Overview
Poppulo is the software used to control the MSUDenver campus digital signs. This software was previously known as Four Winds.
Before you begin...
Who can use Poppulo:
Only assigned contributors from departments that have digital signs and some IT Poppolo admins have access to use Poppulo.
If a contributor leaves the department, or a new contributor needs to be added, the department will need to open up an ITS General Service desk ticket requesting the change.
Logging into Poppulo:
Digital Sign contributors can access the Poppulo software by going to www.fwicloud.com/login
Contributors’ login to Poppulo with their MSUDenver email and university SSO password.
Instructions
Poppulo Dashboard:
Once logged into the Poppulo Dashboard a contributor will see a Library and a Devices option.
Poppulo Library:
The Library area is used to manage the content materials that will be put onto the digital signs.
In the Library area a contributor should see a folder named for each department that they manage. By default, each department folder has a Content folder and a Playlist folder.
Content folders are meant to hold individual pieces of content that the department wants to use on their signs. Items put into the Content folder can be deployed by adding them to the signs Playlist.
Playlist folders are meant to hold the departments Playlists.
Since a Playlist can look like an individual piece of content the Content and Playlist folders were made to be separate, but contributors can organize their materials in whichever way works best for them.
Poppulo Playlist:
Playlist are the groups of scheduled individual pieces of content that are deployed onto the signs. Playlists control what content shows on the sign, the order the content displays, and the scheduled time that the content is shown.
Important! Do not delete an active Playlist. If a Playlist is removed accidentally then it can be restored up to 15 days after its deletion. See the How To Restore Deleted Items section of the "Using the Poppulo Playlist" tutorial.
Specific Playlists are connected to your departments digital signs. Deleting a Playlist will remove content from the connected sign until the time that you put in a ticket with IT to request a new Playlist be reconnected to that sign. Instead of deleting the Playlist you can remove and add pieces of content on the Playlist to change what is displayed on your digital sign. You can also create a new Playlist and then ask IT to connect that Playist to your sign in addition to the current Playlist if needed.
More Tutorials on how to use the Playlist can be found in the following tutorial: Using the Poppulo Playlist To Display Content On Digital Signs
Devices:
The Devices area will give you a list of the individual signs that your department manages and allows you to access those devices to preview how they are displaying your content.
You will mostly use the Devices area to look at your sign remotely but you can occasionally use it to either reboot your sign to clear up possible technical issues, or to reboot your channel to speed up the time that your new playlist changes will show.
MSU Denver Shared Content Folder:
All Digital sign contributors have access to the MSU Denver Shared Content Folder. This is a folder that a contributor can put content into that they may want to make available to other Digital sign contributors to use.
If a contributor wants to share their content, they are encouraged to reach out to the other Department contributors to let them know what they have made available in the Shared folder and request that it be set up on other signs.
Different digital signs are used for different purposes across the campus. For this reason it is up to the sign contributor to decide what content they want to show on their department sign. A department is not obligated to show shared content from another department.
Ready to Use Content
The Ready to Use Content area is set up by Poppulo. This is stock content that any department can use. Holiday greetings and other fun content can be found here. A contributor can use any of the Ready to Use Content as needed.
Please note: The Apps option in The Ready to Use area is not yet set up to be used.
Result
The user should now know the basic layout and use of the Poppulo Digital Signage Software. They are also aware that only specific people are given contributor access for a Departments digital signs and therefore access to Poppulo.
More in depth training resources of Poppulo software can be found within Poppulo by clicking on the "Help Community" option in the top Dashboard menu.
