If you know Igloo, you know widgets. Widgets are added to Pages to collect and display content in the community for users. Forum Topic widgets can aggregate discussions, Blog Article widgets pull together news, and Calendar Events widgets can show any and every meeting in the community. Every widget has a purpose, but they aren't limited to that purpose. Here are a few new ways to use existing widgets to save time and show content in new ways.

Time-saving updates

HTML widgets are often used to show updates and announcements on pages, or provide on page content for users. Links widgets serve the same function, but offer a list of links that can draw users deeper into the community or take them elsewhere online. These widgets are an easy way for Administrators to place content directly on a page. However, the contents of those widgets need updating as intranets and organizations evolve, and finding all those stray widgets in your expanding architecture can be a pain, to say nothing of the time spent updating every widget on every page.

With a bit of setup, HTML widgets and Links widgets can be replaced with Wiki Article widgets. Wiki Article widgets display a single article from a Wiki channel, so when that article is updated, it updates in all of the appropriate Wiki Article widgets across the community instantly. Wiki articles also have full version control, allowing you to easily revert to previously published versions. A large community can keep lots articles in this Wiki Channel. That lets Administrators update them as needed and creates a repository of widget content for people to use.

Slideshow tricks

The Slideshow Widget is often used to showcase new blog articles, forum posts, or calendar events. It gives Administrators fine control over how much of a post is shown, as well as extensive control of the slideshow itself. Slideshows look great at the top of the homepage of your community, but can be used in a lot of other ways to show off images or ongoing discussions. Create a blog channel where people submit images in the community or through email, and show it off as a slideshow in your Page or Space. If you have a post where the text is the focus, add an image and resize it to 1 pixel. The image won't interfere with the flow of the post, but will appear at the appropriate size in the slideshow.

These are just a few of the creative ways that people use widgets to customize their Igloo communities to capture the exact look and feel they need. To learn more, and for other tips and tricks, follow this blog by clicking the Follow button on the right, or join us for our weekly webinar.