Choosing the Right Content Type

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There are many different types of content within a community and it is very important to choose the correct content type for your collaboration.  Below are the main content types that are available as well as some additional content types that can be added on to the community via modules.

Discussions

Discussions come in two varieties; threads and questions.  The difference between the two is determined by what the author is looking for.

• Threads: A thread is where the author is seeking different point of views and there is no specific solution to the issue.  These are generally used to formulate plans of actions and make business decisions. An example of a thread would be “How should we modify our process to better serve our customers?”  In this case there will be many points of view and each will help you reach a decision.
• Questions: A question is where the author is seeking a specific solution to a problem they are having. The questions functionality allows the author and administrators to mark the correct response to the question, allowing the author and others find that solution faster.

Documents

Like discussions, documents come in two varieties; collaborative documents you write directly in the community and uploaded files from your local machine.  Both are used to convey official or factual information to

the community.

• Collaborative documents: Good examples of collaborative documents are meeting notes, how-to guides, policy outlines, etc.
• Uploaded files: Uploaded files can be used in lieu of a collaborative document if you already have the document locally.

Blog Posts

Similar to documents, a blog post is intended to convey information to the community. Unlike documents, a blog post is more of a story, opinion or thought leadership.  A good example of a blog post would be a summary of how a project went with a client or customer.

Polls

Polls are quick surveys that allow users to vote for 1 option that best fits the question posed by the poll.  The strength of polls is their ability to help make important decisions by simplifying the response to a choice.  Once the votes are in the author of the poll can then see what decision needs to be made without having to sift through various comment responses.

To create any of these types of content:

1. Choose a content type based on your collaborative goals.
2. Click the pencil icon to draft a discussion, document, blog post, etc. or select any of the content type links at the top of any of your attention streams.

Most collaborative activity takes place in discussions and documents. Blog posts are typically used for viewpoint essays and other long-form communications that don't require collaboration.

Private and Public Content

By default, content you create is public in the community and searchable. The power of Jive is that everyone in the community can benefit from shared and collaborative content. However, in some cases, you may want to limit who sees content and who can collaborate on it. Or, you can choose to publish your content in a private social group that limits content to approved members.

Monitoring Your Content

You'll automatically follow all content that you create, so you'll receive an update in your Inbox whenever anyone responds to your content or, if it's a document, changes it. You can also delete any comments on your content, as well as remove the content entirely.