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Instructions for adding a Reflection

How to add your loved one to the memorial site

Published onJun 10, 2020
Instructions for adding a Reflection
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You're viewing an older Release (#1) of this Pub.

  • This Release (#1) was created on Jun 10, 2020 ()
  • The latest Release (#3) was created on Sep 23, 2020 ().

Introduction

We’ve made these instructions to help you create a space honoring your loved one. If you are not able to access the site or need help of any kind, do not hesitate to contact us ([email protected]). We can create the site for you if necessary. This is a free service, run by a volunteer. Please be patient if you do not receive an immediate reply.

PubPub Account

To add content or edit existing content, you will need an account. You can create an account at pubpub.org. The account is free. We collect minimal personal information from you, and our privacy policy is very strict. You will need to provide your email address, your name, and a password.

Adding a Reflection

Start on behindthenumbers.pubpub.org.

At the upper right, you will see a “Create a Pub” button. Please click it.

You are now on the Pub which you will customize to remember your loved one.

This is a brand new Pub.

Please delete “Untitled Pub…” and retitle the Pub with the name of your loved one. There are no rules about how a name should be listed. You may include a nickname, maiden name, etc. Think about how someone might be searching for the name. This can be changed later.

You’ll see your name as the creator of the reflection. You can also add anyone who will be working on it with you to give them editing access. There are two ways to do this:

  1. If the person you want to add already has a PubPub account, you can click on the pencil icon next to your name, then type their name into the box where it says “Add new person.” If you want that person to also be listed on the byline, tick the box that says “list on byline.” You can also remove the tick from the box next to your name, if you do not wish to be listed on the byline. (The byline contributor shows up in the Preview for the reflection, if space allows.)

  2. You can also invite someone to participate by sending a sharing link. Click the “Sharing” link along the upper right side and a box will open. Here, you can either add a person by their name (if they have a PubPub account) or share an editing enabled url by clicking “Copy Edit URL” on the right side. If they do not have a PubPub account, they will need to make one before they can edit. (If you just want to share for someone to get a look, you can use the Copy View URL option.)

Sharing options.

Please note above that members of our team have admin access to the Pubs on this Community. This is to assist you, if necessary. These are the community members who will enable the final publication of your reflection, so please do not disable access.

Creating the body of the Pub

From the new Pub screenshot several images above, you can see that there are two options to get started with the text for your reflection.

  1. You may simply start typing as you would with any word processing program. You can co-author in real time with any fellow contributors. This experience is similar to co-authoring a Google doc.

  2. You can import a document that you have already written and stored on your computer. Click the “Import files” box, then select the file from your computer.

    If you have already created extensive formatting in your document, you’ll want to check to be sure it displays properly. You may want to consider applying formatting only after you import to PubPub.

Note: PubPub should autosave anything you add to the body of the Pub, as long as you see “Connected” or “Saved” in green on the right in the editing bar.

Indicates that you have a good connection to PubPub.

Indicates that your most recent changes have been saved.

If you see the word “Connecting” in gold, your Pub may have been idle for some time or your internet connection may not be stable. Please refresh the browser tab before making any changes to ensure they are saved properly.

Please refresh your browser.

Example formats

We’ve created a few example reflections to show you how you might organize your own, but these are merely suggestions. Nothing is mandatory. Please take a look at one of these examples:

Alberta Kathleen (Staubus) (Yoder) Cooper

Margaret Heflick Sloop Ruland

Ralph Emmet Ruland

Gerald Lee Yoder

You can also arrange your reflection in any way you like. You may want to include:

  • Date of birth and birthplace

  • Date of death and place interred

  • A link to an obituary or news item

  • Other related links

  • Images

  • Submissions of memories by family members and friends

    Hint: If you make list the name of the person contributing into an H2 Heading then this will become a part of the “Contents” for the Pub, accessible from the “contents” button in the right side of the header or, as you scroll further into the doc, as a dropdown on the right. Simply highlight their name (or anything you want to make into a heading) and select H2.

    This is how the Contents for this Document appear:

Adding images

You may add an image by clicking on the Media icon in the editing bar.

Editing bar

Drag & drop your image or click anywhere near the arrow to browse for your file on your computer. Please note that you may also add a video or audio clip by selecting the file type on the left side.

Uploading options.

Images are added by default in a small/narrow size, but you can adjust the size and add a caption or credit line by clicking on the image, then using the slider to make it wider. You may also adjust the alignment. A caption can be added here as well. Click the x on the upper right to close the editing tool. (Note: To continue to add text below an image, simply move your cursor to the end of the text above it, then use your arrow keys to navigate into the area below the image. To delete an image, place your cursor below the image, then use your backspace/delete key to remove it.)

Editing your image placement

Header Image

You can also add an image to serve as the background for your header. Click the “Edit theme” button along the right side, then click Background Image to upload.

This image will be auto cropped to fit the space, so you may want to experiment a few times to find an image that works there. Hint: You can screenshot only a portion of your image and upload that.

You can also adjust the text color to show up better across the image. Take care as the addition of a dark image with dark text (or light image with light text) may obscure your editing buttons. If this happens, please use this easy reference to estimate where the buttons are along the right side in the header. You can then experiment with options, including the “White blocks” or “Black blocks” options shown above.

One important image to consider

Once published, your reflection will be visible in a preview format for discovery by anyone on the community. The preview can contain an image. Please see these examples below.

Examples of how Pubs appear in a preview.

To add the preview image, select “Pub Settings” along the right side of the header.

This will take you into the settings for the Pub. In this view you can edit the things that you may have already set up using the “edit theme” short cut as described above, but here you have access to the Preview Image for discovery elsewhere on PubPub.

Preview image options

You can add your Preview Image here or, if your header image will work well, you can use it there also. If you do not add a Preview Image, a color block will accompany your Pub.

When you want to “Publish” your reflection

You may work on your draft for as long as you like until you are happy with it and wish to make it visible to anyone who visits the Behind the Numbers Community. Contributors submit their reflection to an administrator or manager for publication. Click on the “Request Publication” button in the header. (Note: You may continue to make changes even after an initial version is published. More on that below.)

This will open a box where you can make a note, if you wish. For subsequent versions, you might use this to note anything that has changed in the document (i.e. first version, with images added, with correction from Uncle Butch, etc.) since it was last published. You need not add any notes here if you do not wish to.

The administrator or the manager will publish the document for you. It will then be visible to anyone on the Behind the Numbers Community. Note: We review to ensure that there is no violation of Community Guidelines.

Editing/Updating after Publication

You may continue to make changes to your document, adding images or additional memories from family and friends. Under the byline, for a published document, you will see a “edit this Pub/go to draft” button along with an indicator of the last time the Pub was published/released. Click on the editing pencil to go to the draft. (Note: the published version remains visible while you are editing, until the next version is released/published, so no need to rush your editing.)

Any contributor with editing access may edit the draft at any time, or an additional contributor may be added via the mechanisms detailed above. When the Pub is ready to be published again, simply use the “Request Publication” button. If a reader lands on an earlier version of the reflection (perhaps via a shared link) they will see a note indicating that there is a more recent version with an option to click through.

Sharing Your Reflection

Draft versions of your reflection can be shared using the share a url option as detailed above or by adding someone as a contributor to the piece. Published versions can be shared via the url or though the social sharing button on the right side.

Social sharing options.

Getting Assistance

If you would like help or advice for setting up your reflection, please contact [email protected].

If you encounter difficulty in using the platform or experience unusual behavior, the PubPub team monitors the inbox at [email protected].

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