLV, and PDF.
We suggest adding specific assets to specific folders so it is easier for members to find your content. For example, maybe don't mix Videos and PDF's together.
Articles:
An article can act like a blog post for example. Click here to learn more about Articles and the best way to create them.
Links:
These are extremely useful as ways to create easy navigation for your members. You can create links to your Activity Feed for example, you can add links to external URL's or you could even create links to a specific folder to make it easy to locate.
Livestreams:
You can create a specific folder to house certain livestreams that you have conducted, and want in easy reach for your members. Maybe you've done an important AMA and want your members to always be able to reach it easily.
Don't forget to add a thumbnail to each newly created subfolder. These thumbnail images need to be in a 1:1 image ratio so that they don't look cropped or distorted.
What we Suggest:
We would suggest adding multiple folders into your Home folder, that you can then add content to. For example, we created:
- A Folder as a link to our Activity Feed.
- A Folder as a link to Events.
- A Folder to house our Videos.
- A Folder to house our Podcasts.
- A Folder to house our Articles.
You can then add your content to each of these new Folders, making it nice and easy for your members to navigate.
Here is how creating the Folders in this structure, will show to your members.
There will be a lot of trial and error when you first set up your Folders, but don't get discouraged. Once you're done, we're sure your Community will love your hard work!
But don't forget, if you get stuck and need some advice, your fellow hosts in The Collective are always happy to share their knowledge and experience.
And you can always reach out to our lovely Support team!
Top Tips:
- Did you know that you that you can make a Folder only available to paid subscribers? Why not learn more about that here.
- Did you know that you can restrict access to a Folder to only those members that are a part of a specific group?