Smart Category: Creating Inclusion and Exclusion rules for your posts

The Smart Category feature allows users to set flexible inclusion or exclusion rules for posts based on specific parameters such as categories, tags, authors, or post types. This feature offers greater control over the content displayed within categories, making it easier for users to curate content in a more personalized and efficient manner. 

Where to Find:

Navigate to the Dashboard and follow these steps:

1. Go to Categories.
2. Select Edit for an existing category or Create a new one.
3. Scroll down to find the Smart Rules section at the bottom of the page.

Key Features:

• Rule Parameters: Set inclusion or exclusion rules based on the following:

  • Categories: Control which categories posts are included in or excluded from.
  • Tags: Apply rules that include or exclude posts based on their assigned tags.
  • Authors: Specify which posts by certain authors are shown or hidden within a category.
  • Post Types: Filter content based on the type of post (e.g., article, gallery, video).

• Automation: Once the Smart Rules are defined, posts will automatically apply the rule elements (category, tag, author, post type) specified. This removes the need for manual content assignment, ensuring your categories are always up-to-date.

• Flexibility: The rules can be easily adjusted or removed, providing a customizable and dynamic approach to content curation.

Here's an example of how Smart Rules work by applying conditions based on categories, tags, authors, and post types:

To automatically include a post under the "Religion" category, it must satisfy the following criteria:

• Categories: Sport, Entertainment, or Society
• Tags: Lockdown Videos
• Author: Vigneshwari
• Post Type: Article or Video

In this case, since the post included the author specified in the Smart Rules, the "Religion" category was automatically added according to the inclusion rule. 

Step 3: Creating Exclusion Rules

1. Scroll down to the Exclude Rules section.
2. Here, you will see the same fields as in the inclusion rules:
   • Categories
   • Tags
   • Authors
   • Post Types
   You can choose the criteria for the posts you wish to exclude from the selected category.

Here's an example of how Exclusion Smart Rules work by applying conditions based on categories, tags, authors, and post types:

To automatically exclude a post under the "Religion" category, it must satisfy the following criteria:

• Categories: Technology, Health, Association, Personal Finance, Testing
• Tags: Police award
• Author: Pub
• Post Type: Video

In this case, since the post type was Video as specified in the Smart Rules, the "Religion" category was not added according to the exclusion rule.  

 

Note: Exclusion rules take priority over inclusion rules. If a post meets the criteria for both inclusion and exclusion, the exclusion rule will be applied.

Step 4: Combine Rules

If needed, you can set both Inclusion and Exclusion rules together to refine the content categorization. For example, you can include posts with certain tags and authors but exclude specific categories or post types.

The system will follow the combined rules (using logical operators like AND), ensuring that the content displayed in the category aligns with your exact specifications.

Automated Application

Once the rules are set, posts that match the defined criteria will automatically be included or excluded from the selected category, streamlining the content curation process.

Benefits for Publishers:

• Improved Content Management: The ability to automatically manage posts based on defined rules saves time and reduces the complexity of content categorization.
• Personalization: Tailor your content categories based on specific audience segments or focus areas, providing more relevant content to your readers.
• Efficiency: Automation of content assignment ensures your categories remain organized and updated without constant manual intervention.

Use Case:

A news website can use the Smart Category feature to include posts about technology authored by specific writers and exclude certain post types (e.g., opinion pieces), ensuring readers always get the latest and most relevant content.

 

Overall, the Smart Rules feature provides digital publishers with greater control over content curation by allowing them to automatically include or exclude posts based on categories, tags, authors, and post types. This ensures more targeted and relevant content distribution, enhancing audience engagement, improving content discoverability, and saving time on manual content management.