Cascade: When to Use a News, Story, or Event
News
When you’re creating content for your site, the focal point should be your audience. Keeping that in mind, it can be hard to decide where to channel the information you want to get out. Cascade has three options, aside from your social media feed, to choose from: news, events, and stories. Why does this matter? Your audience needs to access information quickly and conveniently, therefore the position of the information is essential. Read below to see our recommendations for creating content.
News
The News item in Cascade can also serve as Announcements. You should think about what your department needs to tell its audience, for example a new scholarship that is available or a deadline to register. The News or Announcement gives room for a teaser and description so the audience can get all the information they need.
News and Announcements differentiate from Stories because they are time sensitive. These items are only relevant in a specific time frame, therefore this feed will be a quick-stop destination for important information.
Event
The Event feed should only be for events. It may be appealing to put deadlines in this area, but it isn’t considered an event. A good rule to go by is if there isn’t a “where,” it most likely shouldn’t be an event. Events should have a place, time, and description for the audience to attend. For example, an event could be an informational session or a student-focused activity.
An exception is if your department only has deadlines, you could rename the feed to "Deadlines" in place of "Events." It’s best if you don’t have a mix between deadlines and events in the same feed.
Story
The Story item is self-explanatory, but your department might not be utilizing this area. Stories are a great place to show a snapshot of an individual, event, or even what your department is up to. This is a place where you can show off your department using quotes and pictures to reach the audience in a more personal way.
Stories differentiate from News in the way that they are relevant for long periods of time. The audience can look back at stories and still gain insight on the topic, whether it was a year ago or yesterday.
Check back soon for our next tip!
