Do you want to give your users the option to post a discussion or question anonymously? Available in every Higher Logic community site is the Anonymous Posting feature. When enabled, this feature may entice some members to start a discussion or ask a question they otherwise wouldn't feel comfortable starting/asking.
- You can choose to enable this feature site-wide or limit its availability on a community-by-community basis.
Access Anonymous Posting page
- In the Admin Toolbar, click Admin.
- Navigate to Community > Discussions > Anonymous Posting.
Anonymous Posting settings
On the Anonymous Posting page, you can manage the following settings:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Allow anonymous posting | Toggle to control whether anonymous posting is enabled or disabled for discussions across ALL communities. If enabled, the Post message anonymously option displays when users create or reply to a discussion. NOTE: Toggle to Yes to enable the remaining fields. |
| Allow anonymous posts for these communities | Limit Anonymous Posting to specific communities by selecting them from the dropdown (click the X to remove a community) OR enable it for ALL communities by not selecting any. |
| Allow anonymity for these types of posts | Click the dropdown and make a selection:
|
| Moderate anonymous posting regardless of community moderation settings | If enabled, anonymous posts are queued in moderation regardless of a community's moderation setting. Because anonymity may lead to content that doesn't meet your organization's Code of Conduct, this is a great way to ensure it's reviewed prior to public consumption. If disabled, anonymous posts respect a community's moderation setting. |
| Log user information for auditing purposes | If enabled, the poster's user information is logged to the Anonymous Posting Log report. This gives Super Admins the ability to view the name, email address, and other information about each person who posts anonymously. TIP: Access this report at Community > Reports > Discussions tab. |
| Messaging for visible alert when posting or replying anonymously |
The message that displays to users who check the box to anonymously post or reply. It's generally used to explain the reasoning behind anonymous posting, and to remind anonymous posters to respect the community's Code of Conduct. |
| Messaging for popup alert when message is posted |
The confirmation message that displays to users after clicking to post their anonymous post or question. It's generally used to remind users that, while their name won't be associated to their post, no electronic communication is completely untraceable. |
| Prefix added to all anonymous posts or replies |
The text that is prefixed to all anonymous posts and replies (e.g., This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous). You can think of this as a "disclaimer" serving to let other members know they're viewing an anonymous post or question. |
How to post anonymously
When Anonymous Posting is enabled, you'll have the option to check the "anonymous" box when posting a discussion or question (it's name changes depending on the content type).
- Remember, whether this feature is available depends on your site configuration. For example, if you've limited it to specific communities, users can only post anonymously in those communities.
Once posted, the user's name is labeled as "Anonymous Member" and a message is displayed below (this text is customizable).
How to edit anonymous posts
Like any other post, anonymous posts can be edited via the ellipsis (...) > Edit option on the posts details page.
However, there is one exception to this:
- If you've enabled the Moderate anonymous posting regardless of community moderation settings option OR the community has a moderation setting enabled, anonymous posts will be sent to the Moderation Queue. While in the queue, these posts can only be edited there. To access a community's Moderation Queue, click Settings > Moderation. From there, Admins can edit the post and approve it, making it public. Once approved, the post can be managed in the community like any other post.
Anonymous Posting report
If Anonymous Posting is enabled for one or several communities, you can see information about users who have chosen to post their messages anonymously.
The Anonymous Posting Log report records anonymous posters' user information strictly for use by Super Admins, while honoring their preference for anonymity to other users in the community.
To access the Anonymous Posting Log report:
- In the Admin Toolbar, click Admin.
- Navigate to Community > Reports > Discussions.
- Scroll down and next to Anonymous Posting Log, click View Report.
The Anonymous Posting Log page opens in a new tab. On this page you can:
- Specify a Start Date and End Date to find reports in a range of dates.
- Click Export Report to download the report.
- Click the Name to open their profile in a new tab.
- Click the Subject to open the post in a new tab.