Ideas for getting the most out of using Vidigami.
Share Slideshows in Newsletters
Share Media Request Link for Special Events
Add a Share Link to your Newsletter
Use Collections to add new media to your Digital Signage
WHY: Having to keep Digital Signage updated can be time consuming. Being able to make changes in Vidigami and have it instantly be reflected, can save time and keep content exciting.
- Create a collection. If you have multiple Digital Displays, name it for the one(s) you will be using it with.
- Add photos to the collection.
- Use the flying out arrow icon, public slideshow, and copy the Embed Link.
- Add this embed link to your Digital Signage Software. Now, you just change the photos in the collection and the Digital Display is automatically updated.
- You can even add Text to each image that will show up in the slideshow (at the top left of the image).
- Click on an image.
- Click on the three dots (top right)
- Click on the Pencil icon.
- Type in a Title.
- Save
Have weekly photo “topics”
WHY: If teachers are finding it difficult to take and upload photos to Vidigami, having a different topic focus each week will help them remember to take some photos. It can also bring on a bit of “competitiveness” to see who uploads the most photos.
- Create a Page called something like Weekly Focus, Weekly Topic, or similar.
- Each week, create an Album on the page that is related to a specific topic such as:
- Technology
- Outside the classroom
- On the playground
- Reading
- Working with a partner
- Working in groups
- Puzzling it Out
- Writing
- Being Silly
- Smiling
- Ask students to come up with Topics. If your students are set up to use Vidigami, they can upload photos too! (Remember, you can set up Vidigami, so users can only upload to specific pages.)
Share Slideshows in your Newsletters
WHY: If your school has not yet rolled out Vidigami to your community, this will
allow them to still share in some of the activities via photos each week. For
schools that are using it with parents, it will excite parents and encourage them to log in.
- Create a Collection called Highlights of the Week.
- Share this publicly by copying the URL (under the flying arrow icon).
- Put this URL in the footer of your weekly parent newsletter.
- Each week, add a few photos from Pages / Albums that were uploaded the past week.
- Remember to delete the photos from the Highlights of the Week collection. (Remember, they are still sitting on the pages. So they are not being deleted from Vidigami.)
- The link in the newsletter never changes because the photos are changed within Vidigami.
- It is recommended you limit slideshows to a max of 30 photos.
Connect with key stakeholders each summer - head of school, department heads, marketing, admissions, etc. - to discuss the use of Vidigami.
WHY: This ensures Vidigami is set up properly for the new school year. All users that need training are identified. All stakeholders are aware of the plan.
- Will there need to be changes in categories, pages, how it will be used?
- Do they want additional training for staff? For parents?
- How are we rolling out to new parents? New staff?
- Are there expectations of teachers and other staff for uploading?
Integration with your Student Information System (SIS)
WHY: This eliminates the need to send us your .csv export each year. In addition,
you can quickly update Vidigami at any time during the year by syncing.
- If you use Blackbaud, Veracross, iSams, SIMS, or Engage; please reach out using our support form, so we can get you set up with integration.
- Once integrated, a single click on the Sync button and your Vidigami users are updated to match your SIS.
Add a Share Link to your Parent Newsletter
WHY: A share link lets parents access a specific container (Page or Album) quickly.
Rather than adding photos to a newsletter (which can be time consuming to download and format), add some text that includes a Share Link to the Page or Album that houses the photos. For example, you might share - "Check out the photos from our 1st graders first field trip of the year!"
Use the flying-out arrow icon on any Page or Album to create a link. Add this link to the newsletter.
REMEMBER: Your users will still need to be activated Vidigami users, logged into Vidigami, to access the container shared.
Share a Media Request Link For Special Events
WHY: Get more users uploading media as well as ensuring the media is added to the correct Page or Album.
When having a special event (graduation, annual auction, holiday concert, etc.), there are often hundreds of great photos taken. Send an email soon after the event to remind users to upload their photos. To help with this, include a Media Request Link (MRL) in the email. (How to create a Media Request Link.) This will allow them, with a single click, be able to add their images and ensure they are uploading to the container (Page or Album) where you want them to be.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW:
- The MRL is just a link to the Page or Album. Once a user clicks on it, the upload process works the same as uploading any other media.
- The Page (including the Page the album lives on) must be set to Contribute or Edit access. Pages set to View access will not allow uploads via an MRL.
- The users must have a Role that allows them to Upload Media. The MRL does not override Role permissions.