Understanding Roles & Permissions

Roles are a powerful way to control what members can do in your community. By creating roles with specific permissions, you can delegate responsibilities and ensure the right people have access to the right features.

What are Roles?

Roles define different permission levels for your community members. Each role can have specific permissions that control what actions members can take, such as:

• Managing community settings
• Accepting or removing members
• Pinning important content
• Creating and managing events
• Moderating discussions

Creating a Role

To create a new role in your community:

1. Navigate to your community settings
2. Scroll to the Community Roles section
3. Click Create new role
4. Enter a name for the role (e.g., "Moderator", "Event Organizer", "Administrator")
5. Select the permissions you want this role to have
6. Click Save Role

Understanding the Default Role

Every community needs a default role that is automatically assigned to new members when they join. This ensures that all members have a baseline set of permissions.

Key points about default roles:

• Only one role can be the default at a time
• New members automatically receive this role upon joining
• You can change which role is the default anytime
• The default role is marked with a Default badge in the roles list

To make a role the default:

1. Go to your community settings
2. Find the role in the Community Roles section
3. Click Make Default

Assigning Roles to Members

Once you've created roles, you can assign them to specific members:

1. Navigate to your community
2. Click Members in the side menu
3. Find the member you want to assign a role to
4. Click on their profile or the options menu
5. Select Assign Role and choose the appropriate role

Note: Each member has a role, and that role determines what they can do in the community.

Available Permissions

Permissions are grouped by area. The exact list you see may vary, but common categories include:

• Community settings — update basic info, branding, or archive a community
• Members and roles — approve requests, remove members, and assign roles
• Invites — send invitations to new members
• Content and moderation — create, edit, pin, or remove community content
• Events and places — create and manage events or places
• Announcements — post updates to the whole community

You'll see the full list inside the role editor when you create or edit a role.

Best Practices for Role Management

Start Simple

Begin with just 2-3 roles (e.g., Member, Moderator, Admin) and add more as your community grows.

Follow the Principle of Least Privilege

Only give members the permissions they need to do their job. Don't give everyone administrative access.

Use Descriptive Role Names

Choose clear, descriptive names like "Event Coordinator" or "Content Moderator" instead of generic terms like "Role 1".

Regular Role Review

Periodically review your roles and the members assigned to them. Remove permissions that are no longer needed.

Communicate Role Responsibilities

Make sure members understand what's expected of them when they're given a role with elevated permissions.

Common Role Setups

Small Communities (Under 50 members)

• Member (default): Basic posting and participation
• Admin: Full community management

Medium Communities (50-200 members)

• Member (default): Basic posting and participation
• Moderator: Content moderation and member management
• Event Organizer: Event creation and management
• Admin: Full community management

Large Communities (200+ members)

• Member (default): Basic posting and participation
• Content Moderator: Moderate discussions and posts
• Event Manager: Manage events and places
• Member Manager: Handle membership requests and invitations
• Community Manager: Broader management including settings
• Administrator: Full community control

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why can't a member see certain features? A: Check their role permissions. They may not have the necessary permission to access that feature.

Q: Can I change permissions after assigning a role to members? A: Yes! When you edit a role's permissions, the changes apply immediately to all members with that role.

Q: What happens if I delete a role? A: Members who had that role will lose its permissions. Make sure to assign them a different role before deleting.

Q: I accidentally gave someone too many permissions. What should I do? A: You can immediately remove their role or edit the role to reduce its permissions. Changes take effect instantly.

Need Help?

If you have questions about setting up roles or managing permissions in your community, contact our support team. We're happy to help.