Global Wildfire Collective

Administrator Guide for Discourse Platform

The Global Wildfire Collective (GWC) is an interdisciplinary community dedicated to wildfire resilience, recovery, and long-term well-being across ecological and social systems. Led by the Conservation Biology Institute, our work spans sectors, disciplines, and stakeholders to address the complex impacts of wildfire. We collaborate to develop strategies that not only mitigate wildfire risks but also create co-benefits for people and the planet. Whether you're a researcher, practitioner, policymaker, or community member this is a space to share knowledge, build capacity, and drive innovation in wildfire resilience.

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Important: This guide is intended for administrators and moderators of the GWC Discourse forum. All operations described here require appropriate permissions.
Global Wildfire Collective

The Global Wildfire Collective brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on wildfire resilience.

Admin Panel Navigation

The administrator panel is where you can manage all settings for the Discourse server. Only users with admin permissions can access this section.

Accessing Admin Panel
  1. Log in to your account at community.globalwildfirecollective.org
  2. Click on your profile icon in the top-right corner
  3. Select "Admin" from the dropdown menu
  4. You will be taken to the main admin dashboard
Admin Panel Navigation

Navigating to the Admin Panel

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Caution: Changes made in the admin panel affect the entire community. Proceed with care and consider testing significant changes in a staging environment first.

Updating Discourse Settings

Discourse comes with many configurable settings that allow you to customize the forum experience. Users with admin permissions can modify these settings.

Updating System Settings
  1. From the Admin Panel, click on the "Settings" tab in the left sidebar
  2. Use the filter at the top to search for specific settings
  3. Modify settings by toggling switches or entering new values
  4. Changes are saved automatically
Updating Discourse Settings

Navigating and updating Discourse settings

Current Important Settings

  • Email notification digests: Currently set to 7 days
  • Backend storage: Currently enabled (can be changed to S3 bucket in the future)

User Management

Managing users is a core responsibility for administrators and moderators. Users with admin or moderator permissions can perform user management tasks.

Managing Users
  1. From the Admin Panel, click on the "Users" tab in the left sidebar
  2. Use the search and filter options to find specific users
  3. Click on a username to view detailed information and management options
  4. Perform actions such as:
    • Changing user trust levels
    • Assigning moderator or admin privileges
    • Suspending accounts
    • Managing user groups
User Management

Navigating to user sections and management options

Report Generation

Discourse provides powerful analytics and reporting tools to help administrators understand community engagement and activity. Only users with admin permissions can access these reports.

Accessing and Using Reports
  1. From the Admin Panel, click on the "Reports" tab in the left sidebar
  2. Select the type of report you wish to view (Activity, Engagement, Moderation, etc.)
  3. Use the date range selectors to adjust the time period
  4. Export reports as CSV files for further analysis if needed
Reports Generation

Navigating to and generating reports in Discourse

Valuable Report Types

  • User Activity: Track new signups, active users, and engagement levels
  • Content Metrics: Monitor topics, posts, and views across different categories
  • Engagement: Analyze likes, replies, and time spent on the platform
  • Moderation: Track flags, suspensions, and other moderation actions
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Tip: Regular report analysis can help identify content trends and community health indicators. Consider scheduling a monthly review of key metrics.

Permission Levels Overview

Discourse has several built-in user levels with different capabilities:

User Levels
Level Capabilities
Admin Full access to all settings, user management, site customization, and plugin configuration
Moderator Can manage posts and users, handle flags, but cannot change site settings or access server configuration
Trust Level 4 Leader users with expanded capabilities but no moderation powers
Trust Level 3 Regular users with additional privileges
Trust Level 2 Members who have participated more actively
Trust Level 1 Basic users who have read multiple posts
Trust Level 0 New users with limited capabilities