Posting Tips


Updating

Do not add vital information updates into comments of your adoption listing. Instead, edit and add new information to the main profile. This helps potential adopters find important info AND prevents your listing from expiring.

How to update vital information:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. Update
  5. Save

How to add / remove a listing from the "Animals For Foster" page:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. CHECK / UNCHECK the "Needs Foster Home" box to add / remove a listing
  5. Save

How to move a listing to / from the "Adopted" gallery:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. Under "Adoption Status", select "Adopted" from the drop-down menu
  5. Save

If the adoption does not work out, follow the steps above but select "For Adoption" under "Adoption Status" to move the listing back into the Adoption listings. Please do not create a new listing.

Contact information and other details will not be shown on the profiles of animals who have been adopted..

How to move a listing to the "We Miss You" gallery:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. Under "Adoption Status", select "No Longer Available" from the drop-down menu
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the form and CHECK the box that says "Passed Away"
  6. Save

Contact information and other details will not be shown for profiles that are no longer available. However, please edit the main description of the listing as appropriate.

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Reviving Expired Listings

Expired listings are adoption listings for animals whose status is "For Adoption", but which have not been updated in 30 or more days (excluding adopted animals). Adding comments does not count as updating as it did in the ARK forums. Only editing and saving your listing will prevent it from expiring. The link to the Expired Listings page can be found last on the list of items on the Adoptable Animals page.

How to find a list of all your content:

  1. Click "My Account" in the top-right corner of the site
  2. Click the "Track" tab on your user profile page. The Track list shows all your content-- both your listings and your comments
  3. Look at the "Last Updated" column of the listings you have authored-- if it's getting close to 30 days, your listing will soon expire.
  4. Click the title of the listing to go to that page, where you will see the "Edit" tab

How to prevent a listing from expiring:

  1. Log in, go to the listing, and click the "Edit" tab
  2. Add or remove text in the description field (just adding "still looking for a home" is enough), check/uncheck characteristics if anything has changed, upload a new image, or change the main profile image from among the pictures already uploaded.
  3. Save

How to reactivate an expired listing:

Simply editing your listing as described above will move it back to the Adoptables page.

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Adding Images and Video

Images uploaded to adoption profiles are automatically cropped into a square for display; the full image will be visible when viewers click on it. All images from the profile and any images uploaded into the comments of a listing will display in slideshow format, uncropped.

How to change the image that appears as the main profile image:

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. Scroll to the bottom section named "Image"
  5. If needed, upload a new image
  6. Drag the image you want as the profile image to the top of the list
  7. Optionally, note your changes under "Revision log message"
  8. Save

Adding Alt text and Titles to images:

For each image uploaded, you will see two fields where you can enter text. Neither are mandatory, but both help make your photos more accessible. Text in the Alt field will display even when the browser doesn't load images and can be read by screen readers. Titles are visible when hovering your mouse over an image and also when browsing photos in slideshow format. Adding text to both fields also helps search engines retrieve your photos-- and consequently, your adoption listing.

How to add videos to adoption profiles:

To add a video into the description field of an adoption listing, simply post a link to the video's URL (not the embed code) and the link will be automatically converted to display as a video. This works for videos hosted on Vimeo as well as Youtube, though for Youtube, you must use the "long link" that looks like http://www.youtube.com/..., not the short link that starts with http://youtu.be/.... You can also post videos into comments the same way.

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Styling Text

To make headings in the text of your adoption listings stand out, you can use <strong> </strong> tags around the text that you want bold. For example:

You type: <strong>Rescue Story</strong>
We see: Rescue Story

Other tags that you can use are listed on the Compose Tips page under "Filtered HTML".

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Changing Authors

If you would like to transfer the authorship of an adoption listing from one foster parent, shelter volunteer, or caretaker to another, both the current author and the new author will need to contact the site admin. I cannot change the authorship without permission from both parties.

Information to Send:

  • email from original author which includes your username
  • email from new author which includes your username
  • a link to the adoption profile

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Deleting Adoption Listings

How to remove a listing from the Adoptable Animals pages

  1. Log in to your account
  2. Go to the listing you need to update
  3. Click the "Edit" tab
  4. Under "Adoption Status", select "No Longer Available" from the drop-down menu
  5. Save

Contact information and other details will not be shown for profiles that are no longer available.

Changing the adoption status of a listing to "No longer available" will de-list the animal from the adoptable section, but the content will remain publicly viewable on the site on the "No Longer Available" page. Please do not use this option when an animal has been adopted or has passed away-- see "Updating" (above) for instructions.

For cases where an animal has changed foster homes or for other circumstances where the adoption listing will remain on the site but needs new authorship LISTINGS WILL NOT BE DELETED. It is almost always preferable to keep and modify the original than to start all over (see "Changing Authors").

The only way to delete a listing entirely is to contact the site admin with a link to the content you wish to be removed.

Thank you!

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