Welcome to Vanilla! We're so excited to have you! As you get started with your new community platform, here are some resources that will help you get acquainted with Vanilla, our product, philosophies and best practices!
Of course your Customer Success Manager will always be happy to hear from you and help you find whatever information you're looking for, so feel free to shoot them an email whenever you need.
- Vanilla Documentation: Where you can find docs and self-serve how-tos on Vanilla's features and add-ons
- Vanilla Blog: Where you'll find articles on various community topics - things like theme tips, advice on dealing with trolls, and spammers. N.B. When you first search the blog, you may not find what you're looking for, click on the "Search on Google" link to find older, but still relevant results.
- Vanilla Library: Where you'll find things like case studies, guides, vidoes etc.
Of course your Customer Success Manager will always be happy to hear from you and help you find whatever information you're looking for, so feel free to shoot them an email whenever you need.
Options
How to start a great discussion
Thank you for starting new discussions and asking questions. The more you contribute, the better this forum becomes.
Here are a few tips to help you create great discussions:
- Make the discussion title or question as descriptive as possible. A good discussion title is a short preview of your post and is what gets people to click and read. A well written title is also going to help search engines better index your post which will bring more people into the discussion. For example, instead of ‘Won’t Connect’, try ‘Help, I’m having problems getting my Acme modem into bridge mode.’
- Proof read. Spelling mistakes, typos, and bad grammar will distract readers from the point you’re trying to make. Vanilla automatically saves drafts as you type. If you’re writing a long post, save it as a draft and come back to it after a few minutes or as long as it takes your brain to forget what you had written.
- Use minimal formatting. Overly formatted posts can also distract from the message and it encourages others to do likewise and you end up with a hard to read thread.
- Put your post in the right category. The right category can be the one that has a relevant category name or it can be a category where this kind of post is often made.
- Use tags. Tags are helpful for others to find keyword related posts. It also helps the site admins get a sense for what topics are popular.
- If you want responses, ask for them. In marketing this is called a ‘call to action’. If you want others to comment, you can encourage them by asking them to do so. If your post is just an FYI then don’t.
- Go easy on the insider jargon. Inside jokes and inside references can be fun and make the community unique but too much of it can turn off new members.
- Add an image. Images add visual interest and make your post look great when shared to social networks. You can embed an image using the button bar or you can upload one from your desktop or phone.
- Mention others. Credit other members if you are building off their previous comments or if you want to draw them into the discussion. Put the @ before a username to mention someone.
- Take ownership. Most important of all, take ownership of the discussions that you have created. Respond to comments promptly and thoughtfully. Thank others for commenting on your discussion and help with moderation if things get heated.
Thanks for posting! Have fun!