Social timelines for your Confluence.

Direct communication. Less e-mails.


Welcome to the Microblog!

This guide was created to help you with the setup of the Microblog. See what can be configured and how you can do it.

For more information, be sure to view the Microblog documentation.


Installation & licensing

Please refer to Atlassian's installation instructions: 

Installation via the Universal Plugin Manager

 

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Log in to your Confluence instance as an administrator.

  2. Open the Confluence general administration.
    1. Click on the Find new apps link in the sidebar.
  3. Enter "Microblogging" in the search field (marked by the text "Search the Marketplace"), then press Enter.
  4. Click on "Free trial" to test the app for 30 days, or click on "Buy now" if you want to purchase a license for Microblogging for Confluence.
  5. You'll be prompted to register for or log into MyAtlassian.
  6. Microblogging for Confluence will be automatically downloaded and installed after you log-in.

General configuration

There are three main settings for administrators.


Set up the maximum height of Microblog posts

 

You can limit microblog posts in height. Microposts which extend your height limit will display a Show more button.

Input the height limit (in pixels) you wish to apply.

Please input only the number ((tick) 100 (error) 100px).

If you do not want microposts to be "cut-off", leave this field empty.





Allow users to delete posts with replies

 

By default, a micropost can't be deleted after someone replied to it.

If you want to allow your users to delete posts with replies, activate the Allow delete checkbox.





Permissions

 

Under Permission type you can select the user permissions needed to reply to microposts and to create new microposts.


You can choose between following options:

Add pages

Only users with permission to add pages to a space will be able to create and reply to microposts. This is the default setting.

Add comments

Only users with permission to add comments to a space will be able to create and reply to microposts.

Add blog posts

Only users with permission to add blog posts to a space will be able to create and reply to microposts.


It does not matter whether users have received those permissions individually or via a group.

Embedding a microblog

Create topics


You can create topics in two different ways.

For the microblog timeline to work correctly, at least one topic must be created.


Create topics inside Confluence administration


As an administrator, navigate to Confluence administration > Microblog > Topics.

You will see a Create new microblog topic in a space field. Enter the name of the space in which you want to create the topic, then enter the name for your new topic. Click on the Save button.





Create topics as a space administrator by using space tools


As a space administrator, navigate to Space tools > Microblog.

You will see a Create new microblog topic field. Enter the name for your new topic. Click on the Save button.

Topics you create this way are always located in the space you are accessing space tools from.





Embed the Microblog Timeline macro


To create your first Microblog timeline, you must include the Microblog Timeline macro within a page.


Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Create a new page or edit an existing page.
  2. Click on the Insert more content button in the toolbar, then click on the Other macros button.
  3. Search for "Microblog Timeline" and click on the according tile.
  4. Now you will see the configuration of the macro. Configure the Microblog according to your requirements (the section below covers the timeline configuration).
  5. Click on the Insert button.
  6. Save the page.


Microblog Timeline macro configuration



You can customize the look, functions, and content of the Microblog. Configure the Microblog timeline macro to fit your needs.


What content should be displayed?

 

Global timeline

The global timeline shows all microposts from all spaces and of all topics.


Space timeline

The space timeline shows all microposts from a specific space you selected. Once you select this option, another option named Space will open.

Here, under the Space tab, you can select which space should be used as the default space for your timeline. To select a space, click on the arrow next to the space name. A drop-down menu will open. You can now select a space.

 

Topic timeline

The topic timeline shows all microposts of a specific topic. Once you select this option, another option named Topic will open.

Here, under the Topic tab, you can select which topic should be used as the default timeline topic. To select a topic, click on the arrow next to the topic name. A drop down menu will open. You can now select a topic.

Additionally, this topic will be the default setting when creating new microposts.


A space needs at least one topic to be shown (and be usable) in this micro.
If you can't find a space here, you probably have to set a topic for this space, first.



Should the sidebar be visible?

Activate the Show sidebar checkbox if you want to see a sidebar instead of a drop-down menu when choosing spaces and topics. 

The Microblog Timeline macro is responsive. If there is not enough space available, the sidebar will disappear and the drop-down menu will be displayed again.




How many posts should be displayed in the timeline?

You can define how many Microblog threads should be displayed at once. This limit applies only to threads / parent-posts (and not replies). Once the limit is reached, a Show older microposts button will be displayed. 

If you leave this field empty, the default value of 20 will be set automatically.



How many comments should be displayed under a post?

Define the number of displayed replies to each Microblog thread. The Microblog will always show the newest replies. Once the limit set here is reached, a Show X more replies button will be displayed.

If you leave this field empty, the default value of 3 will be set automatically.

The macro configurator offers a preview of all changes. Not sure how your inputs change the behavior of the Microblog? Use the Refresh Preview button to see all changes before you save the Microblog Timeline macro!

Using the Microblog Timeline macro

Create your first Microblog post


The microblog editor is similar to the one used by Confluence for comments. Use it to share information and style your microposts. 

Input your text, links etc. into the editor, choose a topic and click on the Post it button.


You can:

  • Format text
  • Insert links
  • Insert images and attachments
  • Use @-mentions to notify other users
  • Use #hashtags
  • Insert Jira links

To view the full possibilities of the Microblog editor, please read the Microblog's documentation on this topic.


To publish a micropost, you have to choose a microblog topic.





Edit a Microblog post


To edit your post, click on the  button inside the editor, then click on Edit.

Now the editor will re-open. Type in your changes and click on the Post it button.


Edited posts will be marked as such. Click on the (edited) link to view the change history of a post.

Editing a micropost will not change the order of the timeline. The edited micropost will not rise to the top of the Microblog.


Note that every Confluence administrator can also edit or remove your posts!





Delete a microblog post


As a regular user, you can delete your own microposts.

To do this, click on the  button when viewing a post, then click on the Remove button.

 

Please note that only the last post of a conversation can be deleted at any given time. The idea behind this rule is to prevent anyone from distorting the meaning of a post by changing its context.

If you want to remove a whole thread, you'll have to do so one post/comment at a time.



Confluence administrators and space administrators can also delete other users' microposts.
 
Safety Guidelines

We strongly recommend the following Confluence configuration settings to avoid potential security risks:

Make sure people are not allowed to register their own accounts, especially without restriction to your domain.

If you allow anonymous access, make sure anonymous users don't have permission to create or edit anything anywhere (pages, blogposts, comments, attachments etc. in any space).
     
If you configure your instance differently, you do so at your own risk.

 


Link to this page: https://seibert.biz/firststepswithmicroblog

This page was last edited on 06/12/2024.