Viva Engage: Public vs. private communities

Audience: Students, Faculty, Staff

Responsible Group: IT Training and Outreach

Overview

Similar to Facebook groups, Viva Engage communities can be created by any user either public or private.  Public means that all users have visibility of the content and can join without permission. Private means that all users may request to join the community in order to interact with the community content and users. The articles provides more details on the difference.

IMPORTANT: By default every UARK account holder is part of the All Company Viva Engage community.  Anyone is able to post / comment / reply in this community discussion board. It is a great place to post questions or comments and anyone can answer.  All users must follow the Community Etiquette Expectations. 

Key Features

Any user who creates a community will be the default Community Admin. The original community admin sets the community as either public or private. The original community admin can assign other members as admins, and at any time, any community admin may change the public or private community setting.

Each community, regardless of private or public setting, will be discoverable using the Search on Viva Engage.

Public Communities

  • Open access: Any UARK account holder can view, join without approval, and post.
  • Visibility: Posts and comments are visible to all UARK users.
  • Weekly Digest: Posts may appear in Viva Engage Digest emails for both members and non-members, increasing visibility across campus. NOTE: Notification settings are handled at the individual level (To read more about settings visit Viva Engage: Notification settings).
  • Best for: Broad campus-wide discussions, sharing resources, or questions open to everyone.

Private Communities

  • Restricted access: Membership requires an invitation or approval from an admin. 
  • Confidentiality: Posts and comments are only visible to community members.
  • Weekly Digest: Posts may appear in members’ digest emails but never in non-member digests. NOTE: Notification settings are handled at the individual level (To read more about settings visit Viva Engage: Notification settings).
  • Best for: Departments, teams, or projects handling sensitive or limited discussions.

Community Comparison: Public vs. Private

Comparing features and user responsibilities for public and private Viva Engage communities
Feature / Responsibility Public Community Private Community
Who Can Join Anyone at the university can view and join without approval. Only invited or approved members can join and view content.
Content Visibility All posts and comments are visible to the entire University community. Posts and comments are restricted to members only.
Weekly Digest (for Members) Posts from the community may appear in the member’s weekly Viva Engage Digest email. Posts from the community may appear in the member’s digest, but only if they belong to the community.
Weekly Digest (Non-Members) Trending posts may appear in digest emails for non-members, increasing visibility across campus. No posts from a private community appear in digest emails for non-members.
User Capabilities Any UARK account can interact with the community content without membership. Only members are able to interact with the community content.
Community Admin Responsibilities
  • Ensure posts align with University guidelines and are inclusive.
  • Encourage participation and highlight key content for visibility.
  • Approve or invite members.
  • Set clear boundaries and confidentiality expectations.
  • Moderate posts and maintain focus on the group’s purpose.

Access

You can access Viva Engage from a web browser, Teams integration, desktop app, or mobile app. Be sure to log in using your @uark.edu email address.

Web App (Desktop)

  1. Visit myapps.microsoft.com.
  2. Sign in using your @uark.edu credentials.
  3. Select the Engage logo. Note: The My Apps dashboard is customizable and may not be listed alphabetically. 
  4. You will be redirected to Viva Engage browser app. 

Mobile App

Download Engage from the following app stores and log in using your @uark.edu account:

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