What do you need to know?
Event Creation
The foundation for event creation is the event webpage on SereneColombo.org. Everything else comes from that.
When following these instructions, you should have open the checklist document. Make a new column next to the items. Check as you go or you will surely miss something. Checklist. If you don’t have edit access, contact media.serenecolombo@gmail.com and ask for it.
Create Image for Website
The main image for the website should be in the dimensions 1200×670. This is the preferred image size for Facebook, so we just use the same image. The image should have minimal text.
- Event Name
- Location (maybe)
- Days
- Mahamevnawa Logo
Versions
For the event webpage, we only need one image, but there are others that are good to have:
- Home page version with “Click to learn more” or “Click for more information.”
- Square version for Instagram
- Facebook cover image
Event Webpage
This is the most important part. In WordPress, our event pages are actually Posts. This is important. Make it a post not a page. But these instructions will call it a page.
At a minimum it needs the following:
- image
- date and time
- location (with link to google maps)
- “Free”
- Who it’s for
- Phone for contact
- Link to registration page
- Description
There are other things that are good to have but not essential
- embedded google map
- Photo of outside of venue
- Detailed schedule of activities
- Photos of past events
Category and Tag
All event pages should have the category “Programme”.
All events should have two tags. either:
Adult Programmes OR Children’s Programmes
And either:
Kotte Programmes OR Colombo Programmes
Test to see if it appears on the archive pages it should:
- ALL: serenecolombo.org/category/activities/
- serenecolombo.org/tag/adult-programmes/
- or serenecolombo.org/tag/childrens-programmes/
- serenecolombo.org/tag/in-kotte/
- or serenecolombo.org/tag/in-colombo/
Add Featured Image
This has to be the 1200×670 image, not the square one.
Find the featured image section on the right. Select Document>Featured Image> Set featured image and upload.
Add Excerpt and Snippet
The excerpt or snippet is what shows on Google search results as well as social sharing:
In the example above, Google has just taken the first text from the page because we have not make either an excerpt or snippet. This is not terrible, but it is not the best thing to make people click.
Snippet
This is added through the Yoast SEO plugin at the bottom of the page. Here is what it looks like when we have added no text:
Click the Edit snippet button:
Only edit the “Meta description” section. Write something appealing that will make people want to click.
You will notice a bar along the bottom. It will be orange when the description is too short. It will turn green at the proper length. It will turn red when it is too long.
Click “Close snippet editor”
Excerpt
Put the same text in the excerpt box under Document>Excerpt
Registration Form
Most of our events have a registration form. The website uses a plugin called Ninja Forms.
Basic rule for the form is don’t include any details about the event in any part of form or emails. This ensures that wrong information is not included if facts change. Just give a link to the event page.
The best method is to copy an existing form. Then make sure the following are correct:
Ninja>Edit>Emails&Actions>Success Message
Ninja>Edit>Emails&Actions>Email to customer
Ninja>Edit>Emails&Actions>Email to Us
Ninja>Edit>Advanced>Display Settings>Form Title
Create Registration form PAGE
So the form is one thing and the registration page that shows the form is another. You will have to create a new page dedicated just to the registration form. Best to just duplicate an existing page and then simply change to the new form and event page links.
Link the form to the event page
Create a button or a link on the event page to the registration page.
TEST THE FORM!
By clicking on the registration link on the event page, test the registration form:
- Register for the event
- Did you get the confirmation message?
- Did the register@serenecolombo.org get the notification email?
- Have the register@serenecolombo.org reply to the message and see if it goes to the person who registered. This is very important to check.
- Reply to the confirmation message and see if it goes to register@serenecolombo.org. This is also very important to check.
Add event to the sidebar widget
If the event is a regular programme, we need to add it to the sidebar widget. This is done by going to Appearance>Widgets then find the text widget that contains the code
Honestly this is a little tricky. You may want to copy all the code and save a backup before you modify it.
Add the event with a title and link to either the Colombo section or the Kotte section.
Save and TEST!
Add Image on Homepage
The homepage contains images for events.
- Add the 1200×670 image that has the text “Click for more info”
- Link the image to the event page
Add to the Menu
Your new page should appear in the “Most Recent” section. Add it to the menu.
Place it in the right place in the Activities section.
TEST!!!
Create a Facebook Event
If you aren’t familiar with Facebook event creation, please find some up to date tutorials on the web. Some important notes:
- Once there are no more dates listed, the event will close and you can’t add more. Don’t let this happen!!!
- Rather than accepting the suggestion of a venue in the location field, you can just have the address. This way it doesn’t look like the venue is sponsoring.
Add event in Google Calendar
Again, find current tutorials on the web if you are not familiar. Some notes:
- Use the web.serenecolombo@gmail.com account.
- Be sure to put it in the proper calendar.
- TEST!!!!!!!! If it doesn’t appear on the home page calendar, then you have done something wrong.
Check for conflicting dates
- If the event falls on a Poya day in the next year, be sure to
- remove that date from Facebook event
- remove that date from Google calendar
- maybe note it on the event page
- If the event falls on a holiday in the next year, check with the Bhante to see if the event will be canceled.
Notify all volunteers
Especially those doing promotion and answering registration emails and Facebook questions.
Promote!
If you don’t tell people, no one will come. Don’t forget:
- notice board at asapuwa