Introduction
Blogs are a fantastic way of communicating a company's news and updates, as well as their purpose and values, to employees using a method that is both familiar and interactive.
Whilst the blogs module is free for clients with SmartHub® platforms to use, it must first be activated by a Client Success or Client Support team member, at the request of the client.
Assigning roles to a blog
In order to manage blogs or to write a post, the person responsible needs to have access. There are 4 different access levels, or roles, which give the user different permissions for writing, editing and managing blogs. These access levels will be either “platform-based”, meaning the role applies to all blogs across the client’s employee engagement platform, or “Blog-based”, meaning the role applies only to a specific blog. Blog-based roles are assigned within the settings of the specific Blog.
Administrator role (platform-based)
This role is given by the platform's Permission Manager via Reward Manager. The role is called “SmartPress Administrator” in Reward Manager.
This role also enables a user to write and publish a blog post on behalf of another user. For example, an HR administrator can write and publish a blog post attributed to the company CEO giving the appearance that the CEO wrote the post.
Note: The user being represented does not need Administrator role access for another user to write and publish blog posts on their behalf.
Anyone with this role type has full access to all blog-related interfaces. They can:
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Create, edit and delete blogs
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Write, edit, schedule, publish and delete posts
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Manage other users’ permissions for all blogs across the platform.
Editor role (blog-based)
This role can be given only by those with the Administrator role, via the settings section within a specific blog. Editors have the same permissions and access as Administrators, but with the difference that they can access only the blog that they were assigned to, whereas the Administrator can access all platform blogs. Editors can be assigned to more than one blog.
Blogger role (blog-based)
This role can be granted by Administrators and Editors via the settings section within a specific blog. Bloggers can write new posts and can edit, schedule, publish and delete posts created by them. A Blogger sees only their own posts; they cannot access posts created by others.
Contributor Role (blog-based)
This role can be granted by Administrators and Editors via the settings section within a specific blog. A Contributor can write a post and then edit it, but in order to publish, schedule or delete it they will need approval from an Administrator or Editor. A Contributor sees only their own posts, they cannot access posts created by others.
Blog types
The blogs tool allows for different types of blogs to be created, depending on how the client would like their people to contribute to it.
The standard blog allows only those with assigned roles (i.e. the roles detailed above) to contribute to the blog management and content. To create this type of blog, an Administrator or Editor must choose the “Posts can be written by only selected people” option in the Settings section within a specific blog.
The community blog allows anyone from the organization (as long as they are registered on their engagement platform) to write and publish blog posts. To create this type of blog, an Administrator or Editor must choose the “Posts can be written by Everyone” option in the settings section within a specific Blog.
The community with approvals This type of blog allows anyone from the organization (as long as they are registered on their engagement platform) to write blog posts, but only an Editor or Administrator can then approve and publish it. To create this type of blog, an Administrator or Editor must choose the “Posts can be written by Everyone, but posts need approval” option in the settings section within a specific blog.