Moderating Discussion Groups

How to use moderation tools to keep group discussions healthy and on topic.

Discussion groups are where much of the day-to-day communication happens in fellos. As an admin (or designated group moderator), you have access to moderation tools that help you manage conversations, keep discussions productive, and handle any content issues that arise.

Moderation tools appear directly on posts and comments within groups that fall under your admin scope. You don't need to navigate to a special moderation panel — the controls are right there alongside the content.

Moderation Actions

As a moderator, you have several tools at your disposal. Each action serves a different purpose:

Pinning Posts

Pinning a post keeps it fixed at the top of the group, above all other posts regardless of how new they are. This is ideal for:

• Important announcements that everyone should see
• Group rules or guidelines
• Ongoing event details or sign-up threads
• Frequently referenced information

To pin a post, click the Pin icon (or choose "Pin to Top" from the post's action menu). The post immediately moves to the top of the group with a "Pinned" indicator. To unpin, click the same control again. A group can have multiple pinned posts, which appear in the order they were pinned.

Locking Threads

Locking a thread prevents anyone from adding new comments. The existing post and comments remain visible, but the reply box is disabled. Use locking when:

• A discussion has reached its natural conclusion and you want to prevent it from being resurrected
• A conversation is getting heated and needs a cooling-off period
• The topic has been resolved and further discussion isn't needed
• You want to archive an important thread without deleting it

To lock a thread, click the Lock icon on the post. A lock indicator appears on the post, and the comment box is replaced with a "This thread is locked" message. You can unlock at any time.

Approving Pending Posts

If a group is configured to require moderation (set up by your site admin), new posts don't appear immediately. Instead, they go into a moderation queue where you can:

• Approve — Publish the post to the group so all members can see it.
• Reject — Decline the post with an optional reason sent to the author.

Pending posts appear at the top of the group with a "Pending Review" badge, visible only to moderators. Regular members won't see posts until they're approved.

Moving Posts Between Groups

Sometimes a post is fine content but was posted in the wrong group. Instead of asking the author to delete and repost, you can move it:

1. Click the Move option from the post's action menu.
2. A dialog appears showing all groups you have moderation access to.
3. Select the target group.
4. Confirm the move. The post (including all comments and reactions) is relocated to the new group.

The author is notified that their post was moved, with a link to its new location. A note is also added to the post indicating it was moved and from which group.

Deleting Posts and Comments

Deletion should be used as a last resort, for content that violates your organization's policies or is clearly inappropriate. You can delete:

• Individual comments — Remove a single comment while keeping the rest of the thread intact.
• Entire posts — Remove a post and all its comments. This action is irreversible.

When you delete content, you'll be asked to select a reason (spam, inappropriate, off-topic, etc.). The deletion is logged for audit purposes, including who deleted it and why.

The Moderation Queue

If a group requires post approval, pending posts appear in a dedicated moderation queue at the top of the group. Only moderators and admins see this queue. Each pending post shows:

• The author and submission time
• A preview of the post content
• Approve and Reject buttons for quick action

You can also click into a pending post to see the full content before making a decision. Rejected posts are removed from the queue and the author is notified with the reason (if you provided one).

When to Use Each Action

Here are some guidelines for choosing the right moderation action:

• Pin — Use for long-term important content. Don't over-pin — if too many posts are pinned, the pinned section becomes cluttered and members stop paying attention to it.
• Lock — Use when a conversation is done or getting unproductive. Locking is less drastic than deletion because the content remains visible.
• Move — Use when content is valuable but in the wrong place. This preserves the discussion while putting it where it belongs.
• Delete — Reserve for genuinely problematic content: spam, policy violations, or content that shouldn't have been posted. Always select a reason for the audit log.

Which Groups You Can Moderate

Your moderation access depends on your admin scope and how the group is configured:

• Club Admin — Can moderate any group in the club.
• Org Admin — Can moderate groups belonging to organizations within their scope.
• Local Admin — Can moderate groups belonging to their specific organization.
• Designated Moderators — Your site admin can also assign specific members as moderators for individual groups, regardless of admin level.