How do I add, rename or tidy the areas in my forum?
The areas in your forum - the categories members post in - are something you shape by asking. Add a new one, rename one that outgrew its name, recolour one so it stands out, or disable one that went quiet.
The prompt
“Add a category called Critique Corner to my community forum.”
Signed in, Get my prompt fills in your site for you. Otherwise press Copy and fill in the [bracketed] parts. First time? Connect your AI to bernard once: Use your own AI (opens in a new tab).
Adding a category
Tell Bernard the name, and optionally a short description and a colour. A new category appears in the forum straight away. Members see it the next time they open the page.
A new category is open to every signed-in member unless you say otherwise. You can ask for it to be public (anyone can read it and search engines find it) or private to one group of people. See Can some areas of my forum be public and others for paying members only?.
Renaming, describing, recolouring, reordering
Tell Bernard what to change and on which category. You can change one field or several at once. The change applies immediately; existing threads in that category stay where they are.
Get the category names first with “list my forum categories” if you are not sure what they are called.
Hiding a category
A hidden (disabled) category disappears for members. The posts inside it are kept, not destroyed, so enabling it again (by a person at bernard, for now) brings everything back. Bernard refuses to hide the last open category: a forum with nowhere to post is not a forum.
Deleting a category
Deleting is different: the room and every thread and post in it are gone for good, and nothing brings them back. Bernard offers hiding first. If you still want it gone, Bernard shows you the room’s name, how many threads and posts it holds and who posted there recently, and deletes it only on your clear word. Use it for rooms that only ever held test posts, or that nobody needs.
Changing the forum name and description
The name appears in the browser tab and the forum header. The description appears below it. Tell Bernard the new name or description and it changes at once.
What you cannot change by asking
The look of the forum - fonts, colours, header image, footer - was set to match your site when the forum was created. Changes to these are done by a person at bernard on request, not by the AI in this phase.
Questions people ask
- What is a category?
- A category is an area in your forum where conversations happen. Each thread lives in one category. Members choose the right area when they start a thread, and can browse the ones that interest them.
- Can I rename or recolour a category?
- Yes. Tell Bernard the category and what to change. The change applies at once; existing threads stay where they are.
- Can I remove a category?
- You can hide it, which keeps every post, or delete it, which removes the room and all its posts for good. Bernard offers hiding first, and deletes only on your clear word after showing you how many threads and posts would go. Bernard refuses to hide or delete the last open room.
- Who can see a new category?
- Every signed-in member, unless you ask for it to be public or private to a group. Bernard never makes a room public unless you say so.
- Can I change the look of the forum - fonts, colours, header?
- Not by asking Bernard in this phase. The look was set to match your site when the forum was created. Changes to fonts, colours and the header are done by a person at bernard on request.
- Does Bernard need my approval before changing a category?
- Yes. Bernard confirms exactly what will change and acts only after your approval.