Site Basics

• URL: http://www.nymodelschools.org/
• Software: The site runs the latest WordPress and Buddypress software. Software upgrades will be handled by Eko Agency as needed and after testing to insure the site continues to function as expected.
• Spam Protection: Eko Agency has installed a plugin that blocks most malicious users, spammers, and bots that attempt to abuse websites.
• Backups: The site is backed up each Sunday AM. The latest 7 backups are kept, so Eko Agency has the ability to restore the site if anything does go wrong.
• Google Analytics: Traffic stats and other details can be access through this URL: http://www.google.com/analytics, using the Google account provided to Eko Agency.
• Contact Form: The contact form emails get sent to: nysmodelschools@gmail.com

User Profile

Clicking on your username will take you to your profile page. From here, you can edit your profile information.

Views

• Activity: On this tab you can update your status, like Facebook, as well as see your other activity on the site (forum posts, etc.) You can also navigate to the Mentions section to view any place another member mentioned you by using @username in their post. You can view any post or activity you marked as Favorite in the Favorites section. You can view the activity in any Group you belong to in the Groups section. From the activity feed you can click the Comment link on any entry to add a comment to the post.
• Profile: From this tab you can edit your public profile, as well as update your avatar. Please note: do not fill out the Latitude and Longitude field in your profile. That field is auto-updated based on what you enter in the Location field.
• Messages: In this section you can read and respond to any private messages another owner may send to you. You can also compose private messages to other users.
• Groups: This section displays which Groups you belong to on the site.
• Forums: In this section you can see which forum threads you started, as well as which threads you have responded to.
• Events: In this section you can add Events to the Event Listing section. If you are adding an event to a new location (one not already used by another event on the site), you should use the Add Location section before adding the Event. When you add an Event, you can assign it to a Group and it will show on the Group’s Events tab.
• Settings: In this section you can change your password, account email address, as well as change your email notification preferences for the site.

Members Only Section

The Groups and Members listings are viewable by all visitors, but you must be logged in and a member of a Group to view the private sections, as well as add content, respond to forum posts, etc.

Views

• Home: On this tab you can update your status, like Facebook. This update will be visible to other members of the group. You can also see other group activity on the site (forum posts, etc.) From the activity feed you can click the Comment link on any entry to add a comment to the post. There is also an RSS feed available for group activity if you prefer to keep tabs through an RSS reader like Google Reader.
• Documents: A file repository for the group. Here you can upload PDFs, Office files, or other types to share with the group. These files are only accessible and downloadable by the group members.
• Forum: This section is like any other message board, as it facilitates threaded conversations. You can follow conversations by clicking the Follow this Topic button. You will then be notified of additional posts added to the thread.
• Wiki: The wiki allows group members to collaborate on a text document. The tools allows you to add tags to the document, as well as link documents together by connecting child documents to the parent document. Users also have the ability to see read and write access levels for the document.
• Events: Any even assigned to the Group will be visible in this section.
• Member List: A simple list of members associated with the group. Clicking on a username will take you to the user’s profile.
• Email Options: On this page you can set the frequency of email notifications you receive from group activity. Options available are daily and weekly summaries, every topic, no mail, or all mail.

Lesson Directory

The lesson directory is segmented into two sections: grade and subject. Adding a lesson is done through the administration section of the site. Double click the Dashboard link found in the top menu bar.

Add a Lesson

Once you are viewing the Dashboard:

1. Look on the left side of the page and click the Documents section. Then click Add New.
2. Enter the Title and Description for the document. Then add any tags, as well as select the grade and subject.
3. Upload the document to the site by clicking on the Media icon in the Upload/Insert section found right above the description box. Once you’ve uploaded the document, close the window that opened to return to the site.
4. Be sure to double check all of the information you added, then click Publish to add the document to the site.

Member Directory

The Member Directory (with map) is located in the drop down menu under Members, found in the main navigation. The location displayed on the map is determined by the location entered in your profile. The information displayed when you click on an avatar found on the map is determined by the Info field found in your profile.

News

The latest news stories are displayed in the footer of the site. The News archive is located in the drop down menu under About, found in the main navigation.

The blog archive is also found in the same drop down menu. The blog archive includes all blog posts created by members.

Add a News or Blog Post

To add a post, click on the New Post link found under the Dashboard drop down menu at the top of the site. This will take you to the new post entry form.

Add the title, body, and any tags if necessary. If the post if for the blog, select the Blog category. If it’s a news post, select the News category.

To schedule the post to be published at a later time, click the Edit button next to “Publish: immediately” found in the Publish box located in the upper right. Adjust the date and time as needed.

If you’d like to finish the post later, you can click the Save Draft button — otherwise click Publish to save to the site.

Moodle Course Directory

Add a Moodle Link

To add a Moodle Link, click the Dashboard link found in the admin bar at the top of the site. On the left side, click Add New found in the Links section.

Once the form has loaded, add the name, URL, and description to the post. Before saving the link, make sure to check Moodle Course Directory as the category.

Event Listings

All events are found on this page. You can filter the results by location, category, and date. Each event has it’s own event page, which includes a map, date, time and other details.

Edit the Homepage Text

To edit the homepage text, click the Dashboard link found in the admin bar at the top of the site. Then on the left side, click the All Pages link found in the Pages section of the navigation.

Scroll until you find the Homepage Block entry. Click the name to edit the document. Once you are satisfied, click Update to save the changes. Return to the homepage and refresh your browser to see the changes.

Please note: no other page should need to be edited.