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.
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.
Disabling a category
A disabled category is hidden from 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 disable the last enabled category - a forum with nowhere to post is not a forum.
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 disable it. A disabled category is hidden from members but its posts are kept, not destroyed. Bernard refuses to disable the last enabled category. There is no purge from the chat - that keeps a mistake reversible.
- 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.