Communities help you and your audience create a space for everyone to express, learn, and grow together. However, to keep that space safe and productive, you need to establish rules and regulations to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Understanding Member Roles #
Think of a community group as a team. In this team, there are four important roles:
- Owner: This role is assigned to the Group creator and is the highest permission level; only the Owner can deactivate or delete the group.
- Admin: They can add or remove team members and assign Admin status to other members, effectively recruiting more help within the group.
- Moderator: Think of them as referees; they make sure everyone plays by the rules and keep the group a friendly place.
- Contributor: These are the team players who talk, share, and learn together. They can post and show they’re active.
Role Permissions #
The permission level goes from Owner to Contributor.
| Role | Create Posts | Moderate Posts | Manage Members | Delete Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Admin | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Moderator | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Contributor | Yes | No | No | No |
Inviting Members to the Group #
To get people to join your group, you can invite them by adding their information inside the “Invite via Email” section in your communities platform, or by copying the special link and sending it to them in an SMS or email.
Modifying Member Roles and Access Control #
Owners and Admins can decide who can do what in the group. If you want to change someone’s role, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Members” section in the group, find the person you want to change, and click on the three dots next to their name.
- Select Change Role and pick the new role you want them to have.
Managing Courses #
If you need to remove or grant access to a Course within the Group, click Manage Courses to open the list.
- To remove access from a Course, click the red x icon.
- Click Grant Courses to give access.
- Check the box next to the Courses you want to include, then click Grant to save your changes.
Removing and Banning Members #
As your group is growing, you may encounter undesired guests. If this happens, Owners and Admins can remove someone from the group if needed. Removing someone revokes their member status, but they can join the group again in the future. Banning someone is a permanent solution since they will not be able to join the group again. To do so:
- Go to the “Members” section in the group. Find the person you want to remove and click on the three dots next to their name.
- Choose Remove or Ban from the group.
Changing Member Email/Phone Visibility #
Members can click on their profile picture on the top right to access their View or Edit Profile area.
From here, they can access the Social Media tab to choose whether or not they wish their email or phone to be visible.
Migrating Members from Existing Communities #
Sometimes, a group might move to a new place, like changing schools. Here’s how to make that move:
- Create a new group in the new place.
- Make sure it looks the same as the old one, so people recognize it.
- Send messages to your old group members, telling them about the move.
- Make a welcoming post in the new group to say hi to new members and explain how things work.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Can I set up an automated invitation for new clients added to my CRM? #
Yes, you can add the action “Grant Group Access” to any workflow to give your clients access to any group.
I have a large list of potential members. Is there a way to invite them all at once? #
You can invite multiple members at once by sending out a bulk email or SMS with the group URL included.
Can members invite others to the group, or is this feature exclusive to admins and owners? #
Members can share the group URL with others, effectively inviting them. However, to maintain control over group membership, Admins and Owners can remove anyone they do not wish to allow in a group, or with Private groups, refuse the request to join altogether.
I sent an invitation, but the member hasn’t joined yet. Can I resend the invitation? #
Absolutely. It’s possible the invitation was missed, or they haven’t had a chance to join yet. Simply resend the group URL to give them another opportunity to join.
Can I personalize the invitation sent to potential members? #
When inviting someone directly from the Communities platform, the message can’t be modified. However, if you invite someone via SMS or email, you can personalize the invitation, just make sure to keep the group URL in the message.
What happens when an invited member tries to join the group? #
When an invited member clicks the group URL, they are directed to the group where they can request to join. For Public Groups, they are admitted automatically upon signing up. For Private Groups, admins may accept their request to join in the “Members” section.
