Getting started with your Flightdec RMC website
This page provides guidance for RMCs once a new RMC website has been built and is ready for self-management, or to go-live.
Updated: 19 October 2022
If you require assistance, contact MNZ on info@mnz.org.nz or Flightdec on mail@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’).
View the demo website
Flightdec should have sent you the demo URL (website address). The URL will look something like this. uhm.flightdec.com . When you enter the URL it may ask for a password, which Flightdec should also have sent you.
Logins
Anyone managing the website will first need to give themselves a login.
Steps
Place /admin at the end of your URL. If your website is not yet live, it will look like the demo URL, e.g. uhm.flightdec.com/admin or if the website is already live, it will be your ongoing URL, e.g. uhm.org.nz/admin
Click open ‘Become A Member’ and complete the form.
Wait for an email asking you to verify yourself (at that email address). It is very important for you to follow the email’s instructions carefully and to complete all the steps from the email.
Once the verification has happened, the login can be tested by, again, putting /admin at the end of the URL.
Access for managers
A login only gives a person basic access to the website. People managing website pages require full permissions. Therefore, please email peoples’ names, together with their login email address, to Fraser Carson on fraser@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’).
The permissions will generally be done within 24 hours or Fraser will reply once done.
Once going, a website manager with full permissions, can also upgrade anyone with a basic login, to full management status.
In Admin mode, enter ‘Members’ in the left menu.
Recent logins will show NEW in the list of names.
Click open any name (edit icon, right side).
Tick the following permissions, for full management.
Tick the following permissions if you wish the person to only have access to posting (for approval) and access to the Member Area.
Confirm the main website manager
Your website may have a number of managers, however you will need one person who is overall manager and the person designated to receive any alerts from the website. Therefore, please email the person’s name, together with their login email address, to Fraser Carson on fraser@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’).
Go live steps
Once the website is ready to go live, email Fraser Carson on fraser@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’) and Flightdec will make it ready.
Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) where you’ve registered your URL (web address). You’ll probably need an authorisation code or password, which may be on your file, or you might need to ask the supplier for it.
Ask your supplier to re-point the URL to our web server with this IP address: [223.165.77.249]. It will pay to do this in an email so no mistakes are made.
Ask your supplier to notify you once they have completed the above and let Flightdec know the re-pointing has started.
No updating of your website should be undertaken from the time you ask your ISP to re-point, until we see it’s complete, which might take up to 24 hours. There is also likely to be a period of time during the activation process where the new website will not be visible either on the demo address or fully live address.
Once live, content loading can recommence on the new website and it’s a good idea to check the site over again to ensure nothing has altered.
NOTE 1: Website hosting and URL registration are two separate items, although they are often confused.
Your new website needs to be hosted on the Flightdec servers. This means you DO NOT need a hosting agreement with the supplier where you have the URLs registered.
NOTE 2: If you are transferring from an old website, to a new Flightdec website, make sure the old website hosting provider is informed so it can be switched off.
Managing your website
The detailed and universal guidance for managing a Flightdec website can be found HERE.
Otherwise, there are a few specific things to do on your new website, right at the beginning. You will need to be logged-in to the website and have full permissions, to do any of the following.
Menu pages
As a templated website, that will need to function efficiently over the long term and as different managers come and go, we encourage you to stick with the basic structure of the website. That includes not adding new links to the main menu or changing the menu names. That’s because there is limited horizontal room for the menu and too much alteration can affect the information structure.
If you wish to add additional accessible pages, such as Gallery page, there are a couple of ways to do that. In each case, you firstly need to make the new page.
Display pages as links in Custom panel pages. This allows you to show the page link in the right column of any number of pages.
Use the home page to promote the page, with a link. This is especially useful if the new page is for a short-term promotion where you can update the home page with a fresh link.
Set each menu page
Optimise your main pages (pages showing in your main menu) and ensure they show up appropriately in Google search.
Enter each page in turn.
Go to Edit mode (top right peel-out).
Open Meta date (top horizontal menu) and enter a short sentence into ‘Page Description’ that’s appropriate for each page. EXAMPLE: A non-profit organisation established in 2006 to promote cultural diversity in our Upper Hutt community.
Save Page.
Set main pages for image display
Set your main pages (pages showing in your main menu) so that links will also contain an image display.
Prepare an image. for each page, on your desktop. The image can be a Jpeg or png file and should not have a file size bigger than 500 kbs.
Enter each page in turn.
Go to Edit mode (top right peel-out).
Open ‘Social Networks’ (top horizontal menu) and upload your image (Choose File).
Upload Image.
Save Page.
Making posts
Posting is a key purpose of your website and allows you to make the website dynamic and interesting. It also dramatically boosts your Page Rank with Google because the search detects new content and rewards new links.
Use your posting to give expression to your organisational purpose and mission and to build your profile. For example, if your main purpose and mission is to support your ethnic communities, find ways to regularly post about that. That might lead you to asking a handful of people to contribute with regular blog posts or articles.
Otherwise, you can promote every event and regularly post news updates.
Further advice on Community Building can be found HERE.
How to post
Go to the Contact page (main menu).
Open ‘Private Posting’ (right column).
If you are not already logged-in, it will ask for a login.
You will see a selection of page types, in two columns – 1. General Community; 2. Social Issues.
Selection of a page type will take you to an entry form for uploading. On your first visit, fully read the copy in ‘Before You Start’.
Complete the form. Take most care in selecting up to 8 Categories – because that assists wider exposure of the post, and make sure you upload a suitable Signature Image.
Make Post
You will then be delivered to the saved page. At this point it will be a live page but you might elect to finesse the page further, perhaps adding photos, captions and links. If you do, go to Edit mode (top right peel-out).
The detailed and universal guidance for managing a Flightdec website can be found HERE.
Things to check
Your URL (domain address): If you have not already provided it, Flightdec needs your main URL and any other secondary URLs you may have for the website. If you do not yet have a URL, you need to register one, with an Internet Service Provider (ISP such as SiteHost) in your organisation’s name, and then let us know the URL.
Note: A URL registration for 12 months costs around $30 to $50 and is completely separate from your Flightdec $25 monthly subscription.
Email addresses: In setting up the website, you will have needed at least one URL (website address) which you might have registered, or asked Flightdec to register on your behalf.
You might also wish to have URL email addresses, e.g. if your URL is poriruarmc.nz your email addresses might look like this raj@poriruarmc.nz
If you did the URL registration, instruct your provider on the email addresses you want and the existing email addresses you wish them to be linked to.
If Flightdec registered your URL, pass that information to Fraser Carson on fraser@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’). Please note that Flightdec will not operate an email account on your behalf, but we will do the address registrations and organise the redirects.
Note that it is advisable to have a generic email address for the main website manager, e.g. admin@poriruarmc.nz
Note: A URL registration for 12 months costs around $30 to $50 and is completely separate from your Flightdec $25 monthly subscription.
Wide image for the home page: You should have, by now, provided a good image to create impact and a good impression on the home page. You might later elect to rotate images in a slideshow or link images to pages. The image needs to be at least 1400 (wide) x 600 pixels (deep).
Note: if you don’t have a suitable starting image, we may be able to help you with a stock image.
An indication about what content is transferrable from any existing website? NZFMC and Flightdec can provide some assistance in uploading first content and this may assist setting up the page structure.
Links might be needed, e.g. to your social media? Email us the cut-and-paste of your online addresses.
Share button on a website? If not, it will pay to set up an account with a provider, such as Sharethis.com . Once that’s done, you will be able to access some code, which you need to provide to NZFMC so that buttons can be installed.
Google Analytics number: Is the organisation already registered for Google Analytics? If yes, we need the ID number.
Starting content: Copy needs to be in a Word file. Any photos or page graphics should be a Jpeg or png file, at least 800 pixels wide and not bigger than 1400 pixels wide. Smaller images cannot be enlarged.
If you require assistance, contact MNZ on info@mnz.org.nz or Flightdec on mail@flightdec.com (subject ‘RMC notes’).
Further advice on Community Building can be found HERE.
The detailed and universal guidance for managing a Flightdec website can be found HERE.
Multicultural New Zealand