It is important to add metadata to all your content. Metadata is information about the module/diary/etc. This information is shown in the catalog to the end user. You add metadata in the menu on the left side of the screen. The more metadata you enter, the easier it is for the end user to find content. If the professional/client enters certain words in the search bar or filters on specific tags, the module (or diary, etc.) will appear more quickly.

Fields in the metadata

Below you will find a short explanation of the different fields in the metadata:

  • Title: This is the title that will appear in the catalog.
  • Language: Language of the content.
  • Subtitle (optioneel): In a subtitle you can name the (therapeutic) approach of the module. For example "Module based on cognitive behavioral therapy for excessive worrying";
  • Description (optioneel): You can add a detailed description of the module. This is shown in the catalog for professionals under 'Additional information'.
  • Short description (optional):You can describe in a few sentences who the module is for and what the main purpose of the module is.
  • Poster image (optional): Upload an image that will be displayed in the catalog.
  • Introduction video (optional): Upload a video that will be shown in the catalog.


Tags

You can add tags to the metadata. Tags allow the professional to filter their search option in the catalogue functionality. For example, let's say you are looking for a self-help module that is suitable for adults with stress. Instead of searching through keywords, you can check a few boxes to narrow down the long list of content (e.g., 'can be started by client', 'adults', and 'letting go of stress'). Although adding tags is an optional feature in the content management system, we see it as a standard procedure of intervention development. If your content is tagged, there is a higher chance that the professional will find and activate it, allowing the end-user to start working on it. And that's what your intervention development work is all about!

For example: you are looking for a module for adults with stress complaints. You don't have to type in keywords, but you can easily filter your overview by these categories. 

Tagging your content is optional, but we advise you never to skip this step! If your content is tagged, it will be found faster in the catalog by the therapist or client

 

What you need to know before you start tagging:

  • We recommend using your tags sparingly so they remain meaningful. Only tag multiple options within a category if there isn't one option that fits best. In most cases, a maximum of three options is fitting, preferably less. Why? If you tag too many options, it will not help the professional to narrow down their search.
  • Even though we strongly recommend tagging, tags are optional. If something has not been tagged, you can still find it by typing keywords in the search bar.
  • The catalogue search functionality only shows the professional options that have been tagged (e.g., if you have no content for children, the professional will not see that option in the search functionality. As soon as you add one tag for children, the option will appear).
  • The specific options within tags can differ per country (e.g., the United Kingdom has different types of care than the Netherlands and Germany).

 

How do you use tags?

Certain tags are self-explanatory. Others might need a little more background information and guidelines to create consistency in your catalogue.

  • Suitable for self-help:

    Check this box is you want end-users to be able to choose the content from the self-help catalogue freely. Keep in mind: this will only work if the Catalogue functionality is activated on your platform. If you are not sure about this, check with your application manager. Checking this box does not mean the content can only be used as self-help; it will also be available for professionals to assign to their clients. If the client him/herself selects a self-help module, it is the client that reads the metadata and decides on that basis whether this is a suitable module. That is why we use different guidelines for writing metadata for self-help modules. A client scrolling through the self-help catalog will see the title, short description and poster image. When the client clicks on 'View', he or she sees part of the poster image, the title, short description and the description of the module. From Minddistrict we recommend the following:

    1. Short description: a maximum of 3 sentences in which you describe the general purpose of the module and entice the user to read more about the module or start with the module.
    2. Description: a more detailed description of the self-help module with a focus on convincing the user that this is a module that fulfills his or her needs. And to motivate to start.
  • Age groups: Clarify for which age group(s) your content was developed. Only check a box if the content was specifically developed for that goal population. Do not check the box if you think it might be suitable for other age groups (e.g., developed for adults, but might be fine for teens and the elderly too). Imagine being a professional who is specifically searching for content for an elderly patient. If the editor didn't have this guideline in mind, the professional will filter on 'Elderly' and find a large catalogue of modules containing examples and video clips of non-elderly patients. You can imagine that isn't what he or she was looking for. That is why it is best to only tag the content if it truly fits the age group
  • Type of care:Clarify for which type(s) of care your content was developed. Keep in mind that (generic) content might be suitable for multiple types of care. This can be an exception to the 'use your tags sparingly' rule. However, being as specific as possible will help the searching professional the most. Try to determine what should be tagged by considering not only the specific topic, but the severity of the psycho-education, exercises, examples and video clips.
  • Themes: Check the box(es) of the positive, solution-focused themes that identify your content. Here it is especially important to narrow the number of themes down to preferably 1, but a maximum of 3. Consider which theme is most fitting for the content you are tagging. For example, a module like 'rumination' could fit within the 'letting go of stress' theme (less rumination = less stress). However, the main goal of the module is to target ruminative thoughts. Therefore, it is more fitting in 'dealing with thoughts'. This guideline also applies to generic content that is practically blanc. For example, a generic diary like ‘Moments’ in which the end-user simply notes something they would like to share. When it comes to themes, you will almost always find something fitting because there are broad themes (e.g., 'finding balance').
  • Complaints and problems:  Check the box(es) of the complaints and problems that identify your content. Again: try to tag as sparingly as possible. In most cases, there will be 1-3 complaints and problems that are most fitting. But what should you do if something fits with all complaints and problems? For example, the generic diary ‘Moments’ in which the end-user can share anything they want to. If there really isn’t one complaint or problem that it is most fitting for, do not tag anything. Definitely don’t tag everything. Why? We do not want people to filter on something like ‘developmental disorders’ and find 3 generic diaries and modules that have nothing to do with developmental disorders. Of course, there is an exception to this rule: the thought record diary is a core part of many treatments. Therefore, it is allowed quite a few tags when it comes to ‘Complaints and problems’. Consider in which modules it is essential and tag all those. For example, we selected: ‘anxiety’, ‘compulsive disorder’, ‘low self-esteem’, ‘mood problems’, ‘sleep problems’ and ‘stress’ for our English thought record diary.