How to moderate the forums & set expectations?

How to moderate the forums & set expectations?

Roles: Primary Admin, Admin

Description: In this article, you will learn how to keep your forums useful and respectful. You will see how to set expectations, find unanswered posts, handle flagged content, and delete posts, comments, and replies.

Benefits:

  • Healthy discussions: Learners can flag content that doesn't belong, and you decide what happens next.
  • No question left behind: Find posts that nobody has answered yet and follow up.
  • Full control: Delete any post, comment, or reply from any user.

Note: Forums are available when Social Learning is turned on for your organization.

Set expectations

Tell learners what each forum is for before they start posting.

  • Use the forum Description (up to 150 characters) to say what belongs in the forum and what doesn't. See How to manage general forums?.
  • Make a forum private when only one group should take part. See Creating a private forum.
  • Remind learners that they can flag a post or comment that doesn't follow your guidelines.

Forum Setting page with the Title field and the Description field, max 150 characters

Step by step: find unanswered posts

A post is marked Unanswered when nobody has commented on it or replied to it for more than 24 hours.

  1. In the top navigation menu, go to Engagement > Forums and click the Posts tab.
  2. Click the filter icon next to the search box.
  3. Under By Post Status, select Unanswered, then click Apply.
  4. Click a post to open it and join the conversation, or leave it for the right person to answer.

Filter panel on the Posts tab with By Post Status open, showing Unanswered and Answered

The post stops being unanswered as soon as someone comments or replies.

Step by step: mark a post as answered

Use this when a post has been answered outside the forum, or doesn't need an answer.

  1. Find the post in the Posts tab.
  2. Click the three-dot menu on the post and select Mark as answered.
  3. Confirm when prompted. The post is removed from the Unanswered list for all admins.

Unanswered post on the Posts tab with its three-dot menu showing Mark as answered, Flag, Share Post, and Delete

Handle flagged content

Learners and admins can flag a post or comment from its three-dot menu. A person can flag the same item only once.

Flags What happens
Flagged once The content stays visible. Admins and the author see a red flag on it. Other learners see it as usual.
Flagged twice The content is hidden from learners. Admins and the author still see it, highlighted in red.

Admins and the author of the content are notified when something is flagged.

Step by step: review and unflag content

  1. Open the flagged post or comment. Look for the red flag icon and the word Flagged.
  2. Decide what to do. To remove the content, use the three-dot menu and select Delete.
  3. To keep the content, click the red flag icon at the top right of the post to unflag it. The flag count resets, and the content is visible to everyone again.

Flagged post with the red flag and the word Flagged at the top right

Note: Only admins can unflag content.

Step by step: delete a post, comment, or reply

  1. Open the post, or the post that holds the comment or reply.
  2. Click the three-dot menu on the item you want to remove.
  3. Select Delete and confirm when prompted.

Three-dot menu on a comment with Flag and Delete

Note: Deleting content removes it for everyone, including the person who wrote it.

Common questions

Who can delete posts and comments?

Admins can delete any post, comment, or reply from any user.

Can I stop people from posting in a forum?

Yes. Archive the forum. Its posts are kept, but learners can no longer open it. See How to manage general forums?.

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