Forum visibility controls who can find, see, and read the discussions in your community. What a person can access depends on three things working together: the forum's access type, whether the forum is linked to a chapter, and whether the person is logged in and a member of that chapter.

This article explains how those pieces fit together so you can set up your forums with confidence.

What controls who can see a forum

Three factors decide whether a person can see and read a forum:

Forum access type—Whether the forum is set to be visible to everyone or only to logged-in users.

Chapter link—Whether the forum is tied to a chapter, and whether that chapter is public or private.

The person's role—Whether the person has permission to see and read the forum, which for most members is granted automatically based on login status and chapter membership.

Forum access types

Each forum has an access type that sets its baseline visibility:

Public—Anyone can see and read the forum, including people who are not logged in.

Logged-in only—Only people who are signed in can see and read the forum. People who are not logged in do not see it at all.

The logged-in only setting applies to a category and everything beneath it. If you set a top-level category to logged-in only, all of its sub-categories are also hidden from people who are not signed in.

How login status changes what people see

The same forum can look different depending on who is viewing it. The table below shows what each type of person can see:

The system can only recognize a person as a chapter member after they log in. A member who is signed out is treated the same as any other logged-out visitor.

Forums linked to private chapters

To make a forum private, link it to a private chapter. The chapter's membership then controls who can see and read the forum:

• People who are not logged in cannot see the forum or its discussions.
• Logged-in members of the private chapter can see and take part in the forum.
• Logged-in users who are not members of that chapter cannot see its discussions.

A private chapter's public landing page and its discussions are controlled separately. A person who is not signed in may still be able to view the chapter's landing page, while the discussions inside remain hidden until they log in as a member.

Bevy does not offer a standalone private forum category. Linking the forum to a private chapter is the supported way to keep a forums discussions restricted to members.

Forum roles and visibility

Everyone who views a forum falls into one of five roles, listed here from least to most access:

Viewer—Can see that a forum exists and read its discussions. This is the visibility level.

Participant—Can start discussions, reply, and react.

Volunteer—Can help moderate, such as approving and moving posts.

Moderator—Can edit and delete others' posts and manage volunteers.

Admin—Can create, edit, and delete forums and manage the forum team.

The Viewer and Participant levels are granted automatically. A person becomes a Viewer or Participant based on the forum's visibility settings and their membership in the linked chapter—you do not add them by hand. You assign the Volunteer, Moderator, and Admin roles yourself through each forum's team settings.

Forum roles are managed separately from your platform and chapter roles. Assign forum team members from within each forum, not from the platform roles or Chapter roles tabs.

Forum visibility FAQs

Why can't a member see our private chapter's forum?

A private chapter's forum is only visible to logged-in members. Check two things: the person is signed in, and they are a member of that chapter. A member who is signed out is treated the same as any logged-out visitor and will not see the forum.

Can people who are not logged in see our private discussions?

No. When a forum is linked to a private chapter, people who are not signed in cannot see the forum or its discussions. They may still see the chapter's public landing page, but the discussions inside stay hidden until they log in as a member.

We set forum permissions on a chapter role, but nothing changed. Why?

Forum roles are managed separately from platform and chapter roles. Changes made on the Roles or Chapter Roles tabs do not affect forum access. Assign forum team members from within each forum's own team settings instead.

What is the difference between a public forum and a logged-in only forum?

The difference is who can see the forum:

Public—Anyone can see and read it, including people who are not logged in.

Logged-in only—Only signed-in users can see it. People who are not logged in do not see it at all, and the setting also hides every sub-category beneath it.

Can I make a single forum category private without linking it to a chapter?

No. Bevy does not offer a standalone private forum category. To restrict a forum's discussions to members, link the forum to a private chapter and manage access through that chapter's membership.