Summary: This guide is for admins and IT admins who want to show their network's Feed on digital screens (narrowcasting) around the organization. It explains how the Timeline Feed Syndicator works, how to configure it, and how to share the feed URL with your digital signage provider.
How the Syndicator works
The Timeline Feed Syndicator is a simple way to connect Speakap to screens throughout your organization, without your digital signage provider having to build a complex custom integration via the Speakap API.
Speakap installs this integration on your network. Once active, it generates a unique URL that acts as a secure data feed. You give this URL to your digital signage provider, and their application uses it to continuously pull and display Feed content on your company's screens.
Configuration settings
Once Speakap has installed the integration, network admins can open the configuration panel to define how the feed behaves.
- Go to your Network Settings and find the Timeline Feed Syndicator configuration.
- Select output format: Choose the data format your digital signage provider needs (for example, Atom).
- Number of messages: Set the maximum number of recent posts the feed should include at any time (for example, 10 messages).
[IMAGE: The Timeline Feed Syndicator configuration panel with output format, number of messages, and the feed URL]
Sharing the feed URL and keeping it secure
The most important part of the configuration is managing the secure URL.
- Timeline Feed URL: Copy this unique link and send it directly to your digital signage provider to set up the connection.
- Regenerating the token: The feed URL contains a secure token. If you suspect the URL has been shared with people who should not have it, click the Regenerate token button.
- Important: This immediately makes the old URL invalid. You then need to give the newly generated URL to your signage provider so they can update their systems.
Limitations of the Syndicator
The Timeline Feed Syndicator is easy to set up, but it has one significant limitation compared to a custom-built API solution.
Network-wide content only: The feed only outputs items that are addressed to the entire network. It is not currently possible to filter the feed to show content from specific Business Units, Local Departments, or groups.
If your organization needs granular filtering (for example, showing only local store news on that store's screens), your signage provider needs to build a custom integration using the Speakap API.
Still stuck?
Email us at technicalimplementations@speakap.nl with your network name and what you'd like the feed to show, and we'll help you out. This is also the right address if you want to explore custom API development.