Manila Overview

Carol Burritt
ETS Web Team
cburritt@monroecc.edu
Ext 2633


Manila is an Internet server application that allows individuals or working groups to manage full-featured, high performance Web sites that include options such as memberships and discussion groups, through an easy-to-use browser interface. It allows you to build, maintain and publish a web site through a password protected browser interface, accessible on a 24/7 almost anyplace basis.
The Manila tool is available for faculty and staff to create web sites for clubs and organizations, special projects and working groups, or faculty/class sites.
Official MCC department Web sites are not created using Manila. If you are involved in the creation or maintenance of a department web site, contact the MCC Web team through the webmaster email webmaster@monroecc.edu, to discuss gaining access to the development web server, and the tools you will need for working with those pages.

Types of MCC Manila Sites

Faculty/Class sites

Clubs and Organizations

Special Projects/Working Groups

URLs/addresses of Manila sites at MCC look like this:

http://web.monroecc.edu/yoursitename, instead of

http://www.monroecc.edu/dept/site_directory/page.htm

Membership and Roles in Manila

Editorial Roles

  • There are three editorial roles on a Manila site:
  • Managing Editor, Contributing Editor and Content Editor.
  • If you run the site, you're probably the Managing Editor. In that role, you can:
    • Change the Home Page
    • Create Stories, Pictures and Discussion Group messages
    • Use Preferences to change the way the site looks and operates
    • Maintain the site using the Administration features
    • Send Bulletins
    • Decide what role others will play on the site

As Managing Editor you can also edit any Story, Picture or Message on the site, no matter who created it.
The Managing Editor can name other Managing Editors, who then gain the same level of control over the site.
Any Member can be selected as a Contributing Editor or Content Editor. This lets them create Stories, Pictures and Discussion Group Messages, but doesn't allow them to change the Home Page, or access the Prefs, Admin and Bulletins features.

  • Contributing Editors can edit the Stories, Pictures or Messages they created.
  • Content Editors can create and work with all stories, pictures and Discussion Group messages

Members

The Managing Editor can turn Membership on or off.
Membership is normally turned on for a new Manila site and the Home Page will have a Members box with links for joining and logging in.
Once someone joins, site membership preferences determine what kind of access they have.

Visitors

Your Home Page is usually open to all visitors, although there are site preference settings to block everyone but members, or even editors. Otherwise, visitors can look at what you have on the Home Page and follow links to the Stories you have posted. Only members, can receive bulletins or participate in the Discussion Group. Visitors can become Members by following the Join Now link in the Members Box and filling out a simple form, if membership is enabled.

Three content components of a Manila Web site

  • Text (stories, and discussion group messages
  • Images
  • Files
    (pdf and MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, sound files, video files, etc.)

Manila Site Components

Messages

Stories, pictures, news items, and the home page all begin as messages in the discussion listing. All messages have a number and are archived on the site by date.

Stories

Stories can be thought of as the Web pages of a Manila site. They make up the “content” of the site.

Pictures

Pictures are the gif and jpeg graphic files that are added to the site and then included within stories.

Files

Files are resources such as PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, Excel spreadsheets that you offer for downloading from your Manila site.
Manila also has built in syndication capabilities through RSS, if you want to publish a blog

Getting Started

One way to get started with Manila, is to take a class. Track N: World Wide Web page Development with Manila, in the ETS technical training schedule is a series of three
2-hour classes that run every month. You can access the schedule and register for the classes online. If your schedule does not allow time for the classes, individual niche training sessions can be arranged. Contact Carol Burritt.