Private groups are restricted-access communities designed for confidential discussions and collaboration. They're a core part of community management, and owners and admins can create, manage, and convert regular groups to private ones.
How to Set Group Privacy in Communities?
Joining a private group requires members to request access, which admins or owners must approve. Groups can switch between public and private at any time. Whether for internal business communications, exclusive community engagement, or focused collaboration, private groups give members a secure, organised space to connect and interact.
Owners and admins can easily toggle between group types, customise branding, and control visibility to non-group members from a straightforward interface.
Usage Cases
Usage CaseDescriptionConfidential DiscussionsPrivate groups allow members to have confidential and secure discussions, ensuring only authorised individuals can access the shared content.Focused CollaborationIdeal for focused collaboration among team members on specific projects, topics, or tasks where external distractions need to be minimised.Membership Request and ApprovalPrivate groups allow for controlled entry, where interested members must request to join, and only admins or owners can review and accept these requests.Public to Private Group TransitionGroups can be converted from public to private, restricting future content to current members. Likewise, private groups can become public, automatically accepting all requests.Customised Role ManagementWith roles like Owner, Admin, and Contributor, private groups enable structured community management, allowing customisation of permissions and responsibilities for members.
How to Use This Feature?
Using the private groups feature involves several steps. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Accessing Your Group
To access your group, head to the Communities section within the Memberships tab, then click the Groups option from the drop-down.
Next, click the "Login" button associated with your group.
Administrators and owners can adjust the group settings to make the group private, which is useful for confidential discussions. Inside your Group area, click the Settings button.
In the Details section, you can switch your group to Public/Private by selecting the desired option and then clicking Save.
Switching from Public to Private ensures only current members can access previous content. Switching from Private to Public automatically accepts all requested members.
Group Visibility
Access for Non-Group Members: You can choose to make the group visible to non-members. This setting controls whether non-members of this group, who have access to other groups in the sub-account, can see your group in the group switcher on the top left or not.
Membership Management
Interested members can click on the group URL and request to join. The request button should turn to "Membership Pending"
Admins and owners can review and accept or reject requests from the "Members" section under the "Request" tab.
Private groups give admins and owners more control over who participates in their community and what topics are discussed. Now that you know how to set a group to private, you can use them for research groups, client collaborations, and more.