What is a Channel?

Channels are a link between you and those with whom you wish to engage using pinnions. Once you have created a channel you can invite people to join it. Once they have become members, they will receive any pinnions you distribute to that channel. You can create multiple channels, each of which can serve a different purpose. Any pinnions you create may be distributed to one or more of your channels.

Creating a channel is the first step in using Pinnion to facilitate structured communication. Follow the steps below to create your first Pinnion Channel.

Your Channel Pages

When you create a Channel, a channel page is automatically created for it at www.pinnion.com/(ChannelName). Each Pinnion that is distributed to this channel will automatically appear on the channel page during the distribution times that you designate.

See an example of the Pinnion AdvisoryBoard channel page.

With channel pages, your audience just needs one simple link to get to all of your Pinnions. Less email for them, more audience feedback for you.

Using Channels with the Pinnion Plugin for WordPress

Channels are a great way to automate the process of posting Pinnions to your blog or web site. Here are the steps:

1. If you have not done so already, follow the Plugin Instructions to install and configure the Pinnion Plugin for WordPress.
2. From your WordPress dashboard, find Pinnion in the left-hand menu and click “Editor”
3. Login to your Pinnion account (if necessary) and click the Channels tab
4. You can use an existing Channel or create a new one (see the image above). All you need to create a Channel is a title.
5. Choose where you would like to have your Pinnions appear: Posts, Pages, or Sidebars. You can choose as many as you want and even include multiple Pinnions or Channels in each place.
6. In a Post or Page, click the Insert Pinnion button . In a Sidebar, drag the Pinnion widget to the desired location.
7. Use the dropdown box to select the Channel(s) that you created (see image to the right). You can also choose an individual Pinnion instead of a Channel.
8. When you create a Pinnion, use the Recipients tab to assign it to the Channel(s) where you want it to appear. Your Pinnion will automatically appear online between the start and end times that you specify.

Using Channels with Pinnion mobile apps

Ask your customers or audience to give their Pinnions using the Pinnion app for iPhone and iPad or the Pinnion app for Android. They’ll just need the name of the Channel(s) that you want them to join.

• When you create a Pinnion, use the Include tab to select the Channel that you’ve asked your customers to join
• Use the Send tab to select the days and times when you want the Pinnion to be released and expired.
• Anyone who has joined your Channel will receive a notification when the Pinnion is released (requires notifications to be active for the Pinnion app)
• Once the Pinnion has expired, it is automatically recalled from the app of anyone who did not complete the Pinnion and the notification is removed.

Setting open and close times for your Pinnion

It is possible to schedule your Pinnions to open and close at specific times. This allows you to create many Pinnions at once and then schedule them to appear in a certain order. Pinnions will be displayed in the channel(s) when the start time has been reached and then will be automatically removed at the expiration time.

Just click “Show Additional Options” on the Send tab in order to see these options.

Next: Learn how to create a Pinnion