SMF organises discussion into categories, which contain boards, which contain topics. A clear structure from day one makes a new forum feel busier and easier to use.
Plan before you click
- Start small. Five or six boards is plenty for a new forum. Empty boards make a forum look abandoned; you can always add more.
- Name boards for what people will post, not for how you’d file things. “Ask a question” beats “Queries”.
- Write a one-line description for each board. It appears on the board index and helps search engines.
A starter structure that suits most communities:
- Welcome: Announcements (staff only), Introduce yourself
- Your topic: General discussion, Questions and help, Show and tell
- Community: Off-topic, Feedback about the forum
Create a category
- Go to Admin then Forum then Boards.
- Choose Create new category, give it a name and save.
Create a board
- In Admin then Forum then Boards, use Add board next to the category it belongs in.
- Enter the name and description.
- Under the allowed groups, tick who can see it. Untick Guests for members-only boards.
- Pick a permission profile: Default for normal boards, Read Only for announcements.
- Save. Reorder boards in the list, or make one a child board of another.
Tips
- Post a welcome topic in every board before you invite anyone, so nobody arrives to empty rooms.
- Use the Read Only profile for an Announcements board so only staff can start topics.
- Board moderators are set per board. Adding moderators
Questions people ask
Can I move a board to another category later?
Yes. Edit the board and change its category. Topics move with it.
What is a child board?
A board shown inside another board, useful for sub-topics. Use them sparingly; deep nesting makes forums harder to navigate.
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