# Website/News

*Websites/News Channel* is a dedicated channel that emulates an internet browser. Players can use the web channel just like the regular web:

* search for information
* visit websites
* comment on news articles.

There are <mark style="background-color:yellow;">**two stages of configuration**</mark>:

* configuring the <mark style="background-color:yellow;">**individual website**</mark>:
  * the website URL
  * search results
  * what happens when it's hacked
  * past articles
  * style (i.e. the look)
* configuring the <mark style="background-color:yellow;">**website channel**</mark>
  * if a website should be visible or only found by search
  * if the website is visible, where it appears in the channel tab order

## Configuring Websites

{% hint style="warning" %}
Each website is a Persona of type Organisation.

To add websites, create a persona for each site.&#x20;

**The Website options won't appear until you check the "is organisation" box.**
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/QjXAQlA7P52joeL1qG9D" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

There are a lot of configuration options.&#x20;

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/6EkjyahPbihhRgsWdv2H" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

### Website configuration

<figure><img src="/files/aAIpzvVmw1mupC00Dpa1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The basic information you need to provide the website are:

* Website name - what the site will be called in the website channel
* URL - this is how the site will be available in the website channel
* http or https - only change to http if you need to show the website as unsafe.

The other details of configuration are for other purposes.

#### Search results

Conducttr prides itself on realism and for some exercises the web channel will act as it does in real life, with no pre-opened pages - requiring players to search for information as they would on the web.

The following fields affect the ability to find a website and it's search results:

* website description is what's shown in the search results and is included in the search
* keywords - use these if you need the website to be displayed in search results for topics not specifically mentioned in the description or any articles (past and present)
* ranking - when websites return similar results, this control determines which is shown higher in the results list
* paid promotion - this ensures the site ranks highest but the search result displays a label saying it's a paid search result.

### Display options

<figure><img src="/files/kAHzCemM4kOrfWXdLE2P" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

These are the options you have on the display options page:

* wesbite type - article type is preferred because everything is self-contained in your simulation space. The "use URL" is available to embed other "real" websites into your browser channel. This can be very helpful but many sites prevent embedding for security reasons so it won't work in all cases
* page details - this allows additional information about the website to be displayed on investigation by the player.&#x20;
* hacked website - this allow you to upload an image or select one of our pre-made images to be displayed when the website is hacked.

### Past articles

{% hint style="warning" %}
You need at least 1 past article if you want the website to be displayed before you publish anything from the MEL.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/E2AaxmHGC1XFN9A7G3Xa" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The purpose of the past articles is to make the website look credible and provide context to this persona/organisation. The Timestamp on the article can make some difference to the realism or storytelling on your exercise and you can set an absolute date & time or one that's relative to the publication of the exercise.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/hdxx7JF3GcX8MC8uyxTN" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

### Style

Click the pencil in the style page to configure how the website page will look.

<figure><img src="/files/bjhI68SSzEZ1eQyDUhjL" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Bulk changes

If you have a lot of websites and want to check across them all or configure in bulk, export to a spreadsheet, manipulate and reimport.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/Trgld9zbIOEaXgRyjrXD" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

<figure><img src="/files/9PP0H6IiAw4sSve2nP2n" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Website Channel configuration

<figure><img src="/files/dzX34sfBQI4eb7Mqe6E5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Channel tabs

There can be a lot of websites in large exercises and so you're provided with a lot of options for how websites are made available or not.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Tabs configuration

Decide which websites should be active or inactive and if they should in an open tab at the start of the exercise.&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}
You need past article(s) on your website for it to be displayed at the start of an exercise, otherwise there is no content to display.
{% endhint %}

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/d49ryUHLU7sTfzvDTQ56" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Order of tabs

There are various options for deciding the order of websites in the open tabs at the start of the exercise.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/Xi5q4El9sxMSALjTdu8N" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}


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