Creating and Configuring Community Forum Topics

Administrators can create and configure Community Forum Topics to allow users to post questions and to group similar posts in organized sections. Topics serve as the primary organizational structure for forum discussions and can be customized for different user communities and content types.

Requirements

To create and configure community forum topics, users must be assigned a security role with the following permissions:

• Administrator System Role permissions

Creating Community Forum Topics

Administrative Topic Creation

Method 1: Through Community Settings

1. Navigate to the Setup Home page and click Manage > Community Settings
2. Click Community Forum Settings
3. Click the Topics tab
4. Click New to create a new topic

Method 2: Through Forum Interface

1. Navigate to the Forum tab
2. Click the gear button (settings icon)
3. Select New Topic from the menu

Topic Configuration Fields

When creating or editing topics, configure the following settings:

Basic Topic Information

• Name: Enter a descriptive name for the Topic that clearly indicates its purpose
• API Name: Enter an API reference name for the Topic (automatically populated from the Name field but can be customized)
• Status: Select topic visibility:
  • Draft: Topic is not accessible to other users (for preparation and testing)
  • Published: Topic is available to users based on sharing permissions
• Category: Select a category under which the Topic will appear (see Creating Community Forum Categories documentation)

Feature Configuration

• Social Sharing Enabled: Check this option if you want social sharing buttons to appear on Community Forum posts within this topic
• Used for Updates and Announcements: Check this option if you want only employee users to use this topic to publish updates and announcements
  • When enabled: Portal community users cannot make posts and users cannot mark replies as answers
  • Ideal for official company communications and policy updates

Display and Organization

• Custom Order: Enter a number value to specify the order in which this Topic appears on the Community Forum home page
• Description: Enter an internal description for the Topic (not visible to portal users, used for administrative purposes)

Managing Existing Topics

Editing Topics

Through Community Settings:

1. Navigate to Setup Home > Manage > Community Settings > Community Forum Settings
2. Click the Topics tab
3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the topic you want to edit
4. Click Edit
5. Modify the desired settings
6. Click Save

Through Forum Interface:

1. Navigate to the Forum tab
2. Click the Topic you want to configure
3. Click the gear button and select Edit
4. Configure the settings as needed
5. Click Save

Topic Management Actions

Available actions for existing topics:

• Edit: Modify topic configuration and settings
• Share: Configure topic access permissions (see Sharing Community Forum Topics documentation)
• Delete: Remove the topic (use with caution as this affects all associated posts)

Topic Configuration Best Practices

Topic Structure Strategy

Purpose-Driven Topics

• Create topics that align with specific user needs and business objectives
• Use clear, descriptive names that indicate the topic's intended use
• Consider your user community's natural discussion patterns

Content Type Alignment

• Support Topics: For technical questions and troubleshooting
• Product Topics: For specific product or feature discussions
• General Discussion: For broader community conversations
• Announcement Topics: For official updates (use "Updates and Announcements" setting)

Status and Visibility Management

Draft Status Usage

• Use Draft status during topic setup and configuration
• Test topic functionality before publishing
• Prepare content and sharing settings before making visible to users

Published Status Considerations

• Ensure sharing permissions are properly configured before publishing
• Verify category assignments are appropriate
• Test user experience and navigation flow

Feature Configuration Guidelines

Social Sharing Decisions

• Enable social sharing for topics that benefit from external promotion
• Consider privacy and content sensitivity before enabling
• Align with organizational social media policies

Announcement Topic Setup

• Reserve "Updates and Announcements" setting for official communications
• Use for policy updates, system announcements, and company news
• Ensure appropriate employee access for posting content

Integration with Forum Features

Category Integration

Topics work seamlessly with forum categories to provide hierarchical organization and improved user navigation. Categories help users discover relevant topics and provide logical content groupings.

Sharing and Access Control

Each topic can have individual sharing configurations, allowing administrators to:

• Control which users can view and participate in specific topics
• Create public topics for general community access
• Set up private topics for specific user groups or internal discussions

User Experience Impact

Topic configuration directly affects:

• Navigation: Custom ordering influences how users discover and access content
• Participation: Status and sharing settings control who can view and contribute
• Content Organization: Category assignments help users find relevant discussions
• Feature Availability: Social sharing and announcement settings modify user interaction options

Common Topic Configuration Patterns

Customer Support Forum

• Status: Published
• Category: Support-related categories
• Social Sharing: Usually disabled for privacy
• Announcements: Disabled to allow customer questions

Partner Community

• Status: Published
• Category: Partner-specific categories
• Social Sharing: Enabled for collaboration
• Announcements: Disabled for collaborative discussions

Internal Company Updates

• Status: Published
• Category: Company/Internal category
• Social Sharing: Disabled for internal content
• Announcements: Enabled for employee-only posting

Creating well-configured Community Forum Topics provides the foundation for organized, engaging community discussions that support business objectives while delivering value to all portal users.

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