Managing forums

As an owner or admin, you can create and maintain one or more forums from the dashboard.

Creating a forum

To create a new forum, you'll typically:

1. Open the forums area of the dashboard.
2. Click the option to create a forum.
3. Provide basic details such as name, description, and (optionally) an initial structure.

You can always refine the structure later using the structure management tools.

Forum list

The dashboard shows a list of forums you can manage, including:

• The forum name and a short description.
• Basic stats like member counts or activity indicators (where implemented).
• Actions to open the forum, manage structure, and configure settings.

This makes it easy to switch between multiple forums (for example, different products or cohorts).

Analytics and health

Depending on your setup, you may have access to a forum analytics view that surfaces:

• Activity over time (threads and posts).
• Engagement patterns.
• Which boards or categories are most active.

Use this data to:

• See where members are getting value.
• Identify boards that might need consolidation or more promotion.
• Spot areas where moderation or clearer guidelines could help.

Running multiple forums

If you operate several forums (for example, one per product, one per cohort, or one public + one private), the dashboard becomes your control room. A few practices make this scale:

• Name forums for navigation, not for marketing. "Q4 2026 Cohort" beats "Welcome to the New Beginning". You will read the name in a list a hundred times.
• Keep a consistent category structure across similar forums. Members who move between forums should not have to relearn where things live.
• Designate at least one co-admin per forum. The dashboard view of "forums you manage" is easier to use when others can pick up moderation when you are out.

Retiring or archiving a forum

When a forum has served its purpose, do not just leave it open and unloved. Either:

• Archive it so it becomes read-only. Members can still browse history; nothing new gets posted; you stop having to moderate.
• Migrate the useful content to a sibling forum or a knowledge base before archiving, so the answers do not disappear from search.
• Communicate the change in a final pinned thread so members understand what is happening.

A dormant forum that still accepts posts often becomes a dumping ground for spam or stale questions; an explicit archive is cleaner for everyone.