How do I set permissions for my members?

What are permissions?

Permissions allow you to decide how different types of users will be able to see and use your SilkStart site.

Managing permissions enables you to set different privileges for groups of users to create, view, and manage information in different places on your site based on their membership plan, and whether they are logged in or not. Setting custom permissions allows you to make some tools public, and keep some member areas private.

How do I change permissions?

The Manage Permissions page is structured into columns for each type of user, and rows for each permission.

1. Log in as an administrator and navigate to Settings > Manage Permissions in your admin panel.
2. Select or unselect any permission from the column belonging to the user group you wish to change (Directory permissions are listed under the "User" or "Company" category of the grid)
   OR
   Select one of the preset options from the top of the column (None, View Only, Basic) to set permissions for the entire column.
3. Click Save Changes to apply the permissions.

When would I change permissions?

Use the Manage Permissions tool any time that you need to give different privileges to different types of members, or to people who are not logged in as members.

For example, your organization allows Professional Members to post articles in your news section, and only allows Student Members to read these articles. 

To create this system in SilkStart, give Professional Members permission to View Article Listing, View Article Detail, and Post Article, and only give Student Members permission to View Article Listing and View Article Detail.

What is the difference between "posting" and "publishing"? 

Posting: If a user has the permissions to Post an article, job, blog, etc, they will be able to create the item and save it as a draft. They will not have the ability to publish it for display on the site until an Admin has approved it. 

Publishing: Publishing permissions are standard for Admins, and involve making content live and visible on your site. These permissions can be granted to members of your choice by checking the corresponding boxes. 

What is the "Not Logged in Guest" type?

This user group represents members of the public, or anyone browsing your site without logging in. 

What is the "Logged in user" type?

A logged-in user represents someone who does not have an active plan, but still has a valid username (email address) and password for your site. This includes expired members, users who created an account with your Explore option, or those who created an account but did not finish completing payment during the enrolment flow. 

See Next:

• How do I set permissions for my job board?
• How do I set permissions for my directory?
• How do I set permissions for donation campaigns?
• How do I set posting permissions in groups?
• How do I set permissions for documents?