Adding a Forum Topic to Your Group

The "Forum Topic" content type allows you to create a post within your Research Center’s forum to prompt discussion on a topic of your choosing. Interested site members can then reply to your topic.

You must be an active affiliate of a Research Center or other group to post a forum topic within it. Additionally, privacy settings limit visibility of the forums to users who are logged into the site.

Your group will be notified automatically when your forum topic is published to the site. 

When to Use a Forum Topic

While blog entries can be a great way to begin a discussion thanks to the commenting options, they require a more detailed observation on the part of the author. In contrast, you can post a forum topic with as simple as a link to an article of note and a question to get the conversation started.

To Add Forum Topics to Your Research Center

1. Log in to the website
2. Click “Shortcuts” in the black navigation bar at the top of the page
3. Click “Add Content”
4. Select “Forum Topic”
5. The form will open that allows you to add a forum topic to your Research Center.
6. Optional: Click "Edit Summary" to add a one-sentence summary, add an Image at the top, or provide additional Event Details.
7. Select a group affiliation. Even if there is only one listed, you must click on the item to select it.
8. Once you have entered the fields (described below) click Publish.
9. Your Forum Topic will publish live on the site immediately, so be sure to proofread before submitting. 
10. Your group will receive immediate notification that a new forum topic is open for discussion.

Forum Topic Fields

Please use the description below to best fill out the Forum Topic page. 

• Subject: This will be the main title of your piece and will be the header once published. What is typed here should indicate the intent of the discussion and be engaging, prompting others to click to view and participate.
• Featured Image: This image will be included at the top of the forum topic, to the left. It will be resized to fit the space. Click ‘Browse’ to open the Media Library, where you can then upload an image or find one in the existing library.
• Attachments: You can use this field to add any forms or other items being referenced in the discussion.
• Body: This is where the initial forum topic is described and the intent of the discussion should be made clear.
• Edit Summary: This hyperlink reveals a hidden field that allows you to create a brief summary of your article, which will display in certain views. It is optional and you can click the hyperlink again to hide the field at any time.
• Tags: Tags make your content searchable in the site. Feel free to use existing tags by typing into the field to drop down or create new ones.
• Group Affiliation: You will need to select the affiliation(s) you would like this blog entry to be affiliated with. If more than one Research Center is available, please contact researchhub@phoenix.edu.

How to Publish or Save as Draft

At the bottom of the page, there are three options to choose from, all explained below.

• Publish: Clicking this button publishes the topic immediately to your group forum.
• Save as Draft: Clicking this button saves the draft to the system to be addressed by you, the author, at a later time.
• Cancel: This button returns you to the previous screen and does NOT save any information you’ve added on this page.