Forums and how they are structured
Forums are asynchronous conversations that happen through posted messages. Each forum is divided into topics, so multiple discussions can run in parallel without colliding.
Within a topic, messages appear in sequence as members reply. Conversations can also branch into separate threads when a related question deserves its own line of discussion.
Forums are ideal for:
- Sharing quick ideas
- Asking for suggestions or solutions to a problem
- Exploring ethical or practical dilemmas in real time
To participate, browse a forum, open a topic, and reply to specific messages.
You can also subscribe to forum activity and receive email updates immediately or as daily/weekly digests, depending on your settings.
To explore what’s available, visit the forums page to see all forums, including restrictions and activity levels. You can also browse recent topics, sorted by most recently active (“freshness”).
Who can participate
Most forums are tied to private HELLO groups, giving group members a space to talk that isn’t visible to the broader membership. In general, you’ll need to join or create a group to participate in its forum.
All members are automatically added to the Everyone group, which includes an open forum where any member can create a topic. In addition, support forums are open to all members regardless of group affiliation.
Creating a forum
Forums are created as part of the new group setup. During group creation, you’ll be asked whether you want to enable a forum for that group—check the box to turn it on.
Before creating a new group and forum, consider whether your needs could be met by:
- Starting a new topic in the Everyone group forum, or
- Posting in an existing private group forum you already belong to
If you don’t need a restricted space for a specific subset of members, creating an additional group/forum may be unnecessary. Reusing existing forums also helps keep discussions easier to find and follow across the community.