At PeerBoard, we provide both global and granular access controls. You can use these features to manage member permissions in your community.
Access settings can be divided into three spaces (each of which we'll take a closer look at):
- Global access settings
- Space-level posting settings
- Access for user groups
1. Global access settings
Navigate to global access settings by going to your community homepage and selecting Settings > General from the main menu on the right of the page. You'll find global options under the Access header.
Alternatively, type the following URL into your browser: yourcommunityurl/settings/general (don't forget to replace "yourcommunityurl" with your domain).
There are two main options (in the form of checkboxes) for controlling access globally:
- Public content, readable and searchable without registration - Check this option to let everybody access all posts (except those you have specifically set to private), including anonymous users and search engines. Disabling this checkbox makes community content visible to members only. You also have an option to set a registration wall for longer posts.
- Invite-only member registration (instead of open admission) - Check this option to make your community invite-only.
Depending on which settings you opt for, you will create one of four possible communities:
- An invite-only community with no public content.
- An invite-only community with public content.
- An open-registration community with no public content (users have to register to read).
- An open-registration community with public content.
PeerBoard's default settings are for number four, i.e. open registration with public content.
💡 Quick Tip: For search engine optimization (SEO) purposes and to encourage greater content consumption, we recommend keeping your content public. You may want to include a registration wall on longer content, which you can do by checking the relevant box in the Access section (described above).
2. Space-level posting settings
You can prevent general users from posting in specific spaces. Only admins will be able to create new posts.
Navigate to the Spaces page from the homepage menu. Next, select the lock icon beside the spaces for which you want to limit posting permissions.
This feature is perfect for spaces containing announcements from community leaders, blog posts, or important messages you want to keep separate from user-generated content.
3. Access for user groups
"User Groups" is a multi-faceted feature that allows you to create a tailored access system for your community. You can use it to specify which users have access to which post spaces.
The setup process consists of three simple steps:
1. Create a user group.
From your community homepage, navigate to User Settings using the main menu on the right of the page. Alternatively, type the following into your browser yourcommunityurl/settings/groups (don't forget to replace "yourcommunityurl" with your domain).
Use the main entry field at the top of the page to create a group. From this interface, you can also set visibility for the "group badge" (which will appear next to members' profiles in posts) and modify the badge color.
2. Assign users to a group.
From the main menu on the right of the screen, navigate to User management > Members. From this page, you can use the Add to groups drop-down to add members to groups.
3. Configure space access for different user groups.
This feature lets you stipulate which groups can access certain spaces.
Navigate to the Spaces page using the main menu on the right of the screen. Select which groups will have access to a space using the All users drop-down. If you want the space to be open to all users, select All users (which is the default option).
If you'd like to separate members visually via badges, but not restrict access for different groups, skip this step.
Summing Up
We've created these features to allow you to build a community that fits your exact specifications. Still need more? Let us know what's missing in the comments!