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User Forums for only certain users

Forums: Questions and Answers About Building Your Site
Created on: 02/21/12 01:05 PM Views: 1393 Replies: 11
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:05 PM

I am trying to use the User Forum for only the planning committee to collaborate. I finally figured a way to use it as a wiki without everyone replying and needing to scroll and scroll. What I did was to make every committee member an admin but only for the user forums - that way each committee member can have access to the EDIT MESSAGE button in lower right and simply edit the page (as a Wiki) and then inserting their name or a different color, so we know who added/modified what. Maybe there is a better way - but the question is. I don't see where I can restrict any specific user forum to only certain users - so that the committee can plan among themselves, and not have all the rest of the class seeing or commenting on what's going on till we've announced the results. Can this be done?

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:12 PM - Response #1

Dick, I think you're looking for the "Admin Forums" which is a link under the Admin Functions to a forum available ONLY to Admins on your site.


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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:25 PM - Response #2

Wait - I answered my own question. You can password a forum to restrict its visibility or access to only invited members - exactly what I was seeking

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:29 PM - Response #3

There are also the ADMIN forums. If your committee all have access to this forum, then the topics won't be visible to the non-committee classmates, so they won't get any ideas about the reunion and it will all be a surprise.


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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7:28 PM - Response #4

Oh...cool - I'll check that out...I had assumed that the admin forums were a link to HERE, and wondered why it didn't go there...thanks...

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 8:04 PM - Response #5

Did I find a bug? In the User Forums, when I make someone able to be admin and moderate user forums, they get the ability to EDIT MESSAGE in lower right. Taking your suggestion, I switched the admins to ADMIN FORUMS, and while they can see and use the admin forums, they can NOT EDIT the message as they could in the User Forums - which is what we want to do, so we don't have a string a mile long of replies, but simply allow editing to a large page of information like shared info on google docs. Suggestion?

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 11:44 PM - Response #6

There's one caveat about multiple people editing the same data - that's how I read all this - last one is the one saved. But maybe I'm misunderstanding what your intentions.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 12:25 AM - Response #7

Jack - we figured that out that the last one in gets saved...but that's not quite the problem. If I as super admin permit others i've chosen as admins to moderate the USER FORUM and restrict it with password only for admins then two things happen: 1. Any user can see it, but if PW'd they can't get in; not truly what we want. Kyle & Eric pointed out that instead, I can use Admin Forums that is NOT visible to any user but only to Admins that I've allowed - which IS what I want. However 2. When using the USER Forums, the other admins and I can all EDIT the message, which is what we want to basically collaborate on a document and not continually be replying to occupy 3-4 pages of replies. 3. When we tried that on the Admin Forums, only I can edit the message but those other admins I've allowed to moderate that place cannot edit, they can only post. So while all the users in the class can't see it, no one can modify the main message, like google docs collaboration - that we CAN do as admins, in the USER forums. Am i being any clearer? And that seems to me like it may be a bug....except that in the User Forum, we have three levels there Super Admin (me), Admins that I have permitted and users. in the Admin Forums, we only have two levels Super Admins and Admins...Dick

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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:02 AM - Response #8

Under the "Grant Admin Access checkbox on the DETAILS page is a list of accesses you can alllow, and included in that list is "Moderate Admin Forums" which gives your co-admins the edit authority you're missing.


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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 12:42 PM - Response #9

Actually Eric I have done that...and while they have access to the Admin Forums and can post and reply...they do NOT have access to edit anyone's posts but their own - which is what we need - that was what I thought might be a bug. They can for the User Forums, but not the Admin Forums. We're talking about the Details of each classmate, yes? I have checked Admin Forums under Admin Links and also Moderate Admin Forums and Moderate User Forums under Admin Features - Is there anything else I should be checking or UNchecking

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Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 10:24 AM - Response #10

I tested this and determined that there is indeed a problem with co-admin moderation of the Admin Forums. It certainly does appear to be a bug.

As an alternative, you can share a document via google docs using the admin forums to share the URL and discuss the contents, while making the actual changes in the document itself.


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Monday, February 27, 2012 at 4:25 AM - Response #11

Hi Dick,

Too bad everyone in your group does not have Microsoft Office. You could set that up just fine, as I suggested via email during our Wednesday night chat. If that is not an option, the next thing is to go with the forums... as you are doing.

Here is my thinking about the forums. Your site forums are:
User
Message
Admin

IF you are not using or do not have good traffic in the User forums, I suggest you use that for your purpose. Do not make it available to classmates but make your admins moderators, as you mentioned.

Then, if you want a forum for classmates... make the Message Forum active. That may generate traffic.

With exception of the purpose of editing a word document (not a spreadsheet) and discussing it, you can use the User Forums. It will not be as easy as Microsoft Office but should work as you stated.

I would see that anything outside of the document you have everyone working on... is discussed in the Admin Forums.

With patience, they will understand and in time it will be a breeze.

Good luck and see you in a chat soon!

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