> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.knowlix.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Forum Knowlix Forum creates community-driven question and answer spaces on your website. Support customers, enable knowledge sharing, and build engaged user communities with a structured forum system featuring voting, karma progression, and moderation tools. **Key features:** * Question and answer structure with best answer marking * Karma-based user progression and permissions * Gamification with ranks and badges * Content moderation with validation workflow * Tag organization for topic filtering * Integration with support tickets *** ## Creating Forums Navigate to **Website → Configuration → Forums** and click **New** to create a forum. **Configuration options:** **Forum Name:** Display name shown to visitors. **Mode:** * **Questions**: Enables marking one answer as best, allowing questions to show as "solved" * **Discussions**: Free discussion format without best answer designation **Default Sort:** Choose how posts appear by default: * Newest (by post date) * Last Updated (by any recent activity) * Most Voted (by community votes) * Relevance (algorithmic formula) * Answered (by likelihood of having answers) **Privacy:** * **Public**: Visible to all visitors * **Signed In**: Requires login to view * **Some Users**: Restrict to specific user access group *** ## Karma Points Karma points reward user contributions and determine access to forum capabilities. Points accumulate from various interactions and unlock progressive permissions as users become more trusted members. **Karma gains by interaction:** | Interaction | Points | | ------------------------------- | ------ | | Asking a question | +2 | | Question upvoted by others | +5 | | Question downvoted by others | -2 | | Answer upvoted by others | +10 | | Answer downvoted by others | -2 | | Accepting another user's answer | +2 | | Your answer marked as best | +15 | | Post flagged as offensive | -100 | New users receive 3 points upon validating their email address. Customize point values for each forum in the **Karma Gains** tab of the forum configuration. **Karma-required permissions:** | Permission | Default Requirement | | ------------------------------- | ------------------- | | Ask questions | 3 | | Answer questions | 3 | | Upvote | 5 | | Downvote | 50 | | Edit own posts | 1 | | Edit any post | 300 | | Close own posts | 100 | | Close any post | 500 | | Delete own posts | 500 | | Delete any post | 1,000 | | Accept answers on own questions | 20 | | Add links and images to posts | 30 | | Flag posts as offensive | 500 | | Moderate all posts | 1,000 | Adjust permission thresholds in the **Karma Related Rights** tab per forum. *** ## Gamification ### Ranks Create rank levels users progress through as karma accumulates. Navigate to **Website → Configuration → Forum: Ranks** to manage ranks. Configure per rank: * Rank name and description * Karma points required to reach rank * Motivational message displayed to users approaching the rank * Visual badge image ### Badges Award badges recognizing specific achievements or contributions. Navigate to **Website → Configuration → Forum: Badges** to manage badges. **Manual assignment:** Configure who can grant the badge (all users, selected users, or users holding specific badges). Set monthly sending limits per person. **Automatic assignment:** Tie badge awards to challenge completion for automated recognition. Assign Bronze, Silver, or Gold tier to indicate badge importance. *** ## Tags Tags help visitors filter forum posts by topic. Navigate to **Website → Configuration → Forum: Tags** to manage tags. Users with sufficient karma can create new tags directly when posting questions. Tags appear in the forum sidebar allowing one-click topic filtering. *** ## Using the Forum ### Posting Questions Click **New Post** on the forum website page and complete: * **Title**: Question or topic * **Description**: Detailed question content * **Tags**: Up to five relevant tags Click **Post Your Question** to submit. **Interaction options on posts:** * Star (☆) to mark as favorite * Bell (🔔) to follow and receive notifications * Arrows (▲▼) to vote for or against content * Checkmark (✔) to mark an answer as best (questions mode only) * Speech bubble (💬) to add comments * Share buttons for social distribution *** ## Forum Moderation Access moderation tools from the forum sidebar on the website front end. ### Pending Validation Review questions and answers awaiting moderator approval before public display. Questions from users lacking sufficient karma require validation. Only one pending question per user is allowed at a time. ### Flagged Content View posts flagged as offensive by community members. * **Accept**: Remove the offensive flag and restore visibility * **Confirm as Offensive**: Hide post and deduct 100 karma from author ### Closed Posts Manage posts closed by moderators. Reopen legitimate posts or permanently delete spam. **Close reasons include:** * Duplicate question * Not a real question * Contains spam or advertising * Contains offensive remarks Spam and offensive closures automatically deduct 100 karma from the post author. **Bulk management:** Access all posts from the forum configuration, select multiple posts, and use the Actions menu to archive, delete, or export. *** ## Best Practices Set clear community guidelines visible on the forum homepage. Start with lower karma requirements and raise thresholds as community matures. Respond to flagged content promptly to maintain community quality. Recognize consistent contributors with custom badges to encourage continued participation. **💡 Your Knowlix:** *"Show me unanswered questions from this week"* or *"Which forum users have the highest karma scores?"*