MyUA Announcements
View training video how to create announcements.
Announcement Quick Start Instructions
Campus or 'System' Announcements
System wide Announcements target all UA. These messages come from the President’s Office.
DO NOT MAKE 'CAMPUS' or 'SYSTEM' ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Personal Announcements
Purpose - Personal Announcements allow messages to be sent to target audiences within the University.
Attributes – Personal Announcements can be sent to users based on a variety of attributes, including:
- Role - individual roles as staff, faculty, or student - combined with campus or MAU (Major Academic Unit).
- Major - enrolled majors
- Groups - Groups from the MyUA Group Studio.
Guidelines for Announcements
To ensure consistency among announcements in tone, style and adherence to technical requirements and limitations of the system, the following guidelines must be followed:
- Appropriate Use – Announcements are meant to be brief, informative, and cordial.
- Text must use an appropriate tone or attitude.
- Blunt statements and brash directives must be avoided.
- Messages that are fraudulent, harassing, defamatory, obscene, threatening, support commercial activities not associated with the University or are otherwise in violation of university policies, regulations or state laws will not be posted.
Delivery Options
Messages can be sent through the Personal Announcements channel, as e-mail, or both. The sender must specify.
Considerations for choosing how to send an announcement
- Announcements can expire one to seven days after it is delivered. Announcements are not archived. Once an Announcement has expired, it can no longer be retrieved.
- Email messages do not expire. Consider sending as an email, singularly or in tandem with an announcement, when the point of the message is requiring the recipient to take action, respond, or meet a deadline, etc. Consider the impact on the Email servers and refrain from 'spamming' irrelevant information to wide groups of recipients
Delivery Date and Expiration
- You must specify the date on which you want the announcement to be delivered and to expire.
- Consider submitting an announcement to alert people to an upcoming event, 1-2 weeks in advance, and another with a delivery date closer to the event.
- The expiration date is no more than seven (7) days from the delivery date. Expiration takes place at midnight.
- Caution: Messages on the system for more than 7 days will be removed by the System Administrator.
Creating the Announcement
Title
- The announcement title should convey its topic or subject. The system only allows 50 characters (including spaces) for the title. The title also serves as the email subject if a Personal Announcement is sent through the channel and as an email.
- The title appears as a link in the Announcement Channel; to read the full announcement, the user clicks the link whereupon the body of the message appears in the browser window for scrolling.
Text
- Announcements and emails must have text; sending just a title or subject is not acceptable.
- There is no technical limit to the amount of text that can be sent; keep in mind, the text length should not be too long, as users typically do not read long messages online, word for word – just like email. Consider placing a link to more information within messages. To make a link just type the full path to the web page (i.e. http://www.uas.alaska.edu).
- All text must be within the body of the message because items cannot be attached. It is necessary to ensure spelling is correct with in the message. The System Administration Center does not contain a spell check function.
- The sender of the announcement is responsible for all content.
- Recommended Text Information - When applicable and space permitting, the body of the message should include such items as time, location, meeting room, point of contact, phone, or email address within the announcement itself.
- Required Text Information - The author of the announcement or email must be identified by name and email address.
- Prepare the text in a text editor beforehand and paste it in when it is correct. If you re-edit it after the announcement has been sent, it sends a second announcement. If you must re-edit it, delete the first announcement.
Quick Steps to create an announcement
I. Find the "New Announcement" Interface
Click the Admin Icon
Click"Targeted Announcements >>Personal."
Click "New Announcement."
II. Enter Announcement Content
- Title: (No longer than 50 characters.
- Announcement: with contact information (name, title, phone, email).
HINT: Prepare this earlier in a word editor and check spelling etc. Then just paste it in.
III. Build Attributes
Click "Build Attributes."
Click "Role."
Select roles - student, faculty, or staff with which campus or MAU. For example: "student_mau_UAS" or "faculty_campus_juneau."
IV. Select Delivery Method
Announcement Channel is clicked by default and is preferred.
V. Select Delivery and Expiration Dates
Today is selected by default. Don't leave announcements longer than one week if possible.
Further Links
Announcement Procedures (PDF)
Apply for Announcement administration privileges.
