About
Galleries and channels are both spaces for organizing and sharing media in Content Hubs. While they may seem similar, they serve different purposes.
Galleries vs Channels
Galleries
Galleries help define the structure and taxonomy of your Content Hubs site. They are usually used for broader, organization-wide content areas, such as departments, regions, programs, or topics.
Galleries are created and managed by administrators in the Rich Media Content Management System (Rich Media CMS). They can also be organized in a hierarchy using sub-galleries.
Depending on your site configuration, galleries may appear in the site navigation and can contain media, related channels, and other site content.
Channels
Channels are usually created for more focused or collaborative purposes, such as projects, teams, courses, events, or individual trainers.
Channels can be created and managed directly in Content Hubs, without access to the Rich Media CMS. Users can access channels from the site navigation, the Channels page, or My Channels in the user menu, depending on your site configuration.
Channels are more dynamic and customizable. Channel managers may be able to:
- Add thumbnails or banners
- Customize the channel page layout
- Create playlists and channel collections
- Allow users to subscribe to channel updates
- Manage members and permissions
- Add or manage content
- Associate the channel with one or more galleries
When a channel is associated with a gallery, it can appear under the gallery’s Channels tab.
Similarities
Both galleries and channels can be configured with different access levels. For example, they may be:
- Public and available to guests
- Restricted to logged-in users
- Private and available only to specific members or groups
Both galleries and channels can also support content moderation, so submitted media must be approved before publication.
Managers and administrators can control who can view, contribute, moderate, or manage content in each space. Users with the appropriate permissions may also be able to access analytics.
Both galleries and channels support:
- Public, restricted, or private access
- Content moderation workflows
- Permissions and member management
- Analytics access for managers/admins
Key differences
| Area | Galleries | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Define the site’s broader structure and taxonomy | Provide focused or collaborative content spaces |
| Typical uses | Departments, regions, programs, or topics | Projects, teams, courses, events, or trainers |
| Creation | Parent galleries are created by administrators in the Rich Media CMS | Created directly in Content Hubs by users with the appropriate permissions |
| Organization | Can be arranged hierarchically using sub-galleries | Can include playlists and be grouped into channel collections |
| Where users find them | Typically accessed from the site navigation | Accessed from the Channels page, My Channels, site navigation, or an associated gallery |
| Relationship | Can display associated channels | Can be associated with one or more galleries |
| Subscriptions | Users can’t subscribe directly to gallery updates | Users can subscribe to channel updates when subscriptions are enabled |
Summary
- Use galleries to organize broad site structure and taxonomy.
- Use channels for more focused, flexible, and collaborative content spaces.
To learn more, see Introduction to galleries in Content Hubs and Introduction to channels in Content Hubs.
