In CMS, the process to create a link to a page in Facebook is no different than creating a link to any other non-NDSU Web page.

In the specific case of linking to a page in Facebook, remember the Facebook Dos (copied here for your reference):

"Ways you may refer to your Facebook Page:
Do: 'Find us on Facebook to discover more about...'
Do: 'NDSU on Facebook'
Do: 'Check out the NDSU Page on Facebook'
Do: 'Find us on Facebook'		Ways you may NOT refer to your Facebook Page:
Don’t: 'Check out the NDSU Facebook Page'
Don’t: 'NDSU partners with Facebook in social advertising campaign'
Don’t: 'Facebook and NDSU commit to serving you better ads'"

Make better links

We've already discussed how to make shorter links and specify a page's Web address, but have you thought about using one in an unexpected place, like your email signature?

If you have a link in your email signature that is longer than you would want to read aloud over the phone to a potential visitor, you should leverage CMS to make the job easier for you.

Example: "Find us on Facebook!"

Instead of having a long link to Facebook like
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fargo-ND/North-Dakota-State-University-Your-Department/1234567890
in your email signature, use CMS to shortcut it.

  1. Create a page as an external link as usual
  2. Title the page "Find us on Facebook"
  3. Check the Hide in menu checkbox if the page should not appear in your site's navigation
  4. In the URL field, enter the address (don't copy this one!)
    www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fargo-ND/North-Dakota-State-University-Your-Department/1234567890
  5. Add a regular content element to the page (as a back-up plan in case the redirect fails for any reason) that includes a link to your department's presence in Facebook
  6. Publish the page and content element as usual

Update your email signature to use the address
www.ndsu.edu/yourdept/find-us-on-facebook

Don't go overboard by creating too many of these shortcuts. Maintaining them all could become a challenge for you.

Top of page