Forum use cases
Forum use cases & examples
Forums are flexible: the same underlying structure can support customer communities, internal knowledge, courses and more. Here are common patterns you can copy.
Main ways people use forums
Most successful forums focus on one clear job to be done, then grow from there.
Customer community & support
Bring customers together around your product, answer questions in public and turn the best explanations into a living knowledge base.
Explore customer community forumsInternal knowledge & documentation
Capture decisions, FAQs and “how we do things” in a searchable forum instead of scattered documents and chats.
Explore internal knowledge forumsCourses, cohorts and learning groups
Keep questions, reflections and assignments in one place between live sessions or lessons.
Explore course community forumsNiche hobby & interest communities
Give people a stable home for deep conversations about their shared interest, separate from algorithm‑driven social feeds.
Learn what makes forums different from chatStart from a concrete example
Pick a use case that matches your situation and adapt the structure to your own group.
Customer community forum
Help customers help each other, surface product ideas and reduce repeated support tickets.
See how this worksInternal knowledge base forum
Turn questions and decisions into searchable threads for current and future team members.
See how this worksOnline course community
Keep learners engaged between calls and give them a place to share wins and questions.
See how this worksHow to pick the right forum model
Start from the main job your forum needs to do. The rest of the structure can grow over time.
If your main problem is repeated questions from customers, start with a customer community forum.
If you are onboarding teammates and documenting “how we work”, start with an internal knowledge base forum.
If you run courses or cohorts, start with an online course community forum that mirrors your modules.
Turn a use case into a live forum
Pick a clear use case, start with a simple structure and refine it as people actually use the forum.
Start your forum