Knowledgebase

The forum is a powerful tool for engagement. Depending on the configuration of the page, this tool can be used as a member resource, public outreach, or a dedicated area for subsets of your membership. Configuration settings for the forum determine how long discussions remain active and control who can post threads and replies.

General

Default archive period: This is the timeframe that a discussion will remain active and available on the website. Set this to "0," if threads should not be automatically archived.

Max allowed posts per session: This setting limits the number of comments users can add per visit to your website. This setting also applies to blog comments. 

Website Display

Number of threads to display per page: For active forums, there can be dozens of active threads. To avoid overwhelming users and/or to keep the most recent threads more accessible, limit the number of threads per page. All others will be available through page links at the bottom of the page.

Landing page display: Depending on the number of active threads, it might be preferable to have the full thread or just a snippet available on the main listing. Users can click into any thread to see additional replies in either case.

Threads

Allow people to start threads? Enable this option if users can begin discussions. If the forum is being managed by admins who will be starting all discussions, this can be disabled. This often limits engagement, so disabling the option should be evaluated carefully.

Who can start a thread: This option is only available if people are permitted to start threads. Depending on the users for the forum, Members, Logged in users, and Public are all valid options. Be aware that these permissions do not supersede restrictions on the page or thread.

Manually approve threads? Enabling this option will cause all submitted threads to be held in a pending status. All threads must be approved by an admin in the system before they will display on the website. Moderation is strongly recommended if thread submissions are publicly available.

Moderator Email Address: If threads are subject to approval, an email address should be entered here. This email address will be notified when any thread is submitted. 

Replies

Who can reply: Enable this option if users can respond to discussions. This option should be enabled in almost all cases. The purpose of a forum is to encourage engagement and removing the ability to reply will limit that opportunity.

Manually approve replies? Enabling this option will cause all submitted replies to be held in a pending status. All replies must be approved by an admin in the system before they will display on the website. Moderation is strongly recommend if replies are publicly available.

Moderator Email Address: If replies are subject to approval, an email address should be entered here. This email address will be notified when any reply is submitted.