Creating a Board that Keeps a Member's Thread Private

[ProBoards Help Guide]

How to Create a Board that Keeps a Member's Thread Private

With the proper settings a board can be setup so when a member creates a thread, that thread is private. Only that member and no other members can see or interact with that thread. However, the forum admin will be able to view and interact with all threads on the board.


To get started:

Go to Admin > Structure > Categories & Boards.  Create a new board and under the Location tab select where you want this board to reside. In the About tab set the board's name and description. Since the threads of this board are only visible to the forum admin there should not be a need for additional oversight. The Moderators tab can be skipped.



Setting up the Board for Private Threads Visible only to the Thread Creator and Forum Admin:

In the Settings tab there are 2 important options that must be set:
     • Private Board to "Yes"
     • Who can view all threads set to "Custom"

Do NOT add any groups to the "And members in the groups:" or "Except members in the groups"


Optional Visibility Settings:

While this somewhat defeats the purpose of a private thread, variations of the threads visibility can be adjusted in the Settings tab:

• Setting the "who can view all threads" option to Staff instead of Custom allows the forum admin and any member group that has the staff option set to yes to view all the threads on the board. A thread creator can still only view their own thread unless they are a member of a staff group.

• Leaving the "who can view all threads" option to Custom and adding a group to the "and members in the groups" option allows the forum admin and members of the added group (whether they are staff or not) to view all the threads. A thread creator can still only view their own thread unless they are a member of the added group.







Deciding Who Can Create a Private Thread:

The Permission tab is where you set who can create a private thread on your board.
     • The options for this tab should be "Members & Staff" if the private thread option will be available for all members.
     • Using "Staff" on each permission makes the private thread option available only to those in member groups with a staff option set to yes.
     • If the private thread option is only available for a specific group of members, set the permission options to "Custom" and add that particular group.

Help Guide article based on submission by PB member Lynx .  Thank you!