ABAC: How to create a site and update site visibility

Overview 

Audience Based Access Control (ABAC) provides the flexibility to enable highly targeted content, communications and access controls. 

This article will explain how to use ABAC to create a site. Access control groups will define who can add and manage sites and for which audiences. App managers will be feature owners and be able to manage sites for any audience within that feature.   

Who is this for: App managers, Add site managers 

Jump to: 

• Defining site setup terminology  
• Creating a site 
• Updating site visibility
• Best practices and recommendations 

Defining site setup terminology 

When you create a site, and are on the Setup tab, you’ll need to make a few key choices…. 

Here are definitions for setting up your site. 

Creating a site 

1. From the left-hand navigation, click Manage > Sites. This will display a list of sites the user manages. 
2. Click Add site.
   1. Alternatively, create a site by clicking the black + create” button and selecting Site. 
3. Fill in site details, including the mandatory site name and site category. 
4. Scroll down to the site visibility field and click Browse. 
   1. A window will open with a list of audiences available to the user creating the site. 
   2. Select the preferred audience. 
   3. If the site should be visible to everyone in the organization (e.g., an “All Org” site or “HR” site), toggle on All organization. 
5. Decide if the site will be public or private. 
   1. If private, toggle on the option Make site private. 
6. In the Subscription field, click Add subscription. 
7. A window will open with the available audiences.
   1. You will only be able to add members who are part of the ‘site visibility’ audience.
   2. You have the option to create a smaller, sub-audience by selecting the “+” button next to the audience name. 
   3. Select the type of audience: Member or Follower. 
   4. Select whether the audience is mandatory or non-mandatory. 
8. Finish configuring the site.
9. Click Add site. The site will be created, and the intended audience will be added. 

Updating site visibility

If you update your site visibility, you will also need to update your site subscriptions. 

To update a site’s visibility:

1. Click the Manage features (rocketship) icon on the side navigation bar. Click Sites, then choose the desired site.
2. To update site visibility: 
   1. Click Manage site > Setup.
   2. Scroll to Site visibility. 
   3. Click on the pencil icon to edit. 
   4. Remove the existing site audience. 
   5. Select audience: 
      1. Use an existing audience. 
      2. Create a sub-audience on the fly using the plus icon. 
3. You’ll see a notification that reads, “Users who were previously able to access or manage this site may no longer be able to do so if site visibility is changed.” 
4. Add subscriptions (if applicable). 
5. Select Update. 

Best practices and recommendations 

• When creating a site:
  • Ensure the site name clearly indicates its content or purpose. This practice facilitates easy searching (if the site is public) and eliminates ambiguity about the site's purpose for team members. Site names are limited to 40 characters. Common examples of site names are simply city names or department names like “New York Office” or “Engineering Team”.
  • Clearly define your target audience and create an audience in Manage > Audiences before creating a site to ensure content and access are appropriate.
• Ensure all necessary access control groups are correctly configured.
• Regularly review site settings and audience configurations to maintain relevance and security.

Recommendation for site visibility 

Set your site visibility to the widest audience possible. Think of the site setup like a funnel, wherein your site visibility is set to the broadest audience it could be, so that you can restrict site membership and access to more specific groups.

For example, I will set my Department sites to “All Org” site visibility so everyone in the company can see that these sites exist. 

If I were to choose a smaller audience, say one that had 100 people in it out of a total 500 users in “All Org”, then only those 100 people would even know the site exists. The users outside that chosen audience will not be aware of the site’s existence unless told otherwise. They won’t be able to find it in search, see it on the master Sites list, or anything like that. 

Recommendation for public site subscriptions 

If you want an audience to get prioritized content and notifications, subscribe the audience as members. 

We recommend using mandatory subscriptions to sites when you want to ensure specific individuals always receive the necessary information. 

For example, I will create a Sales Department public site, and subscribe the Sales department as mandatory members. 

Recommendation for private site subscriptions 

If you want your audience to access your private site without requesting membership, then we recommend subscribing your audience as members to your private site. 

For example, I will create a private site called “Manager Hub” and subscribe all people managers to the site as members. This way, people managers don’t have to request access to the private site. 

Related articles 

• How do I add or edit a site?
• Best Practices: Managing Sites and Content