Upgrade to Aurora with iTalent’s strategic road map and playbook
Thisnew versionpromises many benefits, including improved user experience and deeper analytics that empower businesses to nurture their online communities. Amid these advancements, iTalent Digitalemergesas a premier technology partner for businesses embarking on their journey with Aurora. iTalent Digital leverages its deep experience with Khoros to customize and extend the platform while ensuring clients harness the full potential of Aurora. With our proprietary Aurora upgrade road map and playbook, iTalent Digital will ensure a smooth and successful transition from Khoros classic to Aurora, no matter hownumerousor complex your existing customizations are. In this article, we provide an overview of the key components of ourmethodology, based on decades of combined experience as a premium Khoros partner. Step 1: Customizations assessment The process begins with the iTalent Digital’s proprietary customizations assessment that provides an overview of customizations and extensions, associates files with functionality, and examines each customization todeterminethe best way to enable its features in Aurora. Step 2: Aurora road map The road map provides a timeline with key milestones to guide the transition. Based on the results from ourinitialassessment and a comprehensive understanding of the community'sobjectives, user engagement strategies, and operational needs, iTalent Digital outlines a high-level strategic document for ensuring a smooth transition to Aurora within given time and resource constraints. Step 3: Aurora playbook The Aurora play book provides a detailed plan for preparing your community and launching itonAurora. This entails three key phases: preparation,executionand launch. PREPARATION: We begin byidentifyingthe core features you will need in Aurora, for example, interaction styles, locales, case portals, and the like. Another important step is a thorough mapping ofall ofthe customizations you need to keep in Aurora, along with detailed descriptions.Beyond thecomponentlist generated from the ARC, we include other customizations analyzed through our extended assessment as well as any new customizations that may have gone live since then. Next,it’stime to make some decisions based on the community’s vision and strategic priorities as defined in the road map, and categorize each customization and platform extension into one of four buckets: Remove Nice to have Essential Already included in Aurora out of the box You will be pleased to discover that a lot of your existing customizations are likely to be already included in Aurora out of the box (OOB). This decreasestotalcost of ownership as well asfacilitatesadoption of Aurora. Content clean-up: Transitioning to Aurora is a good opportunity to take a fresh look at your community content and consider what is still relevant and what needs to bearchived.It’sworth taking the time to think about what can be simplified or otherwise tidied up before transitioning over to your sparkling new Aurora community. EXECUTION: Data and content conformity Once we have the content, customizations and extensionsidentified,mappedand categorized,it’stime to conform all the data and functionality to the new platform.For example, Tags and Labels in Aurora act more like Labels in Classic. Tags only exist on root posts in Aurora, which means Classic Tags on repliesdon’tcarry forward. Upgrade, not migration: Keep in mind that Aurora sits on top of your Khoros community’s existing database, so no migration of the underlying data is necessary. Customizations: Some customizations may need to be conformed,reconfiguredor rebuilt in order to function correctly on Aurora. Developer Experience: If required, we set upthe DeveloperExperience, including the Aurora SDK (software development kit) and Dev Tools, then rebuild or reconfigure the customizations that use it. We conduct a review of all integrations and updatepathsas necessary. Theme and page builder: Aurora offers an easy-to-use theme and page builder that allows a wide range of colors,fontsand design styles. We recreate the look and feel of your Classic communityonAurora. Depending on the customizations that were applied to your Classic community, a 100% exact match may not be possible. With Aurora, the CSS code is notcustomizableand you cannot import your own CSS. Admin & settings: We carry over the community structure, ranks, roles, permissions, badging and other settings, adjusting as necessary foroptimalperformance on Aurora. We also review the SSO settings and carry them over, whether they be self-service SAML, OAuth2 orKhorosSSO. LAUNCH: With that,you’reoff to the races and fully operational on Aurora, poised to reap its benefits. Get more details about the key advancements that Aurora offers.Unleashing the Power of Customization to Build Thriving Online Communities
Customization empowers platform administrators to create unique and engaging experiences tailored to the specific needs and preferences of their community members. Below outlines the importance of customization and the impact is has on building thriving online communities. User Interface Customization: A visually appealing and intuitive user interface is paramount to community success. By allowing platform administrators to customize branding, layout, and navigation, communities can establish a unique identity and enhance user engagement. Tailoring the user interface to align with the community's values and aesthetics fosters a sense of familiarity and belonging. Content Customization: Tailoring content to match the community's interests is key to fostering meaningful discussions. Community administrators can curate categories, topics, and user roles to ensure that content remains relevant and valuable to members. This level of customization promotes a focused and vibrant community environment, where users can connect with like-minded individuals. Features and Functionalities Customization: The ability to adapt features and functionalities is a game-changer for community platforms. Offering customization options such as different discussion formats and integrations with external tools provides versatility and flexibility. Communities can align their functionality with the specific goals and needs of their members, making the platform more valuable and engaging. User Experience Customization: Seamless user experiences are essential for community platforms to thrive. By allowing users to personalize their notification preferences and implementing algorithms for content recommendations, platforms can ensure a tailored experience that keeps members coming back. Customization enhances user satisfaction, as individuals feel more in control of their interactions within the community. API and Developer Tools: Empowering administrators and developers with APIs and developer tools opens doors to endless possibilities. These tools enable the creation of custom integrations and applications that enhance the community platform's functionality. By leveraging external expertise and resources, community administrators can unlock the full potential of their platforms, providing unique experiences to their users. Conclusion: Customization lies at the heart of building thriving online communities. The power of customization extends to user interface, content, features, user experience, and development tools. By offering a range of customization options, community platforms create unique and engaging experiences that foster a sense of belonging, increase user engagement, and nurture vibrant online communities. So, if you're looking to build a successful community platform, remember the transformative power of customization. Customize, engage, and watch your online community thrive!
