Hi - we want to create a forum for the committee - but I understand that even password protected site pages cannot block non-committee classmates from participating or viewing.

One option is to have eveyone on the committee join Facebook.

Another is to create a forum - there is a site - myfreeforum.org that also creates forums -

Has anyone created a committee-only forum?

If you use your User Forums pages, you can PASSWORD PROTECT them (this is different than a site-wide password). In order to view/participate in the password protected forum, they would need the password.

Exactly. The password feature on the User Forums allows you to assign a password ONLY to one specific forum. This password has nothing to do with any other pssword feature in the system. This way you can have a private place just for selected participants to participate.

OK - I'll try that

Hi - OK - I did password protect the forum - but everyone said they got in with their own password - not the one I assigned. So that means - anyone can get in that is registered on the site? What am I doing wrong?

Are you using the new User Forums, or the old Message Forum. If using "User Forums", you can create a new topic and make that topic password protected.

It seems you are still using the old "Message Forums", which does not have this feature.

BRAD!! - I think there is a bug here. I was able to login as a test user and still get into the User Forums. It didn't ask for a password. Is this a cookie issue or are the "Password Protected" topics in the User Forums not password protected anymore?

You probably both have an administrator cookie set for those forums. Do you have another computer you can login with your test account and see if that account is restricted on the other system.

I tried a different computer and it worked as expected, asked for a password and my login password didn't work. It must just be a cookie for the password protected forum.

Patte Michel wrote:

As Kyle mentioned, make sure you are using the User Forums. If User Forms are not active on your site:

1) Click Edit Site Pages
2) Place a checkmark in the checkbox next to User Forums
3) Follow the directions to set up your forums. Whenever you create a new forum you have the optoin of assigning just that forum a unique password. Only people with the password will be able to gain access to the forum. The password you apply to a forum has nothing to do with any other password in the system. It is strictly for gaining access to the specific forum to which you apply the password.