Homepage Block Types

Your homepage is built from content blocks – customisable containers that automatically populate with content based on the options you set. There are six block types to choose from: Essential, Recommended, Latest, Trending, List, and People. This article covers what each type shows, its layout styles, and its filter and visibility options, so you can choose the right block for what you want to feature.

Creating a Homepage Block

1. On your homepage, click the configuration icon (⚙) on any existing block to enter Editing Mode.

2. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click Add another block.

3. In New Content Block, click the pencil icon to give your block a name.

4. In the Block Type dropdown, select the type you want – see At a Glance below for more information.

5. Set the block's Layout style, filters, and settings – these vary by type, so see the relevant section below.

6. Click Save.

Your new block is now ready and will appear on your homepage.

At a Glance

Essential

The Essential block shows content that's been assigned to an audience by an admin or audience manager. This is typically content with a due date, and it may be recurring.

Layout Styles: Basic, Section, Bulletin Board, Fibonacci, Carousel

Include

• Assigned to audience: Shows content assigned to the audiences selected under Settings

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.

Recommended

The Recommended block shows content the system recommends to a user, based on their profile, including content they're interested in and content that's been shared with them. Once a user completes a piece of content, it stops showing here, so the block always surfaces content they haven't seen yet. The system prioritises the most relevant content, regardless of age.

Layout Styles: Basic, Section, Mega, Fibonacci, Carousel, Grid

Filter Options

• Tags to show: Show all content, or only content with selected tags.

• Content types to show: Show all content, or only selected content types.

• Content shared with the user: Only show content that's been shared with the user.

• Endorsed content: Only show content that's been endorsed.

• Content by followed author: Only show content from authors the user follows.

• Content that matches user interests: Only show content that matches the user's stated interests.

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.

• Enable filtering: Let users filter the block's content themselves.

Latest

The Latest block shows the most recently added content on your site. Content always shows, regardless of completion – users can dismiss anything they don't want to see again. Add filters to narrow the block to specific questions, or to content on a particular topic.

Layout Styles: Basic, Section, Mega, Fibonacci, Carousel, Grid

Filter Options

• Tags to show: Show all content, or only content with selected tags.

• Content types to show: Show all content, or only selected content types.

• Content shared with the user: Only show content that's been shared with the user.

• Endorsed content: Only show content that's been endorsed.

• Content by followed author: Only show content from authors the user follows.

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.

• Enable filtering: Let users filter the block's content themselves.

Trending

The Trending block shows the most popular content on your site, based on the tally of likes, comments, shares, and views. Once a user completes a piece of content, it stops appearing in the block for them. The system looks at the most popular content regardless of age.

Note:

This block may show older content if it's still receiving a high number of views.

Layout Styles: Basic, Section, Mega, Fibonacci, Carousel

Filter Options

• Tags to show: Choose to show content associated with a specific tag.

• Content types to show: Filter the content by its type (for example, articles, videos, courses).

• Show content shared with user: Only display content that's been shared with the user.

• Show content that is popular with team: Show content that's popular with the user's team.

• Show only endorsed content: Filter the block to only show content that's been endorsed.

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.

List

The List block lets admins select and order up to 12 pieces of content. You can reorder the content at any time, and you can add more than one List block to your homepage. A good use case is highlighting the latest news, or building an audience-specific block – for example, new staters – that includes everything on getting started.

Layout Styles: Basic, Carousel, Section, Fibonacci, Bulletin Board, Mega

Selected Content

• Order of content (12 max): Choose and reorder up to 12 pieces of content.

• Add Content: Add another piece of content to the list.

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.

Shorts Carousel

When a List block contains only mixed content videos, it automatically displays as a swipeable "Shorts" carousel instead of the standard list layout, on both desktop and mobile. Clicking or tapping a video opens it full-screen in portrait mode, and users can swipe straight on to the next video without returning to the homepage. Adding any non-video content to the block – an article, a link, and so on – reverts it to the standard list layout; the carousel only appears when every item is a video. The block still works like any other List block: you can name it, filter it, and set its audience visibility as usual.

Note:

Only mixed content videos trigger the carousel. Legacy videos and embedded links from other sites, such as YouTube, don't work.

People

The People block shows users who are experts, collaborators, or both. An expert is someone who has listed a skill that's also on the viewing user's Learn page. A collaborator is someone who has said they're interested in a topic the viewing user is also interested in.

Layout Styles: Basic, Thin, Hierarchical

Filter Options

• Experts: Show users who are experts.

• Collaborators: Show users who are collaborators.

Settings

• Audience Visibility: Restrict the block to selected audiences.

• Add background colour: Add a background colour to the block.