Private Channels and Channel Emojis in Sparkforge Communities

Private channels in Sparkforge Communities gate visibility and posting to approved members. Channel emojis or icons help members recognize channels at a glance. Both work on web and mobile.

Why use private channels

• Member control: Approve who sees and posts in the channel.
• Focused discussion: Keep paid or sensitive content off the public feed.
• Flexible privacy: Convert between public and private as needed.
• Scannable: Emojis make channels easy to spot in lists and notifications.

Create a private channel

Note: The group owner and channel creator are auto-added as channel managers. Channel managers act as admins for that channel only. The group owner cannot leave a private channel. Non-members will not see the channel in their list.

1. Open Memberships in your sub-account.
2. Go to Communities > Groups and open your group.
3. Click + Add Channel.
4. Enter the channel name. Optionally add a description and icon.
5. Toggle Make this Channel Private on.
6. Click Create Channel.

Convert public to private

1. Open the channel.
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon.
3. Open the Settings tab.
4. Click Make Channel Private.
5. Confirm in the popup.

Convert private back to public

Important: All group members will see the channel and existing post history after conversion.

1. Open the channel.
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon.
3. Open the Settings tab.
4. Click Make Channel Public.
5. Confirm in the popup.

Add or remove members

1. Open the channel and click Settings.
2. Open the Members tab.
3. To add: search and select users.
4. To remove: click the three dots beside the name, then Remove from Channel.

Set a channel emoji or icon

1. Open the channel and click Settings.
2. Click Edit beside the channel name.
3. Click Channel Icon and pick an emoji or icon.
4. Click Save.