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Almost everything in Vista Social has a Share button. Create a link, send it to a client, a manager or a freelancer, and they can open it in their browser without a Vista Social account. With comments on, they can leave feedback right on the page, and it lands next to the work in Vista Social.
What you can share
- Ideas and collections: select ideas, or open a collection's menu, on the Ideas page. A shared collection includes its folders, and people can comment on the whole collection or on single ideas.
- Media files and folders: open a file's menu or a folder's menu in the Media Library.
- Inbox messages and conversations: open the menu on a conversation or on any message in it.
- Reviews: click the link icon on a review card, or Share review in a reply's menu.
- Work tasks: open the actions menu in the task.
- Automations: open the row menu in the Automations table.
- Vista Pages: open the page card's menu, or click the Share icon in the page editor.
- Listeners: open the listener card's menu, or click the Share icon in the listener header.
- Ask Vista documents: click Share in the document preview.
Everything shared through a link is live. When you edit the item, people with the link see the change the next time they open or refresh the page.
Shared calendars and report links still use their own sharing settings, so the options in this article don't apply to them yet. Learn more in Shared Calendar and How to share interactive report links.
How to create a link
- Click Share on the item.
- Under Who can open it, choose Anyone with the link or Only with a password. Passwords need at least 6 characters. Send the password separately from the link.
- Under Link stops working after, pick how long the link should last.
- Turn on Let people comment if you want feedback. Turn on Allow attachments too if people should be able to add images and videos to their comments.
- Click Create link. The link is copied, ready to paste into an email, Slack or a text message.
If the item already has a link, the dialog shows that link instead of making a new one. You can copy it, change its settings and click Save changes.
Choose what to share
Some items let you pick what's on the link:
- Inbox: This message, Thread as it is now (newer replies won't show), or Thread, live (new replies show up as they come in). Internal notes are never shared.
- Work tasks: the title, status, priority, dates and description always show. Checklist, attachments and subtasks are on by default. Assignees, tags, custom fields and activity stay off unless you turn them on.
- Automations: performance is on by default. Contacts and settings are off.
- Listeners: activity and results are on by default. Keywords are off, since listeners often track competitors.
Copy a team link
At the top of the Share dialog, Copy team link copies the item's address inside Vista Social. Teammates open it with the access they already have, so no public link is created. It works even when shared links are turned off for your workspace.
What people see when they open your link
- Your workspace name at the top, with your logo if you've added one. If your workspace uses white label, the link opens on your own domain with your branding.
- The item you shared, and nothing else from your workspace.
- Team members by first name and picture. Email addresses are never shown, and the page doesn't say who shared it.
When someone pastes the link into Slack, iMessage or email, the preview shows only the link's title and your workspace name. Password-protected links show only "Shared link".
Comments and attachments
When Let people comment is on, people with the link can comment on what you shared:
- The first time they comment, they enter their name and email, or click Continue with Google. Google sign-ins show their Google name and picture.
- With Allow attachments on, they can add images and videos to their comments.
- They see the comments your team marked External. Internal comments stay inside Vista Social.
Important Files guests attach to comments count toward your workspace's upload limits, even though they don't go into your Media Library until you add them. Only turn on Allow attachments when you need files back. |
Where their comments show up for your team
Comments from your link land in the item's comment thread in Vista Social, under External, marked "Guest on shared link". The person who created the link and the item's creator get an email and an in-app notification.
When your team comments on an item, choose Internal to keep the comment inside Vista Social, or External so people with the link see it too.
To keep a file a guest attached, open it from the comment and add it to your Media Library.
Remove comments and block people
From the item's comment thread, the link's owner, the item's owner and managers can:
- Delete a guest's comment. It disappears from the link and from Vista Social.
- Block a guest from the link. They can still view the page but can't comment. You can unblock them from the same menu.
How to manage your links
Each Share dialog shows the item's current link, with Copy link, Extend and Remove. The Shared links list on the Ideas and Media pages, and in Ask Vista settings, shows your live links with view counts and expiry dates.
- Extend: we email you a week before a link stops working, with a button to extend it. Expired links stay in your list as Expired, and you can extend them there too.
- Remove: the link stops working right away. Anyone who opens it sees "This link isn't available".
- Change settings: turn comments or attachments off at any time. Existing comments are kept.
- Only the person who created a link, or a manager, can change it. Everyone else can copy it.
When someone is removed from your workspace, their links move to the person who removed them, so links you've already sent to clients keep working.
Turn shared links on or off for your workspace
Shared links are on by default. Managers can turn them off with Allow shared links, at the top of any Shared links list.
When shared links are off, no one can create or change links. Links you've already sent keep working until a manager removes them, so turning the setting off never breaks a client's link without warning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the person I share with need a Vista Social account?
A: No. Anyone with the link can open it in a browser, on desktop or mobile.
Q: Can they edit what I shared?
A: No. They can view it and, if you allow it, comment and attach files.
Q: Can clients approve posts from a shared link?
A: No. Shared links are for feedback, not approvals. To have a client approve posts without logging in, use a shared calendar with an approval workflow. Learn more in Using shared calendars for external/client approvals (no login).
Q: Can they see other things in my workspace?
A: No. A link shows only the item you shared, and only what you chose to include.
Q: What happens if I lose access to the item?
A: A link never shows more than its owner can see. If the item is deleted, or the owner can no longer open it, the link shows "This link isn't available".
Q: Do my teammates need the public link?
A: No. Use Copy team link instead. Teammates open the item in Vista Social with their own access.
Need help?
Reach out to our support team, and we are happy to help.
Related Reading:
How to use post comments for team collaboration
Using shared calendars for external/client approvals (no login)
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