Channels are spaces that represent properties, buildings, companies, and retailers. In this guide we'll explore how channel structures work, break down all of their configurations and settings, and provide some tips on access and visibility.
Channel structures
Channels are usually set up when your organization joins Activate. Each organization is a little different, but there are some common structures to know.
Every channel has a parent organization channel which groups every other related channel together. If you have multiple locations, you can collect them all in the parent to keep things organized and consistent. Members usually join their home office or location and switch to the other channels when they need to.
Some organizations use sub-channels—spaces outside of the main channels where people can create, test, and target their content across the other channels.
Channel types
Property Channels are used to describe an organization with one or more buildings. A property channel can include one or more Tenant Channels.
Tenant Channels represent the companies, businesses, and organizations that are in and around the building:
- Company: a business that rents or leases space in the building for their operations.
- Retailer: a business that sells goods to the general public.
- Restaurant: a business that sells food and beverage to the general public, like a cafe or bistro.
- Service: a business that provides a service to the general public, like a hairdresser or a gym.
When you combine different channel types and structures, you can create a digital ecosystem that matches the experience of your properties.
Channel profiles
Channel profiles are Pages that capture the essence of a channel. It's great for delivering workplace information at a glance—including building information, a profile of your company, a retail showcase, or whatever else you want.
To add a profile, build a Page first. Make sure to name it something relevant, like channel profile page. Once you're ready:
- Go to Profile under Channel settings.
- Click the search icon.
- Find the Page you made.
- Click the Save button.
Now anyone that clicks the building or company logo will see your channel profile.
If you need to change the profile, just edit the Page in the page center under Content. You can also start from scratch, use the red x in the profile settings to remove the old Page, then add your new profile.
Channel info
This panel stores all the basic information about your channel. You probably won't have to change anything after you join Activate, but here's a description of everything you'll find here.
| Field | Definition |
| Name (internal) | The internal name, not visible to members |
| Display name | The public name, visible in the channel switcher |
| Unique link | URL slug for the home tab—no special characters other than - (dash) or _ (underscore) |
| Property headcount | Total capacity of the building—used for adoption metrics |
| Property square footage | Size of the building |
| Description | Optional description field |
| Address | Geo-location of the channel |
| Support email | Email address of the workplace admin |
| Logo | Shown next to the display name in the channel selector |
Settings
In the settings panel, select your visibility and privacy options. Under configurations, you can choose if your channel is private, if other people can search for it, if it's invite-only, and other basic join settings.
If you want to exclude everyone outside of an organization, you can use email filters to limit new members to people with a specific email domain—like "vts.com" for VTS employees.
For more specific join rules, click the blue plus to add your desired outcome—choose which team you want to automatically join another channel, and which team you want them to be at the new channel too.
The data identifiers in the last section are important for your channel structures—you'll almost never need to change them.
| Field | Definition |
| Demo channel | A channel used for demo purposes |
| Content distribution channel | A channel for content creation and targeting |
| Flex company | A channel used by clients with flex spaces |
| Physical property | A channel that represents an actual building |
Themes
Create themes to match your content consistently to your company's branding. Themes are always created in the parent organization channel—if you don't have direct access, reach out to your partner at VTS for help.
Color palettes are edited at the Parent level and apply to all child levels. In the Admin View, select Parent Channel in the sidebar until you are at the Parent level:
Go to Channel Settings and select Profile. Then select the Themes tab:
Select a color to edit the Primary, Secondary and Background colors. You can enter HEX or RGB values, or select from the color picker. As you edit the color palette you will be able to preview those changes in real-time in the Theme Preview. Click on Save to preserve your new theme.
You can also import and export Themes in JSON format. Select the three dots (...) next to the Save button to show the Import and Export buttons.
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