# Invite users to certain categories/topics of a closed forum
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [7월 9, 2017, 8:22오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908 "2017-07-09T20:22:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cryptochrome](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cryptochrome)
#### Post date: [7월 9, 2017, 8:22오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/1 "2017-07-09T20:22:43Z")
Hi,
we are running a strictly closed forum for a team, not a public forum. Now we would like to be able to invite “outsiders” to collaborate with us on certain topics (or maybe a whole category) without giving them access to the rest of the forums.
Is there an easy way to do this? Can someone be invited to a topic and then only see that topic and nothing else?
Giving access to a category is easy, I know how I would have to do that, but it’s not exactly what I am looking for.
Any ideas? Thoughts?
Thanks 🙂
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### Author:  [@scombs](https://meta.discourse.org/u/scombs)
#### Post date: [7월 9, 2017, 9:00오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/2 "2017-07-09T21:00:10Z")
There are no permissions at the topic level. You could make a topic unlisted in a public category.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [7월 9, 2017, 9:05오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/3 "2017-07-09T21:05:09Z")
Or create a group and use a Group Message
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### Author:  [@cryptochrome](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cryptochrome)
#### Post date: [7월 10, 2017, 6:10오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/4 "2017-07-10T18:10:05Z")
Sorry for my ignorance, but how do you use a group message?
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### Author:  [@cryptochrome](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cryptochrome)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 10:11오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/5 "2017-07-11T10:11:46Z")
One more question:
While having a closed forum (invite only, no registration), is it still possible to have a public section that’s visible to any visitor? Say I want a public Wiki section where we post FAQs for customers while keeping the rest of the forum private?
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 10:14오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/6 "2017-07-11T10:14:45Z")
No it’s not. It’s all or nothing.
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### Author:  [@cryptochrome](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cryptochrome)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 11:05오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/7 "2017-07-11T11:05:37Z")
So I couldn’t set up a category and change it’s security setting to allow “everyone” read permissions? Everyone in that case would mean every registered user? No anonymous access possible?
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### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 11:11오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/8 "2017-07-11T11:11:55Z")
If you enable “login required”, then absolutely nothing will be available to the public. One thing that might work for you is:
- Make all your categories accessible only to people in a certain group, e.g. “team”
- Add all of your staff to the “team” group
- Disable “login required”
- Make a single “FAQ” category which is readable publically
You’ll have to be very careful when creating a post/category that it ends up with the correct permissions, but it might be workable.
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### Author:  [@cryptochrome](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cryptochrome)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 11:34오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/9 "2017-07-11T11:34:19Z")
Thanks David, appreciate it 🙂
We already have all categories set up in a way that they are only accessible to certain groups.
If we disable “loin required” that would open up the forum for anonymous access then? And those users would see everything that is not locked down to specific group access?
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### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [7월 11, 2017, 11:51오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/10 "2017-07-11T11:51:01Z")
> [@cryptochrome](#):
>
> If we disable “loin required” that would open up the forum for anonymous access then? And those users would see everything that is not locked down to specific group access?
Yes, that sounds correct to me
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [6월 8, 2024, 12:44오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invite-users-to-certain-categories-topics-of-a-closed-forum/65908/11 "2024-06-08T12:44:27Z")
이 주제는 2525일 후 자동으로 닫혔습니다. 새로운 답변은 더 이상 허용되지 않습니다.