Principles for a good role setup
- As few roles as possible. Every extra role is something to maintain.
- Least privilege. Give each role only what it needs. Admin rights are for very few people.
- Roles describe tasks, not people. “Event team” ages better than “Anna’s helpers”.
- Exceptions per room, not per role. An announcements room where members cannot post is a room setting, not a new role.
The template
Role plan for [Space name] Owner: [Name] Last updated: [Date] Role: Admin Who: [1–2 people] May: everything (administrator) Note: keep this role small Role: Moderator Who: [Names] May: warn, time out, kick and ban members; handle reports; manage messages; mute and move people in voice rooms May not: change roles above their own, change billing Role: [Event team / Organisers] Who: [Names] May: create and manage events and meetings; create rooms May not: moderate members Role: Member (default role) Who: everyone who accepted the rules May: read and send messages, react, attach files, speak and use video in voice rooms May not: mention @everyone, create rooms Role: Guest Who: external people for a limited time May: read, chat and talk in the rooms shared with them May not: any administration or moderation Room exceptions - [announcements]: Members – Send messages: Deny - [staff room]: only [Admin, Moderator] – Join rooms: Allow; everyone else: no access - [event room]: [Event team] – Manage rooms: Allow
How to set it up in Coviqo
Every new space starts with five built-in roles. Which ones depends on the space type; you can rename them later:
- Community
- Owner, Admin, Moderator, Member, Guest
- Workspace
- Owner, Admin, Manager, Member, Guest
- Hybrid
- Owner, Admin, Maintainer, Contributor, Guest
Create or adjust roles
In Space settings › Roles, pick a role or click New role. Set name and colour, Show separately (own group in the member list), Mentionable and the permissions, grouped into General, Moderation, Rooms, Audio & video, Chat and Content.
Order the roles
Drag roles into order. People with Manage roles can only create, edit and assign roles below their own highest role.
Set room exceptions
In Room settings › Access › Permissions, add an override for a role, a member or a team and set each permission to Allow, Inherit or Deny. Member overrides beat role overrides.
Use categories for groups of rooms
A category can have its own permissions. Rooms that are synced with the category follow every change – handy for a whole staff area.
Guests never get administrative or moderation permissions – neither through a role nor through a room override. The Owner role always has every permission and cannot be changed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Admin and Owner?
Both have every permission. There is exactly one Owner; the role cannot be changed or deleted, and ownership is handed over with “Transfer ownership”. Admins hold the Administrator permission and can be several people.
Can I give a role to new members automatically?
Yes. The default role is given to every new member. You can also assign roles after members accept the rules, through onboarding answers, or with the Welcome and Role picker templates of the Coviqo bots.
In the User Guide
Step-by-step instructions