Lesson 2. Customizing Your Basecamp Workspace

In this lesson, you learn how to customize your Basecamp workspace by defining default settings and adding your own logo and color scheme.

Adding a Logo

To personalize your Basecamp workspace, consider adding an optional company logo. Your logo must be in GIF, JPG, or PNG format and no more than 300 pixels wide. Logos appear on the login screen, the Dashboard, and Overview pages.

To add a logo, follow these steps:

1. Click the Upload Your Logo link on the Basecamp Dashboard. The Settings page opens, shown in Figure 2.1.

   Figure 2.1. Upload your logo on the Settings page.

   

   Note

   Where’s the Upload Your Logo Link?

   The Upload Your Logo link appears on Basecamp’s Dashboard only until you create your first project. If this link is no longer on your Dashboard, you can also click the Settings tab to open the Settings page where you can also upload a logo.

2. Click the Browse button and select the photo on your computer. Depending on your browser and operating system, this button could be named Choose File instead.
3. Click the Upload Logo button. The logo displays as a preview on the Settings page (see Figure 2.2).

   Figure 2.2. Displaying your company logo helps personalize your Basecamp workspace.

   

4. If you want to place your logo in a white box for better contrast against Basecamp’s background, select the Put Logo in a White Box checkbox.

   Tip

   Blend Your Logo into Basecamp’s Background

   Instead of a white background, consider blending your logo into Basecamp’s gray background. To do so, apply a gray background (with hex color #e5e5e5) to your logo in your graphics program, save as a GIF, and upload to Basecamp.

5. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page. Your logo now appears on Basecamp.

To remove your logo from your Basecamp workspace, click the Delete Logo link. You can also replace your logo by uploading a new logo.

Specifying Color Schemes

If Basecamp’s default color scheme doesn’t suit your needs, you can select another color scheme or create a custom color scheme. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Change Colors link on Basecamp’s Dashboard to open the Color Scheme page, shown in Figure 2.3.

   Figure 2.3. Customize the colors on your Basecamp workspace.

   

   Note

   Where’s the Change Colors Link?

   The Change Colors link appears on Basecamp’s Dashboard only until you create your first project. If this link is no longer on your Dashboard, you can also click the Settings tab and then the Color Scheme link to open the Color Scheme page.

2. Select the option button next to the color scheme you prefer in the Choose a Color Scheme section. The page displays a preview of how the color scheme appears on the Basecamp workspace.
3. Click the Save These Colors button to apply the new color scheme.

If none of Basecamp’s color schemes appeal to you or you want to apply a color scheme that matches your company’s colors, you can create a custom color scheme. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Select the Custom Colors option button.
2. In the Customize the Colors section, click the box of the color you want to change. The color palette opens (see Figure 2.4).

   Figure 2.4. Use the color palette to create a custom Basecamp color scheme.

   

3. Select the color you prefer in the color palette or enter a specific color’s hex code.

   Plain English

   Hex Code

   A hex code is a six-digit alphanumeric code used to identify a specific color on the web. It’s prefaced by the # sign. In general, you would use this if you want your Basecamp color scheme to exactly match an existing color scheme, such as one you use on your company’s website or logo.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to modify the other colors you want to change.
5. Click the Close (x) button to close the palette.
6. Click the Save These Colors button to save your changes.

Defining Default Settings

Before you start using Basecamp, you need to set up several default settings. You define these settings on the Settings page, below the Your Logo section. From the Basecamp Dashboard, click the Settings tab to open the Settings page.

On this page, you can define the following:

• Default message and file categories

• Your Basecamp site name

• Email notification preferences

• Encryption preferences

Defining Default Message Categories

Basecamp enables you to post and share messages with other project team members. Basecamp’s default message categories might work well for some businesses, such as a web design business, but might not work at all for other businesses. Think carefully about the types of messages you plan to post and the best way to categorize them to suit the needs of your specific business. You can always modify these at any time, but it’s a good idea to start with a plan that you feel is workable.

To specify the default categories for these messages, follow these steps:

1. In the Default Message Categories section of the Settings page, review Basecamp’s suggested default categories (see Figure 2.5). These include: Assets, Code, Copywriting, Design, Miscellaneous, and Transcripts.

   Figure 2.5. Review, delete, and add default categories to customize how you use Basecamp.

   

2. To delete a category, click the Trash icon to the right of its name and confirm that you want to delete.
3. To add a category, enter the new category’s name in the Add a New Default Message Category text box and click the Add Category button. The category is added to the list.
4. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the Settings page.

You can also add a new message category on the Post a New Message page.

See Lesson 8, “Posting and Commenting on Messages,” for more information about Basecamp’s messaging features.

Defining Default File Categories

Basecamp provides three default categories for files that you upload to Basecamp: Documents, Pictures, and Sounds. To specify alternative default categories for your files, follow these steps:

1. In the Default File Categories section of the Settings page, review Basecamp’s suggested default categories (see Figure 2.5).
2. To delete a category, click the Trash icon to the right of its name and confirm that you want to delete.
3. To add a category, enter the new category’s name in the Add a New Default File Category text box and click the Add Category button. The category is added to the list. If you want to create subcategories, consider using colons or dashes as a way to further define your categories. For example, you could create subcategories for Picture such as Pictures—Logos and Pictures—Clip Art.
4. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the Settings page.

See Lesson 9, “Sharing Files,” for more information about Basecamp’s file-sharing features.

Changing Your Basecamp Site Name

Basecamp displays your site name in the upper-left corner of every page. By default, this name is the company name you entered when you signed up. You can change this to another name, however.

To do so, enter your new site name in the text box in the Your Basecamp Site Name section on the Settings page. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page for your new name to take effect.

Defining Email Notification Preferences

By default, you can send an email to the people you select as responsible for a particular to-do or milestone. You can also subscribe people on your project team to receive email notifications about messages, comments, or uploaded files (see Figure 2.6).

Figure 2.6. Send email notifications to your project team members.

If you prefer, you can disable the email notification feature and hide this functionality from Basecamp pages. For example, you might have concerns about sending confidential information over the Internet. An alternative to communicating via email is to use Basecamp’s RSS feature. See Lesson 14, “Working with RSS Feeds,” to learn more about this option.

You define your email notification preferences in the Email Notification section on the Settings page. The Yes, Allow Email Notifications option button is the default selection. To disable notifications, select the No Email Notifications option button and click the Save Changes button.

Defining Encryption Preferences

Basecamp offers advanced security through SSL 128-bit encryption. Encryption is turned on by default, but you can change this setting at any time in the SSL 128-bit Encryption section of the Settings page. Keeping it on increases security but slows your data transmission speed. Turning it off decreases security, but increases your transmission speed. Be sure to click the Save Changes button before leaving the Settings page.

Consider carefully the confidentiality and nature of your project data before making a decision about your encryption preferences.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to customize your Basecamp workspace and define default settings. Next, it’s time to set up people and companies in your Basecamp system.