Google Sites and XOGO Digital Signage
Google Sites allows you to create free webpages in seconds, which can be displayed right in XOGO.
Create webpages in seconds. Display them in XOGO.
Google Sites is a free online tool that allows users to create free webpages in just seconds. Since XOGO supports the playback of URLs (in addition to graphics and videos), Google Sites is a great option for XOGO users that want to quickly create content for their players!
How it Works
Getting started with Google Sites is easy. Just navigate to sites.google.com and log in with your Google account. Then click on "Blank" to create a new webpage in 16:9 format. You can adjust the theme, font style, or even insert elements like Google Maps, Sheets or Calendars. As you work on your design, just be sure to keep all of your content on a single page that won't require clicking or scrolling. You can click Preview at the top right of the page at any time, in order to see what your webpage will look like once it's live.
Choose from various themes, add your text or Google elements, and choose your own URL slug.
Once you're happy with your new webpage, click Publish at the top right and give your webpage a name. Then you can view the final webpage in a browser, and copy the URL so you can add it to XOGO.
In order to add your URL to XOGO, first open XOGO Manager and click +NEW in the content library section. Select URL as the content type, then paste in your webpage's URL and type in a name. Click save and the URL will be added to your XOGO content library. Now you can add it to a new or existing XOGO playlist, and assign that playlist to a player. When you're done, your new Google webpage will be playing right alongside any other graphics or videos that you have in your playlist.
Click +NEW in your XOGO library then drop in your Google URL. Now you can add it to a playlist!
As a bonus, since your XOGO players are simply displaying a URL, whenever you make edits to the Google webpage, you'll immediately see them reflected on your XOGO players as well. The only drawback to using URLs, of course, is that Internet connectivity is required. If your XOGO players were to lose Internet connectivity for some reason, they would still be able to play graphics and videos (because those are cached on the players' hard drives) but they would be unable to display URLs until they come back online.
Summary
Google Sites is a great way for a XOGO user to create a nice-looking webpage for free and get it to display on one or more digital signs. Display text and graphics, or even Google Maps, Calendars, and Sheets - all with no coding required. Let us know what you think about Google Sites, or send us a note anytime if you have questions.