learningCloud (Playlists): Creator's guide, Playlists from another users

Through this articles we will see a step-by-step guide on how to access and take advantage of Playlists as a creator, that is, as a user with author permission to create your own playlists. This time we will take a look at the tool's interface and see how to consult and follow the playlists of other authors.

Access to Playlists

Access to the playlists is as quick and easy as the rest of the content of the platform. Just keep in mind that they work independently of the training part, that is, it is a section apart from the learningCloud. This is because they are not evaluable or mandatory content, but for consultation, to share and expand knowledge.

Log in to the platform as usual to access the Home Screen. Next to the learningCloud button we will see a similar one called Playlists. Click on it to access this section.

In the image above the user only has access to the Playlists tool. If your user also has access to the training part of the instance (Training Management or My Training), another button with a similar icon called learningCloud will appear.

Interface

The main page of Playlists takes us directly to an overview of the contents to which you are subscribed. As author, in addition to creating our own playlists, you can follow other authors and view available content, just like any student. At the top is the navigation bar, present throughout this tool, which allows us to move through the three sections.

In addition to this, at the top right, next to the User Profile and Quick Access, there is the Notifications icon, shaped like a bell. If you have new notifications that we have not read yet, it will be highlighted with a number. Clicking on it displays a list of new notifications.

My subscriptions

Shows the contents that you are currently following, that is, those that you are already subscribed to. To move through them you have three other accesses in the form of buttons under the navigation bar:

• Posts: directly displays a list of the latest items or content published in all the playlists you follow, an overview of the latest and access them directly.
• Favourites: displays the list of posts you marked as favorites. This section is used to save your favorite contents and have a quicker access to them.

To mark a post as a favourite, click on the star icon at the bottom of the thumbnail, next to the comments icon.



• Playlists: shows the list of playlists to which you are subscribed, to be able to access them directly. Apart from the cover image and the title, the profile picture of its author, the number of subscribers and whether access is subject to approval (lock icon) is shown.

Discover

A section where you can explore the rest of the existing playlists and start following the ones you are interest in. It shows a list of all existing playlists, where in addition to the title and cover image, the profile picture of its author, the number of publications and whether access is subject to approval (lock icon) is shown.

At the top right of the list there are two tools that will help you filter the content:

• Search: the magnifying glass icon displays a side menu where you can search for specific content through keywords (Search term) or terms with which it is tagged (Tags). Type the parameters of your search and click the UPDATE button in the upper right corner to display the results.
• Sort: the reverse arrows icon displays a small menu to change the order in which the results are displayed. You can have them sorted by Title, Update Date or Success, in Ascending or Descending order.

The Discover list shows the first fifteen results according to the search criteria. To see the next ones, click on the + LOAD MORE button at the bottom of the list.

People

The last section displays a list of authors you are currently following and the list of users who follow us, through two tabs: Following and Followers. Each profile shows the author's image, his username and the number of posts he has published. In the case of students (not authors) you will see that they have 0 publications.

At the top right of the list is the Search tool (magnifying glass icon), with which you can filter the list in the same way as in the previous section. If you want to stop following an author, click on the FOLLOWING √ button located under his profile.

To start following an author, enter his profile and click on the FOLLOW + button in the upper right corner.

In the Followers section, there is no FOLLOWING √ button, since the authors are listed here only as readers, although you can still access their profile page. Students do not have a profile page since they do not publish content.

My Playlists

This is the section where you can create our own playlists, edit the publications and manage our followers. To find out how to do it check this other article with a step by step guide.

Public playlists

Playlists are composed of two types of items:

• Internal resources: a post published by the author on the platform itself, with text and images.
• External resources: links to publications external to the platform of different kinds: a web page, an online document, a blog post, a video, a podcast...

Accessing the playlist the header is displayed, with information related to its description, and the list of the published posts.

Header

Contains all the basic information of the playlist:

• Title
• Description of its content
• Tags with which it was marked
• Profile picture and username of its author
• Number of publications it contains (icon with several papers)
• Number of followers (icon with silhouettes)
• SUBSCRIBE + (or stop following by clicking again)

Posts

Under the header you can see a list with all the items or publications contained in the playlist. At the bottom of each thumbnail we have three icons with different features:

• Favourites: you can click on the star icon to mark a post as a favourite and store it in the Favourites section, within My subscriptions.
• Comments: the dialog icon tells us if there are comments from other users about the publication, and allows you to leave your own. Click on it to check the list of existing comments, and post your own by typing in the Comment... box and clicking on the paper airplane icon.
• Flag as inappropriate: If you consider that a content is inappropriate or violates the rules of publication, you can ask for a review by the author. Click on the three dots icon and then on the "Flag as inappropriate" button. In a pop-up window you will be asked to leave a small indication, and click on the SEND √ button.

Playlists with approval

If the access to the playlist is subject to approval (padlock icon on the thumbnail), you can enter the playlist and see the information related to its description, but not its publications.

In order to have full access to this type of playlist you need to have the author's approval. To do this you look for the button REQUEST ACCESS TO AUTHOR + at the bottom of the page and click on it. The author will receive our request, and if he approves it, a new alert will appear in the notifications (bell icon at the top).

Posts

Once you are subscribed to the playlist of your choice, enjoying their contents is as simple as entering them and clicking on the publication you want. The content will open in a new tab of your browser, so youy can easily return to the platform or open several publications at once.

This is the general interface of the Playlists tool, and how you can consult the publications of other authors. To learn how to manage your own playlists and posts, check this other step-by-step guide.