Shared Content

The probono.net platform allows site administrators to share content easily between sites through the Shared Content Tool. This resource is broken down into the following sections: 

All content forms contain a checkbox asking if you want to share the item you're uploading. See screen shot below:

Sharing Your Content

Selecting this option makes content available to be shared into other practice areas and websites built on the probono.net advocate template.

  1. Member type restrictions continue to apply when an item is marked "shared." For example, if you choose to share a Calendar event that is restricted to Pro Bono member types, only Pro Bono member types (and site admins) in other practice areas will be able to find the calendar event in a search, or access the event if it is uploaded into other practice area Calendars.
  2. As the creator of shared content, any changes you make to the original item will be reflected in all shared instances.
  3. If you delete the original shared content, all shared instances of that content will be removed as well.

There are two ways to retrieve and upload shared content from other areas into your website: via the Admin Inbox and by conducting a search.

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Retrieve Shared Content: Admin Inbox

The easiest way to find shared content from other practice areas is through the Admin Inbox. Click on the Admin Inbox link in the left-hand navigation and follow these steps:

1. From the Content drop down box, select Shared Content, and click the magnifying glass icon. See screen shot below:

You'll get a page with each tool's available shared content, plus a way to configure your shared content settings. See screen shot below:

Now click the tool whose shared content you're interested in. You'll get a record set for that tool. Click the blue column headings to sort the record set in alphabetical order by title--or by whichever other headings display in blue for that tool. Click a column heading twice to sort in descending, reverse chronological or reverse alphabetical order.

  • NOTE: The sort order you select is not maintained when switching your view to a different record set. The new record set will default to alphabetical order by document title).
  • TIP: As a Geo admin, you may want to upload calendar events from local or national practice areas into your Geo Calendar. To do so, sort the calendar record set by the Location column heading. This will allow you to focus in on those events that occur near or in your city or state.

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Post Shared Content to Your Site

To add a shared item to your own library, click the title of the item you want to share to open its content form, scroll down to the Settings and Other Areas tabs, and follow one of two courses:

  1. To share the item directly into the practice area you're currently in, stay on the Settings tab. Change the Status to Approved and choose your practice area topics to tag it with. Then click Submit. The content will be live on your site.
  2. To share the item with practice areas either in addition to or other than the one you're currently on, you approve and tag it with topics using the Settings tab, and instead of clicking Submit, click the Other Areas tab--see screen shot below:

Click the practice areas you want from the list, holding down the Control (Ctrl) or Apple key while you click to tag multiple areas.

  • NOTE: When you send content to another practice area, it will go to the area's Admin Inbox--to be approved for publication at the discretion of that area's admin(s).

Click Submit. You will be returned to the record set. If the practice areas you shared into are ones under your administration, remember to go to their Admin Inboxes, pull up Awaiting Approval items and set the one you've just added to Approved to make it live.

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Retrieve Shared Content: Search Results

Search for Shared Content
If you have conducted a search for shared content from other areas, you can upload items directly from the search results page. You may, for example, want to find and publish all shared Calendar events posted in the last three months that relate to Civil Rights or that occur in a specific city. To conduct a shared search, follow the steps outlined below:

  1. Click the Advanced Search link at the top of any page and find the Shared Content area at the bottom of the form. See screen shot below:
  2. Click on the link: Click here to search shared content from other practice areas.
  3. A new page will load, with a universal Topic list in the Topic drop down box.

Here are some guidelines for using the form:

Text
Text searches should be a single word, phrase, or boolean string (i.e., multiple words or phrases connected by "or", "and" or "not").

If you want to conduct a broad search, type broad search terms into the Text box, e.g. "family" or "asylum."

Search In
This dropdown list presents all of the tools that are active in the practice area from which you're searching. Select any single tool to limit your search to just that content (e.g., Library or News or Calendar, etc.

Topic
You can limit your search to resources associated with any topic presented on this dropdown list. This list is a top level, general bunch of Topics--as you see, no subtopics or special, site-tailored Topics appear.

Organization
Use this field to search for resources posted by a specific, individual organization. You can enter the full name of the group or part of the name. For example, type "Legal Aid Society" or type "Aid Society."

  • TIP: This field refers to the organization that authors a news item, hosts a calendar event, publishes a library resource, or seeks attorneys for a new case.
  • TIP: If the organization you are interested in uses a common acronym, try using a boolean search, such as: "Legal Services New York City or LSNY"

Date Posted

Select a Date posted to limit your search to content published during the period selected.

  • NOTE: Date Posted refers to the date an item was published onto the site, not the date on which a calendar event is being held.
  • TIP: Use this field to quickly find out what content has been posted since your last visit to the site. You can isolate content posted in the last week, last month, last 3 months, last 6 months, last year, or content posted before the last year.

Select Items to Upload
The results page groups its records by tools, tabbed along the top. See screen shot below.

Within each tool tab, individual results are listed with summary information under them. Click the linked title of an item, or the more info link, if there is one, to see its additional details.

Click the Edit iconnext to the item you wish to upload into your practice area. Its content form will open. Review the entries on the form to decide if and where to upload it.

Now scroll down to the Settings and Other Areas tabs, and follow one of two courses:

  1. To share the item directly into the practice area you're currently on, stay on the Settings tab. Change the Status to Approved and choose your practice area topics to tag it with. Then click Submit. The content will be live on your site.
  2. To share the item with practice areas either in addition to or other than the one you're currently on, approve and tag it with topics using the Settings tab, and instead of clicking Submit, click the Other Areas tab--see screen shot below:

Select the practice areas you want from the list, holding down the Control (Ctrl) or Apple key while you click to tag multiple areas.

  • NOTE: When you send content to another practice area, it will go to the area's Admin Inbox--to be approved for publication at the discretion of that area's admin(s).

Click Submit. You will be returned to the record set.

  • NOTE: If the practice areas you shared into are ones under your administration, remember to go to their Admin Inboxes, pull up Awaiting Approval items and set the one you've just added to Approved to make it live.
  • NOTE: You will not be able to edit the core information on shared content items because they originated in another practice area. If the Admin from the original practice area makes changes to the core information, those changes will be reflected in the item uploaded to your practice area. This includes deleting items: if an admin deletes an item, it will be deleted from your practice area as well. Whoever approved the shared content will receive an email alert that the original item has been deleted.

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Shared Inbox Search Settings

As described above, after you click on Shared Content from the Content drop down box on the first page of the Admin Inbox, you get another menu of Shared Content materials:

In the screen shot above, note the first link in the list, Shared Inbox Search Settings. This feature gives you a page listing all Geo PBN sites, each with a check box and a +/- (expand/contract) icon beside it. See screen shot below:

To reveal the practice areas within a Geo, click the + sign beside it. The checkboxes are meant to EXCLUDE areas from your shared content search. In other words, if Alabama is checked, then no content originating from that site will arrive in your Admin Inbox.

  • TIP: You must check both the Geo AND its PAs if you want to exclude them all from your shared content. If you only check Alabama and not Civil Law, you'll be elegible to receive shared content from Alabama's Civil Law PA.