Private activities - how do I set up a private activity?

In this article we’ll be looking at the following:

What are private activities, and what can they be used for?

Private activities are not publicly searchable and do not feature in the forthcoming, open or closed lists of activities on your Citizen Space site homepage. They are given an 'obfuscated' URL which you will need to share with your intended audience in order for them to be able to find and access the activity.

Private activities can be used to consult or engage with specific audiences, rather than the wider public, without that activity being publicly visible. 

For example:

  • employee satisfaction or other internal surveys
  • consulting specific stakeholder groups
  • engaging with citizen panels

How do I set up a private activity?

1. To create a private activity, first add a Citizen Space activity as usual.

2. On the dashboard, open the Design and build dropdown menu and select Settings.

3. On the activity Settings page there is a checkbox option to Make this activity private. Select the checkbox and select the Save button below.

Once an activity is made private, the pathname (the last part of the URL) becomes alpha-numeric, and the activity will not be searchable on either the public homepage or in search engines.

It's worth knowing that you will not be able to edit this last part of the URL as you would normally.

Edit URL field for private activity where URL is not editable.

How do I share my private activity?

Once you have set up your private activity using the steps provided, select the Link icon in Dashboard toolbar to copy the URL for your private activity. You can then e.g. share the URL on your intranet or email the URL out to your intended audience.

Activity navigation bar with Share activity icon highlighted.

Please note: Private activities are not password-protected, nor will they ensure that only a certain group of people will respond to the activity. 

Can I clone a private activity?

Yes, private activities can be cloned. However, the private setting will not be carried through to the new clone, so you will need to ensure that the new clone has been set to private (by following the instructions above in this article) if you wish for the new clone to also be published as a private activity. Refer to this article for more information about cloning activities.