Overview
The article discusses the implementation of two key features in online community forums: the ability to mark a reply as a solved answer and the option for users to vote on discussion replies. The solved answers feature allows users to easily identify the most effective solution to their queries, while the voting system highlights popular and relevant responses, fostering a more interactive and helpful community environment.
Information
In the Discussions > Category Management > Category Edit, you can now choose to allow users to cast their vote and mark a discussion reply as a solution (mark as a solved answer).
- Mark reply as a solution
- Voting
Mark reply as a solution
The Solved Answers feature enables the peer support use case by allowing members to ask questions in the Discussions section, then choose the "best answer" or solution when one is provided by a fellow member of the community. The best answer is added to the original post, so others can easily find the solution in the future. Let's see it in action:
As shown above, a member who is posting a question simply has to click on the check mark icon below the reply which answers their question.
Once a question has been marked as answered, it will display the same checkbox icon to the left of the topic in the list of topics. See below for an example:
If you'd like to see the Support use case in action, take a look at the Influitive Community Support forum .
Voting
The voting feature can be used in any category where the goal is to share ideas or posts and have people vote on them. The most common use case is for feature requests or content ideas.
When the voting plugin is enabled in a category, every topic will no longer have "likes", but will instead have a voting button in addition to the number of votes receive.
Additionally, the topic list will show the number of votes a topic has received. You can find the number of votes beneath the topic name. See below for an example:
FAQ
How does marking a reply as a solved answer benefit the community?
Marking a reply as a solved answer helps other users find the most effective solution quickly and efficiently, enhancing the overall usefulness of the community forum.
Can users vote on any reply within a discussion?
Yes, users can cast votes on discussion replies to indicate the most useful or relevant responses, provided the voting feature is enabled in that category.
What happens to a discussion topic once a reply is marked as the best answer?
Once a reply is marked as the best answer, it is highlighted along with the original question, and the topic displays a checkbox icon next to the title in the topic list for easy identification.
Where can users explore the Solved Answers feature?
Users can explore the Solved Answers feature in the Influitive Community Support forum or any other forum that has this feature implemented.
Is the voting feature limited to certain types of categories within a forum?
The voting feature is typically ideal for categories focused on idea sharing or feature requests, but it can be enabled for any category at the discretion of the forum administrators.