Creating and using invites

[Discourse]

This guide explains how to enable and utilize invitations in your Discourse community to enhance user engagement by bringing new members.

Required user level: Trust Level 2 (default) or higher.

Invitations in Discourse allow users to bring new members into the community effortlessly. Here’s how you can create and manage invites effectively.

Summary

This document covers:

• How to access and use the Invites feature.
• Inviting users directly to topics.
• Viewing the status of your invites.
• Best practices and common issues.

Accessing the invites feature

By default, users who reach Trust Level 2 can start sending invites.

An invite link is provided directly on the navigation menu.

When selected, the invite popup appears. Select Create link to get a link you can copy and share, or select “Edit link options” to access more options including sending the invitation directly by email through Discourse.

Power tip: You can also add link to the popup directly from anywhere using the https://yoursite.com/new-invite URL.

An invites page is provided for each user, where invites can be created and managed. To access the invites page:

1. Open the user menu and select “Invites.”

2. From here, you can create new invites and view pending ones.

Creating an invite

On the invites page, you have options to:

• Generate a shareable link (default).
  

  

• Send an invite via email. By clicking Edit Link Options on the invite popup menu, you can send an invite via email with an optional personal message and the ability to add the invitee to custom groups.
  

  

Inviting to a topic

Invites can also be created directly from the ‘Share’ button at the bottom of a topic.

This method allows the invitee to arrive at the specified topic upon accepting the invite.

Non-staff users can only invite people to a topic if it’s in a public category.

Invites status and usage tracking

Once an invite is accepted, the inviter will be recorded on the invitee’s user summary page.

Rewarding successful invites

Inviting new members can earn you badges and recognition within the community.

Best practices

• Personalize your invitation message.
• Use shareable links to simplify the process for multiple invitees.
• Monitor and follow up on pending invites to ensure they are being accepted.

Common issues and solutions

Issue: Invite not being received

Solution: Ask the invitee to check their spam or junk folders, and ensure the email address is correct.

Issue: Invite link expired

Solution: Generate a new invite link or use the email invitation method.

Issue: Unable to invite to a specific topic

Solution: Ensure the topic is in a public category or check invite permissions settings.
Solution: When must approve users site setting is selected, the “arrive at topic” option is removed.

FAQs

Q: Can I revoke a sent invite?
A: Yes, go to your invites page and click ‘Revoke’ next to the pending invite.

Q: What happens if someone shares my invite link?
A: The link can be used up to 10 times by different people unless it’s a personal email invite.

Q: Can invites add users to specific groups?
A: This requires configuration by an admin. More information can be found in the admin guide linked below.

Additional resources

• Configuring how users can create and send invites for others to join your community

Last edited by @tobiaseigen 2024-11-01T12:55:56Z

Last checked by @hugh 2024-06-17T06:29:09Z

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