Zoho Discussions - How Tos

Currently, Zoho Discussions allow you to post announcements, so that you can freeze the particular topic permanently in the widgets section. Also, please note that announcement widget is specific to the forums, in which they are posted. Hence it will be placed at the top of your side-panel (widget area) only in the corresponding forum page.

Zoho Discussions also allows you to freeze significant topics in the widget area, using the Sticky Post feature. With this feature, you can mark a specific topic as sticky, so that it will be displayed in both Portal and Forum widgets permanently.

Can I reply to my watch list email and get the response posted?

 No. It is not possible to post your response by replying to the watch list mail. You must go to the corresponding topic to post your response. However, we have added this feature in our road map list and will be implemented in near future.

How do I increase the number of posts shown per page?

 You can set a maximum of 25 or 50 posts per page.

To increase the number of posts per page:

• Go to My Area > Preferences section.
  
• Set the Posts per page option to 25 or 50, as per your requirement.
• Click on Save
  

How do I to set my defautl view mode to "quick view"?

 Please follow the below steps to set your default view:

• Goto My Area > Preferences section.
• Set the Default topic view to Quick View.
• Click on Save
  Your topic view is now changed to quick view.
  

Admin Guide

How to better SEO value for your Discussion topics? 

SEO Settings allow you to optimize your portal URL with the Meta tags to generate meaningful content. This turn help your content be more visible to search engines and helping users reach your website.
In addition to Meta tags, Zoho Discussions offers various techniques, with which you can increase the SEO value for your discussions topics:

• Search Engine-friendly descriptive URLS - no additional configuration / plug-ins to install.
• Topic title is setup meaningfully as a page title, therefore improving relevancy
• Starting even from the Basic plan, you can configure multiple domains for your forums area. Zoho Discussions will automatically channel all these domains to a single chosen "primary domain" so that your users retain context while you also get good search engine mileage.
• Embeddable forums - you can also embed an entire portal inside your website - either to simplify visual integration or to provide contextual widgets with recent discussions.
  

Why can't I access my portal after configuring a portal domain?

You might not have mapped the particular domain’s CNAME entry to to this IP address: 74.201.154.141. So, please make sure that you have completed this setup to access your portal using the configured domain. 

Is it possible to place ads in my discussions board?

Yes. With the help of HTML Widgets, you can embed the HTML code of any objects, Images, Videos etc. in your portal to promote / advertise your product.

To add a HTML widget:

• Go to Settings section.
• Select the Widgets tab under Portal settings from the left side menu.
• Click on Add HTML Widget button from the right-side menu.
• Enter the Widget Name, Description and the HTML Code in the corresponding text-boxes. See image below
• Click on Save.
  

What is the difference between a portal and forum widget?

Portal Widgets are displayed across your portal. It can be viewed from the recent topics and All Forums page. However, forum widgets can be viewed only when the corresponding forum page is accessed. You can create individual widgets for every forum in your portal.

 How do Notifications Work?

Notifications are the alerts, which help you to keep updated on the items that you follow. Zoho Discussions sends notifications through Email and Chat feed. You can choose the required notification type according to your need. For Example: If you follow a forum, you will receive notifications for all topics, responses and commented posted on the specific forum via Email & Chat feed.

How do I stop receiving notification emails?

To unsubscribe from email notifications, please follow the steps below:

• Go to My Area > Watchlist
  
• Select the appropriate tab (Topics, Users, Forums, Sub Forums) to see the list of items that you follow.
• Click on Stop Following next to the watchlist item to unsubscribe.

Alternatively, you can simply click on the "unwatch" link available in the corresponding notification email (footer section) to stop further receiving notifications.

How do I set up an idea board?

Creating an idea board with Zoho Discussions is fast and easy. All you need is to set "Idea" as your portal's default topic type and then you can allow users to post/share only ideas.

To set default topic type:

• Go to Settings section.
• Click on Preferences tab under Portal settings from the left side menu.
• Scroll down to the Customize Topic Types section.
• Choose the required topic type(s) and click on Make it default button. See image below.

What is private messaging?

Private messaging allows users to send messages privately to other users in your online community, without revealing their personal information. As an administrator, you can enable the private messaging preference for your user profiles so that they can use this specific feature.

How do I set up a public forum?

A public forum can be accessed by all website visitors. Please follow the below steps to a create public forum:

1. Go to Settings section.
2. Select the Forums tab and click on New link from the left side menu.
   This opens the New Forum Details page.
3. Update Basic Details:
   
   • Name: Enter your forum name.
   • Description: Provide a short description about your forum.
   • Forum Type: Choose your forum type to be Public.
4. Assign Forum Moderators:
   
   • Forum Moderators: Enter the Email ID(s) or Name(s) of the portal member whom you want to nominate as a moderator of this forum.
   • Moderator Groups: Select a required group from the drop-down list, if you wish to assign moderators from a particular group.
5. Configure  Forum Permissions:
   
   • Enable the View permission to Everyone.
   • Enable the Post permission to Everyone.
   • Enable the Response permission to Everyone.
   • Enable the Attach files  permission to Everyone.
   • Enable the Moderate Users permission for None, Guest or Everyone.
6. Click on Create.
   The public forum gets created and available for your community

What happens if I lock a forum?

Locking a forum allows you to end all active discussions. When a forum is locked, it stops your forum members from adding topics, posting responses, comments in the corresponding forum.

To lock a forum:

1. Go to Settings > Forums.
2. Choose the Forum that you want to lock from the left side menu.
   This opens the General settings page.
3. Scroll down to Permissions Levels section and go to Security Levels:
4. Enable the Lock check-box.
5. Click on Save Changes.
   The selected forum is now locked from posting. You can unlock the forum whenever required.

How many users can be invited at a time?

Zoho Discussions allows you to invite a maximum of 100 users at a time. You can specify multiple Email IDs separated by comma in the Invite Users text-box.

In addition, you can enable the Membership Subscription or SSO technique and allow your users to join your community directly, without having to send them portal invitations.

How do I change a user's role i.e., from member to a moderator?

Please follow the below to change a user role:

1. Go to Settings
2. Click on Users > Members tab from the left side menu
   This shows the list of your portal members.
3. Select the user for whom you want to change the role and click on Manage.
4. Click on Permissions tab and assign the following permission levels:
   
   • Portal Permission: Choose to assign the user with Member or Admin permission from the drop-down list.
     
   • Forum Permission: Choose to assign the user with Member or Moderator permission from the drop-down list.
     The user role gets updated.

Can I create new groups directly from my discussions portal?

Yes. You can create user groups directly from within your discussions portal. For more information on Groups, click here

How do I delete a user who belongs to a group?

In Zoho Discussions, it is not possible to delete a user who belongs to a specific group directly from your discussions board. You need to delete him/her from the associated group, so that the corresponding user gets automatically removed from your portal.

How many labels can I create?

Zoho Discussions allows you add any number of labels within your portal. However, you can assign only one label for the portal and for every forum in your portal.

How do I map a label for a user?

Please follow the below steps to map user label:

   1. Go to Settings.
   2. Click on Users > Members tab from the left side menu.
      This shows the list of your portal members
   3. Select the user from the list and click on Manage.
   4. Click on Labels tab and select the Portal and Forum labels from the corresponding drop-down lists.
      The selected label gets updated for the user. 

Is it possible to download the attachments?

Yes. You can download all the attachments that are used in your portal from Attachment Settings section.

To download attachments:

1. Click on Settings > Attachments.
2. Select the Manage tab from the left-side menu.
   This displays the list of attachments present in your portal. 
3. Select the required file that you would like to download and click on Download link.

What if I do not see the file extension that I would like to allow? 

You can add the required extension in the Attachment section so that the corresponding format will be allowed in your portal.

To add extensions:

1. Go to Settings > Attachments section
2. Select the Extensions link from the left-side menu
3. Click on New Extension link
4. Specify the required file extension in the text box and click on Add.
   The specified extension is added to your portal.

 What are the different levels of customization options available? 

You can customize your discussions portal at various levels to change its complete look and feel, so that it matches your website visually. The different levels of customization are:

• Brand logo: You can upload your product or company logo, which will be displayed prominently in your portal header.
• Enable/Disable Topic Types: You can easily create a Q&A forum, or an Idea board or a customer support community by enabling the corresponding topic type.
• Domain Mapping: You can map your own URLs with your portal to access your community in your own domain.
• Change Portal Themes: Zoho Discussions provides you a set of default themes that enables you to change the color theme of your portal.
• Custom Widgets: You have the ability to create custom widgets - HTML and Link Widgets - with which you can embed any HTML objects and add your product links, so that your users can make the most out of it.
• Customize Header/Footer: You can update your own HTML tags to customize your portal's header and footer according to what you need.
• CSS customization: You can upload your own style sheet to change the fonts, colors and style of the entire portal.

What is Single Sign On?

Single Sign On is a REST API based technique, which allows your users to seamlessly navigate between your website and your online community. Your users can access your community using their existing login mechanism, without having to create an account with Zoho.

Moderation

What is moderation and what are the roles of a moderator?

Moderating is the process of controlling topics and its associated information. Zoho Discussions allows you (administrator) to assign moderators to your portal, to moderate topics and users.

• Moderate topics: All responses and comments made to the moderated topic will be published, only if the moderator approves it.
• Moderate Users: Any post (topics, reply, comment) made by the moderated user will be published, only if the moderator approves it. It can be in forum level and portal level.
  

In addition, moderators are also responsible to approve/delete spam posts, inappropriate posts, restore/delete trash items.

I am not logged in and don't see the topic I posted, what must I do?

Ans: Please log into Zoho Discussions and check for your topic. If still the same issue persists, there is a possibility that the specific topic might be pending for your moderator's approval. Please contact your moderator/administrator to get your topic posted.

Why do I see a "topic awaiting moderation" note whenever I try to respond?

 This could be due to one of the reasons below:

• The specific topic to which you would try responding might be under moderation.
  
• You might be moderated by your portal administrator or moderator (or)
  
• The forum in which the topic is posted might be under moderation. In this case, all posts made for the first time by any user will be pending for moderation.
  
  So, please contact your administrator or moderator to get your topic posted.