Wall/Forum Widget

The Wall/Forum Widget is one of several "Community Widgets" available to all users on ShinePages.

While ALL community widgets offer the ability to create interactive discussions or "commenting" on your pages, they each have slightly different aesthetics, structure and functionality - lending themselves to slightly different uses.

All Community Widgets (Discussion Widget, Wall/Forum Widget, Comment Area Widget, Reviews Widget, Circle) require users to "login" (or create an account) as a "Member" of your site in order to participate/comment.  

The “Wall/Forum” Widget is probably best used in a way that is similar to Facebook or Reddit - allowing your visitors/members create their own Posts within a single "Wall" (or "Multiple Walls" / Categories) that you set up as the site owner.  

Others will be able to reply or comment on a member's Post. Posts and Comments/Replies will also allow for image uploading, text styling and poll creation.

Please note: While Visitors/Members will be able to create their own new "Posts" to share information, ask questions or gather others to discuss a topic, they will not be able to create their own "wall" - ie: category/collection of Posts. 

Key Features of the Wall/Forum Widget:

• Make Posts – Members can create "Posts" to share updates, thoughts, or media-rich content.
• Comment & Reply – Keep conversations flowing with structured discussions.
• Upvote & Downvote – Members can express approval or provide constructive feedback.
• Like & Heart Reactions – Engage with posts in a meaningful way.
• Poll Integration – Create interactive polls directly within posts.
• Image Uploads – Enhance posts with visual elements.
• Customization & Control – Set permissions, adjust layouts, and fine-tune moderation options.

Wall/Forum Widgets (like all "Community Widgets") are versatile and can be placed anywhere within your project, ensuring seamless integration across different content types. You can embed them into:

• Pages – Keep conversations relevant within structured content.
• Blogs – Encourage discussions around articles and shared insights.
• Funnels – Allow interaction within sales and conversion journeys.
• Community Circles – Foster engagement within dedicated member spaces.

This flexibility ensures members can participate wherever it makes the most sense, keeping discussions fluid and interactive across your platform.

🔧 Configuring the Widget

Once the Wall/Forum Widget is added to your page (simply drag the widget where you'd like from the Widgets menu), the system will open the Walls panel and give you options for the configuration of the widget. 

FIRST STEP:

Choose between two display options: 

-"Single-Wall" - Displays a single "discussion wall"/area with all posts and comments in one place.

or 

-"Multiple Walls" - Allows you to create a more structured forum, dividing discussions into different topics or categories.

Depending on which you choose you will have additional configuration options. (See below) 

1) SINGLE WALL

First configuration step: 

If choosing a Single Wall - the first step will be to "Enter Wall Name"

Type your OWN Wall Name in the box (overwrite/replace the "Default-XXXXXXXXX" Wall Name with your OWN Wall Name - ie: Your Wall Topic or Thread)

*If you already have existing Walls created - a Drop-Down list of Walls will appear when you place your cursor into the Wall Name box. You can "Select" an existing Wall from this list to display in this Wall/Forum widget instead. 

Second Configuration step: 

There are two ways to configure how posts are displayed within the wall - you will choose between Full Post or Compact View:

• Full Post – displays the complete content of each post along with its comments. See below:

• Compact View – displays posts in a structured list, showing only the post titles. This layout is ideal for walls with a large number of posts, allowing users to expand each post individually to view its content. See below:

• Clicking the "Comments" button opens the post along with all its comments in a pop-up window.

• As default, comments are displayed below the post within the pop-up. However, you can choose to display them in a sidebar instead. See the screenshot and two videos below

"Who Can Post" Configuration Step: 

For both Full Post & Compact View - you can choose who gets to post within this Single-Wall by selecting:

• All Members
• Admins & Moderators
• Only Admins

Even when “All Members” is selected, members must be logged in to interact with the Wall/Forum widget. If a visitor is not logged in, they will still see the Wall/Form, but will be prompted to Register or Log In as a Member of your site before posting, replying or reacting.

(Note: When a visitor Registers - they will become a "Website Member" of your site (part of your Default Member Group). If the widget is within a Community Circle, they will also become a "Circle Member")

In addition you can choose to turn "On" the "Require approval on new posts" option here as well: (also see Moderation of Posts & Comments section below)

Comment Section Configuration Steps: 

• You can set the number of comments to display for each post using the following setting.

• The specified number of comments will be shown by default, and any additional comments will load when the visitor clicks Show More Comments.

• You can also choose to "Show Post Author" and "Show Post Upvotes/Downvotes" within the Compact View:  

The Fixed Height setting defines the widget’s height relative to the viewport. By default, it’s set to 100%, but you can reduce the height as needed. 

This helps create a more contained and cleaner layout, especially when other widgets are on the page, by allowing users to scroll within the wall content instead of scrolling the entire page.

2) MULTIPLE WALLS

First configuration step:

If choosing a Multiple-Wall configuration - You'll be prompted to Create or Select your First Wall when you first add the widget to the page. 

The "Enter Wall Name" panel will open upon selecting "Multiple Walls".  OR - You can also click the pink "Add Wall" button to open this panel OR click the "Settings" button next to the Wall Names to open each Wall's settings. (see screenshot below) 

Just as in the Single-Wall configuration above, the first step in the creation or selection of each Wall to be included will be to "Enter Wall Name"

Type your OWN Wall Name in the box (overwrite/replace the "Default-XXXXXXXXX" Wall Name with your OWN Wall Name - ie: Your Wall Topic or Thread)

OR - if you already have existing Walls created - a Drop-Down list of Walls will appear when you place your cursor into the Wall Name box. You can "Select" an existing Wall from this list to display in this Wall/Forum widget instead. 

Wall Personalization Configuration Step:

Continue to Add or Create new Walls as needed to create your Multiple-Wall Configuration - choosing the Settings for each Wall as needed. 

Note: Unlike the Single-Wall Settings - within each Wall of a Multiple-Wall Settings screen, you have additional personalization options which allow you to add a Group Color, a Group Description and a Group Image. 

This helps make each wall more visually distinct from the other and improves navigation within the Wall/Forum widget.  See below:

"View Style" Configuration Step: 

Select which view to display your multiple Walls: 

• Row View: displays each Wall in a separate row.

• Column View: displays the Walls in columns within a single row. You can adjust how many walls are shown per row using the Column View Split setting.

• Sidebar View: displays the Walls in a "discussion board" format. If you select this option, you can assign a discussion name, which will appear at the top of the sidebar in the Wall/Forum widget.

See the video below to see a "Row View" Wall/Forum widget in action: 

MODERATION OF POSTS & COMMENTS

To contribute to any Wall/Forum discussion, visitors must first sign-in or Register as a "Member" of your website. (You get unlimited free "Website Members") 

Once logged in, users can create various types of posts, including uploading images, adding text comments, or even starting a poll.

After clicking "Next," the member will be prompted to choose between two types of layouts (if a photo was attached to the post) and two types of post reactions (hearts/likes or "upvote/downvote"). This is the final step before the post is published.

The website admin can enable a post and comment approval setting, which allows them to review each newly submitted post or/and comment before it is published on the wall.

The Moderation Dashboard can be accessed by navigating to Website Settings -> Moderation. This section allows you to manage and review submitted comments and posts.

All posts awaiting review can be found in the Waiting Approval tab within the Moderation Board.

In the Wall Posts tab, you can view ALL posts submitted through the Forum Widget, including both approved and unapproved ones. Clicking Approve Post will publish the post to the wall.

The post submitter will see a "Waiting Approval" label until the post is reviewed and approved by the website moderator, at which point it becomes publicly visible.

The Wall/Forum widget is now ready, and visitors can start posting and joining the conversation!