Introduction

As we move into the new FirstVoices update, we will be supporting teams in migrating over onto the new version of the platform. This page will act as a guide for teams.

What is the FirstVoices update?

For more information about the FirstVoices update, please read this blog post that outlines the new features.

Homepage and Custom Page preparation

Your new FirstVoices language site homepage features customizable blocks called 'Widgets,' alongside the custom logo and banner. Below are the specifications required to set up your homepage, and the Widget options you will have access to.

Some tips and points to consider when designing your Homepage and Custom Pages:

• While Widgets have been designed to be mix-and-matched, certain Widgets may work better at the top of your homepage. Ask yourself: What will visitors to my language site want to see first? As an example, if you want people to visit your language site every day to view the Word of the Day, consider putting the Word of the Day widget at the top of the page.
• Some visitors may be viewing your language site on a phone or other mobile device, and having lots of widgets will make it more tedious to scroll down the page. Focus on the most important information on your Homepage, and put longer blocks of text on a Custom Page.
• Custom Pages can include text, images, embedded videos and even Widgets. Consider breaking up your text with media content to provide a more user-friendly reading experience.

URL-friendly name

First off, your updated language site will have a short URL. For example, instead of https://www.firstvoices.com/explore/FV/sections/Data/Ts'msyen/Sm%E2%80%99algyax/Sm'algya%CC%B1x, the URL for Sm'algya̱x will be http://www.firstvoices.com/smalgyax

You will need to confirm your URL-friendly name. The URL-friendly name must:

• Have no special characters
• Be all lower case
• Only use hyphens (no underscores, slashes, etc.)
• There is no maximum length, but it should be memorable and easy to type
  • i.e. firstvoices.com/smalgyax
  • i.e. firstvoices.com/tseshahtlanguage
  • i.e. firstvoices.com/secwepemcstin-eastern

Banner

Just like your existing site, your homepage will have a banner. The banner can now be either an image, or a video! The specifications for your banner image or video are:

Banner Image

• Recommended size: 1280 x 320 → 2048 x 512 px
• Minimum width of 1024 px 
• The ratio of width to length (w:l) should be between 4 : 1 and 7 : 1  
  (4:1 taking up a third of the screen and 7:1 ~ one-sixth)

Banner Video

• The minimum resolution we recommend is 720p or higher
• File size maximum is 12 MB
• 16:9 aspect ratio 
• We recommend using short, high-quality videos
• No audio

Logo

Just like your existing site, your homepage will have a logo. The specifications for your logo are:

• Recommended size: 512 x 512 px
• Minimum width of 400px
• Length and width of image including background must be equal with the logo centred
• The edges of your logo should be flush with the edges of the image, there should be no blank space around the logo

Widgets

Widgets are blocks of content that you can put on your homepage, choose the order of, and – for some Widgets – customize. The following are your Widget options and their content specifications.
Any specification in a yellow box means that the specification is required for the Widget to function.

Short text widget

Suggested use: A short welcome message

Example:

Long text widget

Suggested use: A mid-sized paragraph of text to provide basic information on your homepage, such as an About blurb

Example:

Contact us widget

Example:

Logo widget

Suggested use: A short description and/or credit for your logo image.

Example:

Word of the Day widget

Suggested use: This widget automatically shows a new 'Word of the Day' from your Word section on your homepage.

Example: 

Statistics widget

Suggested use: This widget automatically shows either 'New This Week', 'New This Month', or 'On This Site' statistics, depending on how recently the site content has been updated.

Example: 

Alphabet widget

Suggested use: This widget automatically shows your alphabet in an interactive format.

Example:

Photo Gallery widget

Suggested use: This widget shows photos from one of your Photo Galleries in a grid on your homepage.

Example: TBD

Custom pages

Teams can now create custom pages that host text, images and Widgets. Teams can use these pages to share content specific to their community, language or territory.
Examples of custom pages:

• https://www.firstvoices.com/smalgyax-beta/our-language
• https://www.firstvoices.com/smalgyax-beta/our-territory
• https://www.firstvoices.com/smalgyax-beta/protocols

Image

• Recommended size: 1280 x 320 → 2048 x 512 px
• Minimum width of 1024 px 
• The ratio of width to length (w:l) should be between 4 : 1 and 7 : 1  
  (4:1 taking up a third of the screen and 7:1 ~ one-sixth)

Video

• The minimum resolution we recommend is 720p or higher
• File size maximum is 12 MB
• 16:9 aspect ratio 
• We recommend using short, high-quality videos
• No audio

Downloadable Checklist

Click here to download a checklist template of all of the content and materials you need to gather in preparation for your FirstVoices migration: FirstVoices Migration Checklist and Content Sheet.docx