How to Add a Discussion Forum to SharePoint with Social Squared
Collaboration is at the heart of every successful organization, and SharePoint has long been a trusted platform for connecting people and sharing information. However, when it comes to offering structured discussion forums, native SharePoint tools can fall short. That’s where Social Squared steps in – a modern discussion forum tool designed specifically for SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
In this post, we’ll explore how to add a discussion forum to SharePoint using Social Squared, its key features, and the benefits it brings to your organization.
Why Choose a Discussion Forum for SharePoint?
While SharePoint’s built-in discussion lists offer basic functionality, they often lack the advanced features and intuitive structure needed for modern collaboration. Discussion forums provide a more organized and engaging way to communicate, allowing users to:
- Categorize topics for easier navigation.
- Create threaded discussions for deeper conversations.
- Empower moderators to manage content effectively.
- Create the opportunity for cross site and cross team collaboration.
With Social Squared, organizations can take these benefits further by integrating a fully-featured forum directly into SharePoint or Microsoft Teams via the Microsoft Teams tab.
What is Social Squared?
Social Squared is a discussion forum tool that enhances SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities. It provides a structured forum environment where users can engage in conversations, share knowledge, and collaborate effectively. Key features include:
- Structured Categories and Threads: Organize discussions by topic or department for easy navigation.
- Rich Formatting: Add images, links, and styled text to posts for more engaging content.
- Moderation Tools: Flag content, approve posts, and pin important threads.
- Responsive Design: Optimized for both desktop and mobile use.
- Microsoft 365 Integration: Seamlessly works with SharePoint and Teams for a unified experience.
The below example demonstrates how discussions can be organized into categories. In the below case, Forum Groups such as ‘Worklife Balance’ contain sub-categories of ‘Working Remotely’, ‘Working Hours’ and ‘Making Time for You’. This structure allows for forum moderators to govern the content within the forums that they manage, and allows for users to ask questions, or begin discussions within a forum where it is most meaningful to the audience.
Step-by-Step Guide: Adding a Forum to SharePoint with Social Squared
1. Install Social Squared
To get started, download and install Social Squared from the SharePoint app store or directly from Lightning Tools. Follow the installation prompts to add it to your SharePoint environment.
2. Set Up Discussion Categories
Create categories to organize conversations based on relevant topics, projects, or departments. For example:
- IT Support
- Marketing Campaigns
- Company Announcements
Using Social Squared, you can categorize topics by two levels within a SharePoint Site (Forum Groups and Forums). Below, is an example of how these categorizations could be applied.
3. Configure Moderation
User permissions within Social Squared are inherited from the SharePoint site that contains the Social Squared instance. A user with Edit permissions to the site, can create Topics and Reply to Topics. A user with Read permissions to the site, can simply read the content. You can make exceptions to this by assigning permissions at the Social Squared list level. Using Social Squared, you can also assign moderators to ensure discussions remain productive and on-topic.
Moderators are then informed if there is a Topic Discussion to approve, and are also empowered to move posts to more relevant forums, delete or edit posts, and receive abuse tickets if a post is complained about.
4. Customize Your Experience
Social Squared provides granular configuration options that include:
- Mark as Answer Options
- Ability to subscribe to forums for notifications
- Enable to disable voting, emotion icons, mark as favorite
- Allowed attachments
- Default views
Below is the Social Squared web part property pain offering a very rich customization experience.
5. Promote and Encourage Engagement
Moderators have the ability to subscribe groups of users so that the users can be notified through Teams Notifications or Email when a new post is created. Using the Microsoft Viva Connections Adaptive Card, New Post, Unanswered Posts etc can be displayed allowing visibility into discussions even when you are not specifically on a page containing Social Squared. Posts can also be cross posted into different forums, and into Teams Posts tabs or into Microsoft Viva Engage.
The below screenshot shows a Social Squared post highlighted in the Microsoft Teams Posts tab. Note that you can respond directly without navigating to Social Squared.
Using Viva Connections and the Social Squared Adaptive Card below, the recent activities, unanswered posts, and Topics Subscription can be displayed on the Viva Connection Dashboard.
Use Cases for Social Squared in SharePoint
Social Squared isn’t just a tool – it’s a solution to common collaboration challenges. Here are a few ways organizations are using it:
- Knowledge Sharing: Create a central hub for sharing expertise and answering questions within teams or departments.
- IT Support Forums: Provide employees with a space to post IT-related questions and receive answers from peers or support staff.
- Project Collaboration: Facilitate discussions around specific projects, ensuring all updates and ideas are easily accessible.
- Communities of Practice: Build spaces for employees to connect over shared interests or professional development topics.
Benefits of Social Squared Over Discussion Lists, Microsoft Engage, and Microsoft Teams Posts Tab
Compared to Discussion Lists:
- Advanced Features: Social Squared offers threaded discussions, sticky posts, and rich formatting, which are not available in native SharePoint discussion lists.
- Structured Organization: Easily categorize topics into structured categories and threads for better navigation and usability.
- Enhanced Moderation: Moderation tools allow admins to flag inappropriate content, approve posts, and ensure productive conversations.
- User-Friendly Design: Provides a modern, responsive interface that improves user experience over traditional discussion lists.
Compared to Microsoft Engage:
- More Structure: While Microsoft Engage is useful for employee engagement, Social Squared’s forum format offers better categorization and threaded discussions for structured collaboration.
- Customization: Social Squared allows you to align the forum’s appearance and functionality with your SharePoint environment.
- Dedicated Discussion Spaces: Unlike the broader focus of Microsoft Engage, Social Squared is tailored for discussions and knowledge sharing.
Compared to Microsoft Teams Posts Tab:
- Category-Based Discussions: Teams Posts Tab is ideal for ad-hoc chats, but Social Squared organizes discussions into categories and threads for better long-term reference.
- Rich Formatting and Moderation: Social Squared provides advanced post formatting options and robust moderation tools that are not available in Teams Posts.
- Integration Across Platforms: Social Squared bridges SharePoint and Teams, providing a unified discussion experience that is accessible from both platforms.
Conclusion
Adding a discussion forum to SharePoint has never been easier or more impactful. With Social Squared, you can create a structured and engaging environment for conversations, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Whether it’s connecting departments, supporting projects, or fostering communities, Social Squared is the ideal solution for modern organizations.
Request a demo or try Social Squared today to see how it can elevate your team’s collaboration.
