Why you should always use Add It to contribute content in Atlas

Our clients continually inform us that their biggest business challenge is about "finding their content". 

With Atlas, we offer tools that simplify the process of content retrieval, but there is a crucial prerequisite to ensuring the content is searchable. 

Merely uploading content without proper tagging and categorization is akin to throwing a needle in a haystack. 

Tagging ALL content properly is the secret, as it’s the basis for finding any credible and reliable content. 

So, when uploading anything we should always have in mind that we’ll also want to find that content at some point in the future, otherwise why are we uploading it? 

What is Add It?

Before we jump into Add It, it is important to check that your workspaces were properly provisioned with ConneX and have default metadata established. Starting from Atlas 4.2 onwards, we offer the functionality in ConneX to assign default tags at a folder level. This feature ensures that any content inserted into a folder gets automatically tagged with the specified default metadata. 

The Add it feature enables users to effortlessly upload content to any workspace within Atlas. It simplifies the process by guiding users through a straightforward workflow, allowing them to easily apply any required tags. The system also automatically incorporates the default tags set at the workspace or folder level (as previously provisioned through ConneX). Users have the flexibility to modify any tags as needed or include any additional tags they require. 

Why should you always use Add It?

Although simply dragging and dropping items into your OneDrive or a SharePoint folder may appear very straightforward, and is indeed a frequent practice, it's important to remember a key aspect: "how will I locate my material in the future when I or others require it?". 

Utilizing Add It ensures that you upload to the appropriate workspace and apply accurate tags in seconds. These quick actions could potentially save you and your colleagues a considerable amount of time later when rummaging for that specific piece of material. 

The easy-to-use nature of Add It enables all users, irrespective of their IT skills, to add content correctly so that anyone who needs it later can find it quickly and reliably.

What's coming?

We acknowledge the challenge of changing habits, especially when people are accustomed to a particular way of working. It can be tough to transition to a new way of working. 

In response to this, we have been working on enhancing the Add It user experience. Firstly, we introduced "Quick Add It", a feature that lets you set up your pages so that you can directly upload specific content without the need to navigate to the original Add It menu. 

With Atlas 5.3, we're taking it even further by introducing a drag and drop area within the page. This functionality will seamlessly guide you through the Add It process, offering a simple way to configure your metadata. Here are some mock-ups of the anticipated experience (please note that these designs are subject to minor changes as we continue to refine the feature).