Chapter and event Discussions are threaded conversations on a chapter page or an event page. They stay on the page after the gathering, so people can talk before it starts and keep going afterward. They are included with Bevy when your community turns Discussions on.
Discussions are how people keep a conversation on a chapter or an event after the meeting ends. A thread on a chapter page belongs to that chapter. A thread on an event page belongs to that event. Both stay on the page, so someone can ask a question before the start time and the replies are still there the next day.
They are included with Bevy. Your Customer Success Manager turns Discussions on for the community. Each chapter then offers them on its own page and on the events it hosts. Threads on those pages are a different feature from the forum add-on. That brief is Introduction to Enterprise Discussions.
Where discussions fit
- Community site — the public home. Discussions are available only after they are turned on for the community.
- Chapter — the group the threads belong to. See Introduction to chapters.
- Event — one gathering on that chapter, with its own page. See Introduction to events.
- Discussion — one thread on that chapter page or event page: a title, a post, and replies.
For the rest of the platform, see Bevy introduction.
What people see
The Discussions section is the public face of these conversations. On a chapter page or an event page it typically includes:
- A list of threads. Each one shows a title.
- The post, then comments and replies, when someone opens the thread.
- Start a discussion, when that person is allowed to post. Some communities label this New discussion or New post.
- Pinned threads at the top of that page's list, when the chapter team has pinned any.
The thread stays on the page after the event ends. People find it by opening the chapter or the event, not by joining the virtual room.
Note: If the page has no Discussions section, discussions are off for that chapter, or the section is not on the page. An event follows the chapter that hosts it. There is no separate switch on the event. An inactive chapter does not offer discussions on its page.
What discussions include
| Building block | What it delivers |
|---|---|
| A thread | A title, a post, and replies. People can answer a specific comment. Type @ to mention someone in the thread. |
| The page it lives on | The chapter page or the event page. The thread remains after the gathering. |
| Who may post | The community chooses. Common access is chapter membership, attendance at that event, or a chapter team role. |
| Notifications | Follow one thread, and set how discussion alerts arrive, when the community offers them. Preferences are on Profile, then Updates. |
| Pin | Keeps a thread at the top of that chapter or event list. This does not pin it to the community home page. |
| Lock | Stops new comments on a thread. The post stays readable. Unlock allows replies again. |
| Report and review | Anyone who can open the menu can report a post or a comment. Reports go to a moderation queue. When the community requires approval, a new post waits until someone approves it. |
| Edit | The author can change the title or the post after it is published. |
| Remove or archive | Remove takes the post off the discussion. When archiving is on, the team can restore it, and the feed can show who archived it. An author without that permission can request removal when the community allows it. |
| How the thread is shared | An optional image, title, and short description for search, social previews, and featured cards. The post on the page can stay as it is. |
The menus for pin, lock, edit, report, and removal are in Manage and moderate chapter and event discussions. How a member starts a thread, replies, and reports one is in Participate in chapter and event discussions.
Chapter page and event page
| Chapter page | Event page | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Members of that chapter. | People attending that event, and members of the chapter that hosts it. |
| When it is on | When discussions are turned on for that chapter. | It follows the same chapter. It is not turned on event by event. |
| What the thread is about | The chapter, between meetings. | That gathering, before it starts and after it ends. |
| Who runs it | The chapter team, within the role they were given. | The same chapter team, for the event that chapter hosts. |
Tip: Turning discussions on for a chapter covers that chapter's page and every event the chapter hosts. You do not repeat the choice on each event.
Who can take part
| Person | What they can do here |
|---|---|
| Someone who can open the page | Sees the Discussions section when it is on the page. Starting a thread or replying still depends on the access the community set. |
| Chapter member | Can take part in that chapter's discussions, when the community allows members to post. Leaving the chapter can end that access. |
| Event attendee | Can take part in that event's discussion. Registering for the event does not by itself make them a chapter member. |
| Member of the hosting chapter | Can take part in the event discussion, along with people who are attending. |
| Chapter team | Can post on the chapter and on its events. The role decides whether they also pin, lock, remove, or review reports. A team member may participate as a volunteer, a moderator, or an admin. |
| HQ admin | Can review reported posts and the community's discussion settings. Bevy Support grants HQ admin access. |
Note: A community can let people read a thread and still limit who may start one or reply. If the button says to log in, join the chapter, or join the event, that step comes first. On a private chapter, only added members take part in its discussions and events. See About private chapters.
How this differs from in-room chat
A virtual event can have a live chat inside the room, and a discussion on the event page. They are different conversations.
| Discussions | In-room chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | On the chapter page or the event page. | Inside the virtual room, after the person joins. |
| When | Before the event, during it, and after it. The thread stays on the page. | While that session is running. |
| Who | Chapter members, attendees, and the chapter team, as the community allows. | People who joined that room. |
| What you can find later | A titled thread and its replies, on the page. | The live exchange from that session. It is not the discussion list on the event page. |
Questions asked in the room, including Q&A, stay with that session. A question the chapter wants people to find on the event page belongs in a discussion thread.
What discussions are not
- They are not in-room chat, and they are not the Q&A inside a virtual room.
- They are not a separate product to buy. They are included when your Customer Success Manager turns them on for the community, and a chapter then offers them.
- They are not turned on one event at a time. The chapter setting covers the chapter page and the events that chapter hosts.
- A name on the event page is not permission to post. Posting follows membership, attendance, or a chapter team role.
- They are not the forum add-on. Enterprise Discussions has its own directory. See Introduction to Enterprise Discussions.
Where to go next
| If you need | Go to |
|---|---|
| Turn Discussions on for the community, then offer them on a chapter | Discussions for all Bevy customers |
| How a member starts a thread, replies, or reports one | Participate in chapter and event discussions |
| Pin, lock, edit, remove, archive, or review reports | Manage and moderate chapter and event discussions |
The chapter those threads belong to is in Introduction to chapters. The event page is in Introduction to events.