In a Galaxy Link setup, one site shares its content (agencies, needs, events, initiatives, and advanced-events) with a connected site. This article is geared toward the manager whose site is receiving content from another site and whose users are responding to the other site's content. After going over some basics about the Galaxy link, it shows how shared content looks on your site, how your shared response content looks to both you and the other site manager, and how to block shared content from the front end of your site.
Notes: (1) To learn more about how shared content appears to your site's volunteers, see The Galaxy Link for Volunteers. (2) If your site shares content (agencies, needs, events, initiatives, and advanced events) with another site, see Sharing Your Site's Content Using the Galaxy Link. (3) This article assumes that users are remaining on their own site when responding to content that has been shared from another site.
About "Content" and "Response Content"
In this article (and in other articles on the Galaxy Link), content refers to agencies, needs, events, initiatives, and advanced-events that are shared from one site to another. Response content refers to the responses to that content: the agency fans, need responses, and event RSVPs that flow from one site back to the site that originally shared the content.
Both Content and Response Content Are Shared Automatically
Once the Galaxy Link has been established, all content is shared from the other site to yours automatically, according to your agreement. The site manager of the sending site has the option to block content from flowing to your site. Likewise you can block the shared content from their own users. Once a user on your site has fanned an agency, responded to a need, or RSVP'd to an event, however, that response content cannot be blocked. It flows to the other site automatically.
You Cannot Edit Another Site's Content
While you can view another site's agencies, needs, events, initiatives, and advanced events from your site manager panel, you cannot edit their data, with the following exceptions:
- You can add tags to the other site's needs, events, and agencies. These tags are for use on your site only and will not be visible on the other site.
- You can edit responses, add and edit hours, and approve or deny hours for your volunteers who have responded to the other site's needs.
To learn how another site can edit your site's response content, see Sharing Your Site's Response Content Using the Galaxy Link, an article geared toward site manager of the site that is sharing content with your site.
The Other Site's Manager Can Edit Your Users' Responses and Hours
Once a user from your site has responded to content on another site, the other site's manager can edit or delete the response (including need responses and event RSVPs) as needed. Once the user has logged hours for another site's needs, the other site's manager can edit, approve, or deny those hours. The other site manager can also add volunteer hours (including plus-one hours) for your site's users, as long as their response is to a shared need.
The other site's edits to your response content will automatically show up on your site. For example, if another site's manager adds and approves hours for one of your site's users, those hours will show up in your hours-management area (Volunteerism > Hours).
Note: You also have the capability to edit your users' responses, edit their hours, and approve or deny their hours.
When Content Is Shared from Another Site
If another site's content has been shared with your site, your users can view and respond to it, provided it it isn't private or hasn't otherwise been blocked. If an agency is shared, users will be able to see the agency's profile page and all of its needs and events. To learn how to block another site's content from your site's users, see Blocking Another Site's Content from Your Users.
Shared Content: The Volunteer's Perspective
When a user on your site views an content from from another site, they will see a "Brought to you by" section on the content information page. For example, this statement appears under "Additional Details" on the need-information page.
This message is the only indication to the user that the content they are viewing did not originate from your site.
Shared Content: Your Perspective
Shared content appears with a blue background in your site manager panel. In the example below, "Meowntain Cat Sanctuary" is one of several agencies that have been shared from another site. Note that, when you hover your cursor over shared content, help text appears to identify the source site (in this example, The Community Hub).
Click on the content (in this case, the Meow-ntain Cat Sanctuary agency) to view its details. You will not be able to edit those details, aside from adding a tag for use on your site only.
Viewing Shared Response Content
When a user from your site fans an agency, responds to a need, or RSVPs to an event from another site, both you and the other site's manager can see the response data. All response data appears in the applicable areas. For example, agency fans appear on the agency page (accessed from Volunteerism > Agencies, need responses appear on both the need page (accessed from Volunteerism Needs) and the responses page (Volunteerism > Responses), etc.
Your Perspective
When viewing an agency, need, or event from another site, you will only see the users from your site who have responded. You will not see any of the fans from the other site. In the example below, the site manager has gone to Volunteerism > Agencies, selected a shared agency, and scrolled down to the Agency Fans area. The one fan listed is the only user from their site who has fanned the other site's agency.
The Other Site's Perspective
When someone from your site responds to another site's content, the other site's manager can view this data in the applicable areas. Continuing with the above example, the site manager has clicked on the same agency to view its fans. Note that the other site's manager can see all of the agency's fans, and that the remote fans (those from your site) appear with a blue background.
Blocking Another Site's Content from Your Site's Users
If a site has shared content with you but you don't want it to be visible to your users, you can block it. Because the default is for content to be shared automatically, any blocking of content must be done manually. The process for blocking content is similar for agencies, needs, events, advanced events, and advanced event needs. The example below focuses on blocking a need.
To block content that has been shared from another site:
- From your site manager panel, open the content to be blocked. In this example, the site manager would go to Volunteerism > Needs and selected a need to block. At the top of the page is a Display Setting area.
- Switch the Show this ... toggle to OFF.
- Scroll down and click the Submit button to save your changes.
Once you have blocked another site's content, it appears with a red background on your site.
Note: The other site is not notified when your site blocks its content, and there is no indication of this anywhere on the other site.
What Gets Blocked
When you block another site's content from your site's users, the following information does not appear on the front end of your site:
- Blocking agencies: Your users will not be able to see or respond to the blocked agency or any of its posted needs, events, or advanced-event needs.
- Blocking initiatives: Your users will not be able to see the blocked initiative or any of the needs within it.
- Blocking needs (including advanced-event needs): Your users will not be able to see the or respond to the need.
- Blocking events: Your users will not be able to see or RSVP to the event.
- Blocking advanced events: Your users will not be able to see the advanced event or any of the needs within it.
All blocked content will appear with a red background in your management area, as shown in the example below. You can click on a blocked agency and un-block it at any time.