Distributed Events
Table of Contents:
Overview
Distributed Events Step 1: Select the Distributed Events Package
Distributed Events Step 2: Configuration
Distributed Events Step 3: The Create Page
Distributed Events Step 4: Event Defaults
Distributed Events Step 5: The Search Page
Distributed Events Step 6: Follow-Up
Distributed Events Step 7: Options
Distributed Events Step 8: Associated Events
The distributed event tool, otherwise known as the "house party" tool, allows you to help your supporters build their own self-hosted local events, and for others to "meet up" with those local hosts.
The friend-to-friend power of distributed events can greatly magnify your impact and build your supporter network, while delivering to those supporters an experience and personal connection that makes your cause much more than just another newsletter in the inbox.
For example, while a single, organization-run showing of a film might cost a considerable amount and only reach a few hundred people, a distributed DVD shown by volunteers to their neighbors in hundreds of towns costs next to nothing and can reach exponentially more viewers. Additionally, allowing your supporters to organize at the local level offers a sense of empowerment to your supporters that will carry on well after the event.
Creating a distributed event is a multi-step process that involves configuring separate pages to either build or search for an event, as well as configuring your own settings that will govern all the events your supporters create.
Distributed Events Step 1: Select the Distributed Events Package
To get started working with a distributed event, you'll need to navigate to the Distributed Events package and either create a new distributed event or select an existing distributed event to edit.
Navigating to the Distributed Events Package
Distributed Events are filed with the Events package in the Salsa headquarters.
Navigate to the Events package by selecting the "Events & Parties" tab along the upper horizontal bar in your Salsa headquarters. ( Image 1)
Depending on your account permissions and the size of your screen, you may need to scroll using the arrow buttons to find your "Events & Parties" tab.
Creating a New Distributed Event
To create a new distributed event:
- Hover over "distributed events/parties >>" in the sub-navigation bar
- Select "create a new distributed event"
You will automatically be redirected to the screen where you can set up and edit the distributed event. See Step 2: Configuration.
Editing an Existing Distributed Event
To access and edit an existing distributed event:
- Hover over "distributed events/parties >>" in the sub-navigation bar
- Select "list distributed events"
- Click "details" to begin editing a specific distributed event
From this list of saved Salsa events, you can also
- copy a distributed event (creating a cloned second copy of an existing distributed event, with all the same settings but no associated events)
- remove (delete) a distributed event
- search your distributed events (using the search options at the top)
- export a list of all of your distributed events (using the export options in the lower right)
Distributed Events Step 2: Configuration
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
The distributed event management screen's first tab, "Configuration", configures the basic appearance and settings of the event. (See Image 1)
Name
The name field provides an internal reference for you to identify the distributed event campaign; it is not shown on the user-facing pages.
Event Type
Use the picklist to choose what best describes the type of distributed event you are creating, from among:
- Event
- Vigil
- House Party
The word or phrase you choose here will appear in some places as end users interact with your pages, to make the language as appropriate as possible for the organizing experience you're aiming for.
Apart from that language, the event type setting does not alter or restrict any other configuration options for either the distributed event's sponsor organization, or for the individuals who choose to host local events.
Distributed Events Step 3: The Create Page
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
The Create Page tab sets up one of the two pages your end users will see -- in this case, the page that enables a potential host to enter his or her event information and create a new local event event as part of your distributed event network. (See Image 1)
Introductory Text
Describe the purpose or highlights of your event. This description appears on the event page, and can be HTML-styled using the WYSIWYG editor, including images, links, and video embeds.
Event Creator Information
You can request or require as much or as little information as you like of your new event's host. Salsa's default will be to request first name and last name, and require email and zip.
Add more fields, including custom fields, by clicking the button with the plus symbol and selecting the new field from the drop-down menu.
Make any field requested field into a required field by clicking the "required" check box next to it.
Remove fields by clicking the button with the minus symbol.
The information you collect about your event host will populate a Supporter entry for that host.
Custom Redirect After Event Creation
We recommend leaving this field blank, as Salsa will default to redirecting your event host to their new event's page. There, s/he can edit the event or launch tell-a-friend email messages to invite others to attend.
However, if you prefer, you may use this field to specify the web address to which your event host will be redirected after creating a new event. (Not to be confused with the redirect path available in Step 4: Event Defaults, which controls the page an eventattendee would be redirected to.)
This redirect page could be your website’s homepage, a donation page, a tell-a-friend page, or literally any other page on the web. You could even design a special landing page that tells the registrant to expect an email from your organization, or provides an event host welcome package.
Use a full url -- e.g., http://www.salsacommons.org and not www.salsacommons.org
Zoom Level
This field allows you to set the distance zoomed out on your map, ranging from street level to the entire world.
A Note on Date Limits on Create Pages
The "create a page" option on your search page won't appear if the dates for your distributed event have passed. These dates can be set in the "Description" tab of your event.
If a person tries to create an event outside of the valid date range, they will receive a red error message telling them to change the event dates to between the valid times.
Distributed Events Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
"Event Defaults" configure some settings that will affect the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of individual events that comprise your distributed events network.
Though these fields are optional and can all be left blank, your they're strongly recommended and will help insure that your distributed event pages are "on message" through and through for both event hosts and attendees.
Recommended event fields
Any of the four "recommended" event fields (Name, Start Date & Time, End Date & Time, Description) will present the value you fill in as an editable default to a distributed event host as s/he sets up a new event. ( Image 1)
Depending on your particular event objectives, these can be a valuable guide for your prospective hosts, many of whom will simply adopt your default recommendations. The names and descriptions those hosts designate will in turn be presented to potential attendees of the events; therefore, the organization managing the distributed event has the opportunity using the "Recommended" fields to exert message control throughout its network of events.
Redirect After Attendee Signs Up
Use this field to specify the web address to which your event attendee will be redirected after registering for a supporter-hosted event. (Not to be confused with the redirect path available in Step 3: The Create Page, which controls the page an event hostwould be redirected to.)
This redirect page could be your website’s homepage, a donation page, a tell-a-friend page, or literally any other page on the web. You could even design a special landing page that tells the registrant to expect an email from your organization, or provides an event host welcome package.
Use a full url -- e.g., http://www.salsacommons.org and not www.salsacommons.org
Suggested Tell A Friend Email Message
After creating a new event, an event host will see a link to a tell-a-friend page which can help the host get the ball rolling by inviting friends and family.
Optionally (but again, recommended), the sponsoring organization can provide a default suggested message by entering it in the "Suggested Tell A Friend Email Message" box. If populated, the suggested message will appear as the default, editable text for an event host using the tell-a-friend feature.
Distributed Events Step 5: The Search Page
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
The Search Page of a distributed event is a user-facing page enabling a potential attendee to look for a nearby event in the distributed event network. (See Image 1) The options in this tab enable the managing organization to customize the way the search page appears to supporters.
Search Description
This description appears on the event page, and can be HTML-styled using the WYSIWYG editor, including images, links, and video embeds.
Hide the default map on the page?
Salsa will by default pin the locations of registered distributed events on a Google map that users can also use for browsing. (Note that some organizations may need further Google maps configuration in the Account Items section.)
This map shows a maximum of 50 events, for bandwidth management issues -- showing hundreds of events would cause the page to load slowly and/or the map to become cluttered. Some of the individual events comprising large distributed events may not be visible in the map on the first load of the page. However, upon lookup through the zip code search interface, an entire set of local events will become visible.
Checking this box suppresses the Google map display.
Image 1: Potential attendees of your supporters' house parties will look them up on a page like this one.
Image 2: This is what you will see in your HQ in the Search Page tab.
Distributed Events Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
Use the options in this tab to automate follow-up communication with email auto-responses. Auto-responses are email messages sent automatically upon completion of a page.
There are two types of pages that will be completed within your distributed event (host registration pages, and attendee registration pages); each of these page completion events can be configured with its own auto-responses. (See Image 1)
Host Auto-Reply
Select one or more auto-responses to be sent when a host creates a new event.
Suggested triggers to use for a host auto-reply:
- Thank-you/welcome message to the new host with links to an "event organizers' packet" or other resources to will help him or her plan and publicize the event
- A follow-up timed trigger on a few days' delay asking if the host has everything s/he needs and offering a way to contact your organization for any personal help.
- An individual trigger that notifies an appropriate contact in your organization any time a new event host registers.
Attendee Auto-Response
Select one or more auto-responses to be sent when an attendee signs up for someone's event.
Distributed Events Step 7: Options
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
The Options tab offers a few less commonly used configuration choices. Most organizations can safely skip this tab, but these settings may prove invaluable for some specific needs.
Do you want to require event confirmation?
By default, any new event created within a distributed event can immediately be found and joined by potential registrants: it's public as soon as the event host that creates it hits "submit."
For greater central control (at some expense in convenience), check this box to reverse this default. When "require event confirmation" is checked, new events will not immediately be publicly available until a human from the managing organization manually confirms the event is legitimate.
To review and confirm events when this option is activated, go to "list events" (not "list distributed events") in your Salsa headquarters, and change the probationary event from "Unconfirmed" to "Active". Similarly, even if you do not require event confirmation, you can dis-confirm a listed event by manually changing its status to "unconfirmed", or "inactive".
Optional Help Text
Optional help text adds a bit of text (HTML allowed) on the event creation page between the "Details for your event" heading and the user-entered fields that create the event itself.
It can be left empty, or used for guiding the prospective host with suggestions (e.g., "Tip: For best attendance, host your event on a weekday evening sometime between 5 and 9 p.m.").
Distributed Events Step 8: Associated Events
Step 2: Configuration
Step 3: The Create Page
Step 4: Event Defaults
Step 5: The Search Page
Step 6: Follow-Up
Step 7: Options
Step 8: Associated Events
The Associated Events tab gives you a quick glimpse at all the events your supporters have created that are associated with this distributed event.
Keep in mind that your supporters' individual events, parties, or vigils are all handled by Salsa as regular events; you can find and further edit them among your list of events. (They're differentiated from other events by a distributed_event_KEY field linking them to their "parent" distributed event.)
You can also make events searchable in your "Associated Events" tab by inputting the KEY for your event and then hitting save.
Comments
Once you create an event, how do you publish it to your email list? Is this just setting up the information to be shown on a social media page or is it a webpage that is developed in Salsa that we then have to create an email to direct them to the page? Nowhere on the set up is there a SUBMIT button.
Hi Christine,
The following steps can also be accessed by clicking here.
To publish the link, once you've completed your page (whether it's an events page, an action page, a donation page, or any other type that Salsa creates), click the Show Publishing Tools box:
Then click the View Page link, which will open the page in a new window:
In the new window with your page, you'll copy the URL of the page and then insert that URL into your email blast:
Let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
Jake Patoski,
Training & Learning
Two questions
1) Is there a way to add custom fields to events such as: Facebook link if the event has a corresponding url
2) How do event hosts (the people who add a distributed event) manage and contact the event attendees?
Please sign in to leave a comment.