What's inside this article:
- Basic information
- Open author settings
- Manage author settings
- Preview the bio page
- Set the author status
- Save changes
- Learn more
Basic information
This article explains how to create a new author from Pangea CMS. After you create a new author:
- A bio page for the author is automatically published on the public site.
- The author name can be added to content pages.
Open author settings
Go to the relevant section below:
Create a new author
Create a new author via Settings > Authors > Add new.
From the edit screen for a text content page, you can conveniently create a new author via Upload > Author. When you use this method, a separate dialog opens with the author settings, so you do not lose any unsaved work.
Edit an existing author
To update the settings for an existing author:
- Go to Settings > Authors.
- Select the last name for the author you want to edit.
Manage author settings
The following settings are available:
- First name, Last name, and English name
- Contributor ID
- Facebook username and X (Twitter) handle
- Highlight author
- Generate content
- Description
- Image
- Short description
First name, Last name, and English name
Enter the author's name in the First name and Last name fields. You might enter the author's real name. Alternatively, if the author needs to remain anonymous, enter a pen name. If the author goes by a single name, enter it under Last name (this is the only required field).
Under English name, optionally enter an alternative name. This option is useful if the name uses non-Latin script, and you also want to provide a transliterated version. The English name is displayed internally and is useful for searching in Pangea CMS. The English name is not displayed or used anywhere on the public site.
Contributor ID
NOTE: This field is redundant for all entities except RFE/RL.
Under Contributor ID, optionally enter a valid contributor ID.
If a valid contributor ID is provided, the author can be assigned to a content page as a contributor. Contributor names are visible internally for payroll, but the names are not displayed or used anywhere on the public site.
NOTE: If you need a Contributor ID, contact the RFE/RL Finance Department.
Under Email, optionally provide a contact email address. If you tick Display Email, the email address is displayed on the public site. Otherwise, it is only displayed in Pangea CMS.
When Display Email is ticked, the email address is displayed:
- On the author bio page
- In the author highlight box on content pages
Tick Display email only if the author is happy to receive comment and opinion from readers.
Facebook username and X (Twitter) handle
Optionally provide links to social media profiles. These links are displayed in the following places on the public site:
- On the author bio page
- In the author highlight box on content pages
Under Facebook username, optionally enter the username for the author's Facebook profile. If this field is filled, the Follow button is displayed on the public site.
Under X (Twitter) handle, optionally enter the handle (without @) for the author's X (Twitter) profile. If this field is filled, the Follow button is displayed on the public site.
The username / handle is available at the end of the public URL for the profile.
Highlight author
If you tick Highlight author, an author highlight box is automatically displayed on text content pages where the author is added.
To learn more about author highlight boxes, see the following article:
If you enable Highlight author, ensure you also add a Short description. Otherwise, the highlight box will not include a description.
Generate content
The Generate content setting is ticked by default.
Keep this option ticked to enable the following behavior:
- The author name on content pages functions as a link to the author bio page.
- The author bio page includes links to recently published content pages.
To learn more about content links on author bio pages, see the following article:
Description
Under Description, provide a description / biography. The description is displayed on the author bio page. Although it is not required, we strongly recommend providing a description for every author.
Write the description in third person. At minimum, include the author name (or pen name), job title, and the organization they represent, for example:
- John Doe is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.
You might additionally mention:
- Specific experience and expertise
- Work history / professional background
- Interests
- Special projects
- Educational background and relevant qualifications
- Special awards and achievements
IMPORTANT: Only include information that the author is comfortable sharing. If the author needs to remain anonymous, ensure you do not include information that might identify the author personally.
Image
The image represents the author on the public site.
NOTE: Before you can select an image, the image needs to be manually uploaded to Pangea CMS.
You might use a real photo. If the author needs to remain anonymous, use your service logo. If you do not select an image, a generic avatar is displayed on the public site (shown below).
Short description
Under Short description, optionally provide a summarized version of the Description. Ideally, the short description should include no more than 2-3 sentences.
NOTE: If the main author description is relatively short, you might use the same text for the Description and Short description. However, it is necessary to manually add the text in both boxes.
The short description is not directly visible on the author bio page. Instead, it serves the following purposes:
- Displayed in the author highlight box on content pages
- Applied as the meta description for the author bio page
Preview the bio page
As you make changes to the author settings, you can check how these changes will affect the published bio page.
Use the options under Preview in the left panel to preview the bio page on devices with different screen sizes.
NOTE: You cannot use the preview until the Last name field is filled. This is the only required field in the author settings.
Set the author status
The following options are available in the Status drop-down menu:
- Active: An active author can be added to content pages. When you run a search in Pangea CMS, active authors can be added as search filters.
- Inactive: An inactive author cannot be added to new content pages. When you run a search in Pangea CMS, inactive authors cannot be added as search filters.
If you change the status of an author to Inactive, the author name is not removed from content pages. The author bio page also remains published on the public site. The Inactive status simply stops the author name from being added to more content pages.
Save changes
Hit Save or Save & close to publish your changes.
Learn more
The following articles might be helpful:
