MCLA uses Modern Campus (formorely OminUpdate) for its Content Management System (CMS) which publishes content to www.mcla.edu. This guide will help web authors create accessibile and engaging content that follows the AP Guidelines and the MCLA brand and will be updated often. Please contact marketing@mcla.edu with suggestions or content updates.
From any page on mcla.edu, click on the copyright symbol at the bottom-left of the page:
The dashboard provides a brief snapshot of content management and system information. It is accessible from the button in the navigation bar located at the top of the screen:
The site tree is the main structure of the MCLA website. The site tree shows all the pages, components, and folders that make up the website. You can use the site tree to navigate between the items that you need to work on:
To ensure all content meets MCLA’s accessibility standards and brand styles, web authors submit page edits to an approver for publishing.
Online, MCLA follows the AP writing style. Following this format will ensure consistency across the MCLA digital brand.
MCLA's brand guidelines provide information on fonts, colors, logos, best practices, etc.
In AP Style, there is one primary type of dash used: the em dash (—)
An em dash (—) is a long dash used in writing to create emphasis, set off elements, or indicate interruptions.
Used to indicate a strong break in thought, emphasis, or explanation.
No spaces before or after the em dash (this is specific to AP style!).
Mac: Shift + Option + Hyphen
Windows: Alt + 051
Hold Alt, then type 0151 on the numeric keypad
Example: She was the best choice—no question about it.
Example: She was the best choice — no question about it.
A curly quote (also called a smart quote or typographer’s quote) is a quotation mark that is curved or angled, rather than straight. They are used in professionally typeset documents for a more polished, natural appearance.
Inside Curly
Mac: option + ]
Windows: alt + 0145
Hold Alt, type the number on the numpad, then release Alt.
Example: ? 03
Outside Curly
Mac: option + ]
Windows: alt + 0145
Hold Alt, type the number on the numpad, then release Alt.
A hard refresh is a way to force your web browser to clear its cache for a specific page and reload the most recent version from the server.
Mac: command + shift + R
Windows: ctrl + shift + R
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, MCLA, Affordable,
Alt Text: Alt Text is a required description of the image which is read aloud to visually impaired users by screen-reading tools and helps improve SEO. It also appears when the image fails to load.
Assets: Images, documents, multimedia files, and other items that can be uploaded with each having its own unique ID, and when published to the live server, its own URL.
Child: A page, folder, or component, that is beneath or inside another page, component, or folder.
CMS: Abbreviation for "content management system." In this case, Modern Campus.
Components: Containers that help display pieces of content on a page in a particular format. Components aren't pages, but they are used in conjunction with pages to display certain types of content.
Headings: Headings, also called "headers," provide hierarchical structure to digital content and are indexed by search engines. There are six forms of headings, referred to as h1—h6, with the h1 being the most important.
Hyperlink: A hyperlink, or "link," is a word, phrase, or image that can be clicked on to navigate to a new location. When the cursor hovers over a link, the arrow should change to a small hand.
ID: A unique ID is given to every page and asset in the CMS.
Folders: Used to contain and organize pages and components and can also be used to hide pages from the navigation of a webpage.
Modal: An element that displays in front of and deactivates other page content.
Pages: Each page has its own unique ID within Modern Campus, and when published to the live server, has its own URL. There are several different page types to choose from, each with a different purpose.
Parent: A page or component that has one or more other pages, components, or folders in the site tree structure.
Site Tree: The site tree is the main structure of the MCLA website. This shows all the pages, folders, and components that make up the website.
Tooltip: A tooltip is a message that appears when hovering over an icon, image, hyperlink, or other elements such as a description of a button's function, what an abbreviation stands for, etc. On mobile, a tooltip is displayed upon long-pressing an element.
URL: A Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is commonly known as a web address.
