CommCenter Guide

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Messages ​

Effective digital communication follows the same core principles of regular communication. For message composition, it means following the message format.

The Many Forms of Messages ​

A message can be the primary content of an interior page, a Feature Story or Announcement, or be configured as a Notification. The central concept of a message is that it is communicating about a single topic. It is useful to understand this cross functionality as the same editor will be used to construct and edit this verbiage, no matter where it's used.

Message Structure ​

Messages consist of a Title, Summary and Details. Message structure is important because a message can be presented in many formats, like a feed, when a reader may only see the title and overview, or an entire page, where a reader can see the entire message.

To create a message, the Title, Summary and Details are all required elements. CommCenter shows title and summary character counts in the editor so administrators can keep content within the recommended publishing limits.

Title ​

The title should be no more than a few words and should be descriptive of the topic you are trying to communicate about.

Summary ​

The summary should be no more than three sentences. It should convey generally what will be covered in detail in the body, and it should encourage readers to read more.

The AI Summary button can draft a summary from the message details after enough body content has been added. Review the generated text before publishing. If the previous summary is better, use Undo AI summary.

Details ​

The details are where you describe the topic more fully. There is no length requirement and it can have hyperlinks within the text.

The AI Polish tool in the Quality panel can clean up the message body by improving structure, headings, grammar, spacing and consistency. Use the comparison view to review changes before keeping them, and use Undo polish if the original content should be restored.

Use the Preview panel to check the saved presentation before publishing. Preview is useful after changing rich content, image order, cover images, summaries, or pasted formatting.

The message list includes an Advanced Search button in the action toolbar. Use it when the standard list filters are not specific enough or when you need to search message body content.

Advanced Search can search across:

  • Title
  • Summary
  • Body text

Advanced Search uses readable message text. The stored rich-content JSON is not exposed as a search field.

Advanced Search also supports these options:

  • Statuses: limit results to Draft, Published, Archived or the available status values for the message list.
  • Organization: search within the selected organization. Administrators with broader access can choose All organizations.
  • Exact phrase: require the entered phrase to appear as written in one of the selected fields.
  • List by channel: group and sort results by channel priority, then by most recently modified.
  • List only non-expired content: exclude messages with an expiration date in the past.

Results show the message title, channel, organization, status, modified date and highlighted matching text when the search service returns highlights. Select a result to open that message in the editor.

Use Load more when more results are available. CommCenter remembers the advanced search state for the current browser session, so reopening the dialog restores the recent search terms and filters.

Message Editor ​

CommCenter uses the TipTap message editor for all messages. The editor preserves supported content as structured blocks instead of relying on arbitrary pasted HTML. Its standard toolbar includes headings, inline emphasis, block quotes, horizontal rules, lists, in-text links, clear formatting, undo and redo.

Pasted content is cleaned as it enters the editor. If an older message contains content that cannot be converted safely, CommCenter preserves it as a recovery block for administrator review instead of silently deleting it. Review and repair or discard every recovery block before saving.

Administrator Rich Content ​

Administrators have additional tools for:

  • formatting summaries with bold, italic, lists and links
  • inserting accordions
  • inserting and editing tables, including rows, columns, merged cells, alignment, header colors and cell shading
  • placing Tableau views in the body or inside an accordion item
  • placing images already uploaded on the message's Images tab into the body, either individually or in galleries of up to three images
  • placing videos already added on the message's Videos tab into the body
  • reviewing message HTML and read-only body JSON in the source view

Attached image alt text remains managed on the Images tab. Changing it there also updates copies of that image placed in the message body. Images and videos must be attached to the message before they can be inserted into its details.

History and Restore ​

Use the History tab to view an earlier saved revision. From the revision preview, Restore replaces the current title, summary and message body with that revision. Publishing settings, the message URL and related content remain unchanged.

A restored revision is only loaded into the editor. Review it, then save or publish the message to record the restoration as a new revision.

Where Used ​

The administrator Where Used tab summarizes where the message is currently placed. It lists direct page placement, matching announcement or story feeds, notification placement and priority placement such as homepage or pinned status. Select a page result to open it.

Reusing a Message and Changing Its URL ​

For an older announcement or feature, Reuse this Message refreshes the publish date, expiration date and URL together. Use it only when the existing message is intentionally becoming a new version.

The Generate New URL action rebuilds the URL from the current title and date without changing the publishing dates. Review the preview before applying it. Once the change is published, links to the old URL will no longer work.

Pinned Content ​

Pinned announcements and stories override chronological feed order. Use pins sparingly. CommCenter ignores a normal pin after three weeks and unpins an older item when it is edited. Administrators can apply the Persistent Pin tag only when a long-term pin is intentional.

Message Properties ​

Messages can have images, links and videos.

Message Categories ​

Adding a category to a message helps us keep track of the topics they are about. Categories can also determine which feeds a message shows up in on a website.

Links, images and videos are associated with their specific message(s).

There are three types of links associated with a message.

  • A list of related links (default)
  • A call to action which encourages the reader to take an action
  • Links that appear in the body of the message.

Images ​

Images can be added to a message. Multiple images will result in an image gallery. Uploaded images are resized automatically and can be reordered. Click an image to edit alt text, caption/credit information, regenerate AI alt text, or crop the image when the crop option is available. Mark one image as the cover photo when a feed tile or page header needs a specific image.

AI-generated alt text is added during upload when possible, but it still needs human review. If CommCenter flags an image that appears to contain important text, add that information to the message body so the content is accessible without relying on the image.

Videos ​

Videos can be added to a message. A message can have multiple videos. The message references a video hosted on a supported platform such as YouTube, Vimeo or MyVRSpot.

Writing a Message ​

  • Consider your audience and the purpose of communication; is your website appropriate for the type of message you are sending?

  • Use plain English. Avoid acronyms. If you need to use an acronym, make sure you use the acronym’s unabbreviated name the first time you use it.

  • Use an active voice. Speak directly to your audience in a conversational tone.

  • Use proper formatting.

How-To ​

For specifics on how to create or edit a message, see the CommCenter tab at the upper right.