Aurora: Ban members from the community
Each member plays a crucial role in the community's growth and is responsible to behave appropriately to create a positive space where other members feel welcome, safe, and engaged. But in some cases, members act maliciously, violate the community guidelines, or are abusive in nature. To avoid such malicious behaviors in the community, Moderators and members with appropriate permissions can ban these members and prevent them from accessing the community. Before banning a member, consider their member history, not just a single action or post. You can temporarily or permanently ban members based on the impact caused. You can ban members using their profile information (username, user ID, and email address) and IP addresses. Use IP address bans as a last resort. IP addresses tend to be dynamic and if a banned member restarts their router, they can get out of the ban and another member may receive the ban. In the community, you can ban members in several ways: Create ban rule from the Manage Users dashboard Ban members from the Content Management dashboard Ban members from the members’ profile page Ban members from the content page Create Ban rule from the Manage Users dashboard Using a ban rule, you can ban single or multiple members from the community. From the Manage Users dashboard, you can create and view the list of ban rules in the community as shown below: To create a ban rule: Sign in to the community as an Admin or Moderator. Open the Account menu and go to Manage > Users. The Banned tab on the Manage Users page is displayed. Click Create Ban Rule. Specify any of the following fields: Username: Enter a member’s username. The entry can include * and ? wildcard characters to ban all members whose usernames match all or part of the username. Example 1: If you enter the username as “Jess*,” any member whose username begins with “Jess” followed by any character will be banned. Example 2: If you enter the username as “Je?s,” the "? " replaces only the single character. The usernames like "Jess," "Jeos," and other matching usernames will be banned. User ID: Enter member’s unique User ID. Email Address: Enter member’s email address. The entry can include * and ? wildcard characters to ban members whose email addresses match all or part of the email address. Example 1: Entering “*@test.com” bans members whose email address begins with any character followed by test.com. Example 2: Entering “Je?s@test.com” bans members with email addresses like “Jess@test.com,” “Jeos@test.com,” and other matching email addresses. IP Address: Enter member’s IP address. Note that other members who use the same IP address will also be banned. Match any of the above criteria: Select this checkbox to ban a member who meets any of the criteria listed above. Otherwise, the ban is in effect only if all criteria are met. In the Ban Actions drop-down menu, select the ban Duration. The duration can be temporary or permanent as required. To set a custom duration, select Custom from the drop-down menu and set the duration. (Optional) In Ban Reasons, specify the following reasons for the ban: Internal reason for ban: Only Admins and Moderators can see this reason. They can see this reason when they edit the ban rule. Public reason for ban: Enter the reason that the banned member can see when they fail to sign in to the community. Click Ban. The impacted members are banned and signed out from the community. Ban members from the Content Management dashboard On the Content Management dashboard, you can ban members from the Spam, Abuse, and Moderation tabs using the Options menu > Ban Member. Note that you can only ban one member at a time from the Content Management dashboard. Let’s say you saw malicious content on the Abuse tab and you want to ban the member who created the content. To ban the member: Sign in to your community as an Admin or Moderator. Open the Account menu and go to Manage > Moderation. Go to the Moderation tab where you can view the list of content reported as abuse. To ban a member, open the Options menuand clickBan Member. The Ban Member window opens where the member details are auto-populated: Add information to the fields and click Ban. The Member is banned and signed out from the community.Similarly, you can ban members from the Spam and Moderation tabs. Ban members from the member profile page To ban a member from the member’s profile page: Sign in to the community as an Admin. Go to the member’s profile page by clicking the member account you want to ban on the community. Open the Options menu and click Ban Member. The Ban Member window opens where the member details are auto-populated. Specify the fields and click Ban. The Member is banned and signed out from the community. To modify ban, open the Options menu and clickEditBan. Ban members from the content page From the content page (forum discussions, blog posts, ideas, and knowledge base articles), you can ban the member who created the content as well as members who posted replies/comments to the content. To ban an author, go to the respective post, open the Options menu, and clickBan member. To ban a member from comments or replies section, go to the comment or reply posted by the member, open theOptions menu, and clickBan Member.Aurora: Close community member accounts
Admins or members with elevated permissions can use theDelete Usersfeature to close member's account and delete details of anonymous users from the community's database. For information related to security, privacy, and member information, refer to this list of articles on Atlas. To close a member’s account: Sign in to the community as an Admin. Go to Settings > Users > Manage Users > Delete Users. Select Member. Enter the username of the member whose account you want to delete. Press Enter. A confirmation window with the member's engagement details opens. Enter your password. SelectDelete. The member's account is deleted. To delete anonymous user data from the community database: Sign in to the community as an Admin. Go to Settings > Users > Manage Users > Delete Users. Select Anonymous User. Enter the email address of the user you want to delete from the community. Press Enter. A confirmation window with the user's email address and engagement details opens. Enter your password. Click Delete. The user's details are deleted from the community.Aurora: Manage member account details
As your community grows, members may need help editing their usernames, email addresses, passwords, or SSO IDs, and admins may need to quickly adjust members’ assigned roles as requirements change across the community. With the Manage Members feature, admins and your company’s support team can edit these details within the admin area of Aurora. Note: To use this feature, your role must have theManage roles and bans in admin & member profiles permission granted. Note: At this time, you cannot see a member's IP address until after they are banned. Refer to Review members banned from the community to learn how to view banned members' IP addresses. To edit existing member account details: Open the Account menu. Go to Settings > Users > Manage Users. In the Manage Members area, enter the Username or User ID (ID number or member profile URL) of an existing member. When you start typing a username, you can select the appropriate one from the list. On the Manage Member window, update the following as needed: Username Email address Note: If the existing email address has not been verified by the member, you can select the Mark email as verified checkbox to complete verification. If you change the email address here, it is automatically verified in the community. New password Roles (SSO members only)SSO ID Note: Be sure to update this field only when necessary, such as when SSO ID conflicts arise. Otherwise, the member may inadvertently create new accounts upon sign-in. SelectSave.Aurora: Use the Switch Member feature to sign in to a different community account
The Switch Member feature enables members with the Switch to another member permission to view the community using another community member’s account as if it were their own. For example, if you are an administrator and you switch to an account of a general community member, you no longer see any of the administrator options because the account you switched to does not have the appropriate permissions to see those tools. Use the Switch Member feature Grant permission to use the Switch Member feature Use the Switch Member feature Sign in as a member with the Switch to another member permission set to Grant. Open the Account menu and click Switch Member. On the Switch Member window, select whether you want to use the Username or User ID of the member you want to switch to. In the field, enter the username or user ID (this includes the member’s profile URL) of the member. As you start entering a username, some suggestions may appear in a drop-down menu; you can select the correct member from this list. Click Switch Member. You are switched to the account you have selected, enabling you to access the community as they would. At the bottom left of the screen, an indicator displays which member’s account you’re now using. To go back to your own account, click the gear icon on the sign-in indicator andSwitch back to me—or to switch to another member, clickSwitch to another member and select the member you want to switch to as you did previously. Some additional notes about this feature: Members cannot switch to an account that has a higher privilege set than their own. For example, if you allow members with the Moderator role to have the ability to switch to another account, they will not be able to use this feature to sign in to an administrator's account (assuming the Moderator role hasn't been edited to set all permissions to Assign). Instead, when they try to use the feature, they receive an error saying they do not have the appropriate privileges to sign in to that account. This ability should be given only to trusted individuals. When you use this feature, you view the community as the selected member sees it. This means you can take actions as that member, including creating posts under their username, which can have undesired consequences. Therefore, this permission should be restricted to administrators and other trusted individuals. Grant permission to use the Switch Member feature As an admin, you can manage the permissions for the Switch Member feature. The permission is turned off by default for all non-administrator community members. It is NOT recommended that you enable this feature for all community members. In fact, this permission should be designated only for administrators (to which the feature is enabled by default) or other trusted individuals. For this reason, the following procedure should be used sparingly. To grant the permission to use the Switch Member feature: Go to the Roles and Permissions page for the community or desired level of the community where you want to grant the permission. In the roles area for that level, hover your cursor over the role, click the Options menu, and then click Edit. In the Permissions section, locate the Member Management permission set, and beside Switch to another member, click Grant. For more information about permissions, see Permission descriptions.Aurora: Invite people to join the community
Whether your Aurora community is public or private, if you have the Manage roles and bans in admin and member profilespermission, you can invite people to join via email invitations. When they receive the email, they are prompted to register for the community. After they register, they can participate and perform actions based on their roles and permissions. To send a community invitation email: Open the Account menu and click Users. Click the Invitations tab. At the top right, click Send Invitation. In the Send Invitation window, in the Email addressesfield, enter one or more email addresses of people you want to invite. Email addresses must be separated by a space or comma. (Optional) In the Role to assign these recipients when they register (optional) field, select one or more roles you want to assign to the people whose email addresses you entered. Note: You must have the Manage roles and bans in admin and member profiles permission to be able to assign roles in this field. Click Send. The people you invited receive emails telling them how to register for your community. (Optional) To search for a sent email invitation: Click Filters. For the Status, select Accepted or Pending. In the Email address contains field, enter part or all of the email address of the recipient of the sent invitation you’re looking for. View the related results where you can see the Recipient, who they were Invited By, and the Date Invited.Aurora: Review members banned from the community
From the Manage Users dashboard, you can periodically review the members banned from the community and take necessary actions if required. If you have been granted the appropriate permissions, you can access the Banned tab from the Manage Users dashboard: The tab lists banned rule details such as Username, User ID, Email address, IP Address, End Date of the ban, and Banned by. To review banned members: Sign in to the community as an Admin or Moderator. Open the Account menu and go to Manage > Users. The Banned tab on the Manage Users page is displayed with the list of ban rules in the community. On the Banned tab, you can take these actions: Create ban rule Edit ban rule Unban members from the communityAurora: Edit Ban rule
In the community, you can ban members who act maliciously or violate the community guidelines. Sometimes after banning members, you might want to extend or reduce their ban duration, change the reason for the ban, or update any other ban criteria. From the Manage Users dashboard, Moderators and members with appropriate permissions can edit the existing ban rules as required. To edit a ban rule: Sign in to the community as an Admin or Moderator. Open the Account menu and go to Manage > Users. The Banned tab on the Manage Users page is displayed with the list of banned members in the community. Next to the ban rule you want to edit, open theOptions menu and clickEdit. The Edit Ban Rule window opens. Edit the required fields and click Update Rule. The ban rule is updated for all the impacted members. From the member’s profile page, if you ban a member and want to edit the ban, open the Options menu and clickEdit Ban.Aurora: Unban members from the community
In the community, you can unban members who have been banned previously. Before lifting a ban, you must make sure to review the ban details and follow community guidelines. After you lift the ban, unbanned members can sign in and participate in the community again. From the Manage Users dashboard, Moderators and members with appropriate permissions can delete the ban rule that unbans the impacted members. To delete a ban rule: Sign in to the community as an Admin or Moderator. Open the Account menu and go to Manage > Users. The Banned tab on the Manage Users page is displayed with the list of ban rules in the community. In the row of the ban rule you want to delete, open the Options menuand clickDelete. Click Delete. The unbanned members can sign in and participate in the community.Aurora: Download Member Report
With the Members Report, you can gain detailed insights into user activity within a selected time range, including visit counts, page views, and engagement data across different discussion styles. Additionally, you can track registration start and completion dates, SSOID, email, rank, and other key metrics. The report is especially useful to track member logins, as it highlights which members visited within the chosen time frame and the number of visits. Note that the report is generated for the selected time frame and for the selected location inReports Settings To access Member Report Go to yourAccountmenu and clickAnalytics Select Reports. TheReports page opens. Scroll down and select Members. The Members report page opens. Open the options menu(three dots) Select Download Report. A window opens to select additional user-related data to include in the downloaded report. Note: These options are available only to members with the Advanced Analytics User permission. Select from the options. Select Submit. The report downloads as a CSV file.
