Forum is Gradual’s community message board where members can post conversations to spark discussion and debate amongst the community.

Forum appears as a main menu item on the left-hand side of your community, with Events, Content, People, etc. You can restrict Forum boards to certain space(s) or allow only signed-in members to access and engage with all posts - or open them for everyone to see, including visitors.

The Forum home page can feature a Community Info Card that lists the title and description of the community (customizable in the dashboard) and the total number of members.

On each page of Forum - from the home page to individual posts, users can see the total number of posts and comments they’ve made in an individualized card, along with the Community rules of Forum.

The community rules appear on each page of Forum to encourage members to be considerate and respectful when posting.

Note: The community rules are not customizable.

No Offensive Content

Do not post “offensive” posts, links or images. Any material which constitutes defamation, harassment, or abuse is strictly prohibited. Material that is sexually or otherwise obscene, racist, or otherwise overly discriminatory is not permitted. Any violations will lead to an immediate ban.

No Spam or Advertising

We define spam as unsolicited advertisement for goods, services and/or other web sites, or posts with little, or completely unrelated content. Do not spam the forums with links to your site or product, or try to self-promote your website, business or forums etc.

No Illegal Activity

Posts suggesting, seeking advice about, or otherwise promoting illegal activity are not permitted. This includes posts containing or seeking copyright infringing material.

Be Respectful

All posts should be professional and courteous. You have every right to disagree with your fellow community members and explain your perspective. However, you are not free to attack, degrade, insult, or otherwise belittle others.

Forum boards elevate and organize the Forum by grouping posts by topic, timeframe, member type, etc. Boards offer easier navigation and curated access to discussions and engagement amongst your members.

You can customize and add up to 20 boards to your Forum to encourage community growth in niche interest areas and limit who can see the Boards and the posts within using access limitations and spaces.

Learn more about Forum Boards here.

Posts are listed by most popular or ‘Hot’ and by most recent or ‘New’ from the Forum homepage.

‘Hot’ posts have received the most comments, claps and upvotes, and the list will change in real-time as users react to posts. The ‘New’ posts list is automatically updated as new posts are made by community members.

Learn more about how to create a post and engage with it here.

Forum settings and moderation all take place in your dashboard.

Learn more about how to set up your community's Forum, track activity and assign Forum Moderators here.

Learn more about Forum Moderators and their capabilities here.

If you think this would be a great solution for your community, Contact The Gradual Team.