Is it possible to hide either content or the entire forum from non-members of the forum

[rnyland]

Our college's department is trying to set up a forum quickly so that -

1) We can readily provide information to accepted students before their arrival.
2) Provide a controlled environment for the students to ask questions directly and give opinions.
3) Develop a sense of community within the new class.

Major concerns, and the reason for this post are -

The information needs to be exclusively for our accepted students, such that:

1) A guest will not be able to see any posts/titles, and preferably can't see the site.
2) Only the administrator can send an invitation for new membership, and only an administrator can confirm membership.

Can you tell me if, and how, the above conditions can be met? If not with this site, can you suggest an alternative site? We are trying to get this up ASAP as a temporary conduit for information exchange, while keeping information confidential.

I've read similar posts and typically they just receive opinions about this limiting traffic, how it makes them feel when they find hidden posts, etc. I'm not looking for opinions, I am looking for someone with knowledge to answer specifically if this can be done and how.

Thank you in advance for your help,

Rod

[Mike]

Hello Rod,

This is possible.

For 1) If you set each forum so that Guests cannot view, and that guests have to log in to view the forum then it will work.

For 2) Set the member registration to Admin conformation, so that even if a guest tries to register, you need to confirm them. You'll know who it is via email, and names.