Manage Groups

The Manage Groups option in the control panel.

The Manage Groups feature is within the Membership group of features in the Control Panel, and is where user groups can be defined and populated.

Groups are integral to the permissions architecture within a digital workplace. They are required when access levels to channels are assigned, when broadcasts are sent, and when specific sets of users require additional access.

Features and functionality

Our platform is simple and intuitive but that doesn’t mean its capabilities are limited. There are a number of ways that you can configure our platform to do exactly what you want. Below is a list of all additional features found within this particular feature or function.

Common functionality

  • Rename group: You can rename the group name (unless it is a system group).
  • View/edit members: Select any group, to display a popup allowing you to view the members of that group. From here, you can add or remove members from the group.
    Viewing the members of a group.
  • Actions Button: The Actions button displays two options that allow you to manage your groups: Subscriptions and Delete. Subscriptions allow you to manage the existing subscriptions of groups. You can set the frequency of notifications, or cancel the subscription altogether. See the Subscriptions article for more information on how to assign subscriptions to a group. Selecting Delete from the Actions menu removes the group from the digital workplace.

Types of groups

  • System Groups: System groups cannot be renamed. There are two groups available: Administrators and Members. The system administrator should reside in the Administrators group. All user accounts in the digital workplace will reside in the Members group, including administrators.The System Groups tab of the manage groups page.
  • Member groups: You can define groups for members to be part of. These groups will be system-wide, so the access rules on any page, space, or channel within the platform can be applied to this group. Members can be assigned to multiple groups within a workplace.The Member Groups tab of the Manage Groups page.
  • Space groups - Space groups exist within the context of a space. A space group can either be created/managed within the Manage Groups feature or within the Manage Members feature in that space. Similar to the larger workplace, space groups contain three types of groups:
    • Administrators (space administrators will have full administrative control of the space)
    • Members (anyone added to this group will become a member of the space)
    • Custom Groups (additional groups can be defined if the governance model of the space requires additional groups).The Space Groups tab of the Manager Members page.

Manage roles

You can grant additional access on a group by group basis using the Manage Roles feature. Access can be granted to a member group, space group or All Members.

  • Broadcast Management: This feature grants broadcast rights to groups within the system. There are two types of broadcast capability that can be assigned: Broadcast to your groups and Broadcast to all groups. The former allows you to broadcast messages to groups you belong to, while the latter lets you send broadcast messages to all groups, including all members and administrators (This feature also allows you to view all groups and their membership).The Manage Roles page.
  • Content Management: Groups can be given content management rights for the following areas: Create Pages, Create Spaces, Manage Labels, and Manage Tasks.
  • Membership Management: Groups can be given membership management rights. Any group with these rights can view all members in the member directory. Rights can pertain to the following areas: Add Members, Revoke Members, Manage Member Groups, Manage Registration, Manage Invitations, Manage Reputation, and Perform Bulk User Uploads.
  • View subscriptions: You can view what a group has been subscribed to by selecting Actions next to the group name and then Subscriptions. There, you can also modify subscription frequency or remove them.
    The Manage Subscriptions page for a group.

How to create a group

The example below outlines the steps required to create a new group in the system. The process is the same for a member group or custom space group.

  1. In the Member Groups or Space Groups tab, select + <new group>.
  2. Enter a name. This is the name that will appear when access rules are applied to this group.
  3. Search for existing members of the digital workplace and add them into the group using the provided search tool.
  4. Select Create.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a person is in group A and a group B, and has different access rules for each? (For example: Group A has Read access, Group B has Full access)?

If you are a member of multiple groups with different access rules, the rule which gives you the most access will apply. Using the above example, the Group B Full access rule will apply to all.

If a member’s access has been revoked, what happens if you create a new account using the same email address?

This will restore the user account and associate previously contributed content with that user, however, it will not restore group membership.