8. Topics

Topics allow you to map and track your content strategy by audience or focus. You can also use topics to plan and visualize coverage of major events, such as national elections or the World Cup. This allows a more strategic content planning.

Detailed instructions and video tutorials can be found here.

In this article, we will focus on creating new topics. It's important to note that topics are not created in the admin settings area, so even users without administrator rights can create and edit topics.

Basic Functionality

Topics are based on the well-known hashtag function.

For each topic there is a mandatory keyword beginning with a hashtag, e.g. "#elections21."

If a story/event is tagged with this keyword in the description or the notes field, this story or event then belongs to the corresponding topic.

Stories and events can also be provided with several hashtags and thus belong to different topics, which you can later relate to each other.

How to enter topics

Select the central red "+ Topic" button  in the upper navigation bar or click "+ Topic" in the upper left corner of the Topics page.

Now you can add details. The “Label” and “#Hashtag” are mandatory. The hashtag is generated by entering the name, but can be customized. The topic must also be assigned to at least one group. All other details are optional:  

• Label (e.g. "General Elections 2021")
• Color: To better highlight the individual topics, you can choose one of twelve different colors.
• Hashtag: Select a meaningful, but at the same time easy-to-enter keyword, such as, “#ge21." You don't have to enter the hashtag symbol, because Kordiam will add it automatically.
• Period: Here you can enter the start and/or end date, in case your subtopic is limited in time.
• Sub-topic to: Here you can specify if your new subtopic is subordinated to another one, up to the 4th level.
• Groups: Select the groups whose members should have access and be able to see the topic. (This menu is hidden for accounts with only one group or if a user only has access to one group).

You can now save the topic or store a description image and enter a briefing via "Save & Add Detail Settings."

Structure Topics

There are two pages:

• List: This is the page for managing topics and entering additional information, such as campaign briefings, related to these topics.
  
  
• Timeline: It is used to graphically represent the Topics over a certain period of time (e.g. a quarter) and below that are the stories related to them.

You can switch between the pages via the toggle button at the top left.

The Topics List Page

This is the page where you can review and manage your Topics.

• Structuring of the topics on up to four levels (i.e. up to three sub-Topic levels below a Topic).
  
• The sorting order and hierarchy can be changed using drag and drop.