General FAQs for Viva Engage - EN
Getting Started
What is Viva Community and how is it different from Teams or Yammer?
Viva Community is part of Viva Engage, which evolved from Yammer. It focuses on organization-wide conversations, employee engagement, and community building. Unlike Teams (which is task- and chat-focused), Viva Communities are more open and social, ideal for sharing ideas, celebrating wins, and connecting across departments
How do I join a Viva Community?
You can join public communities directly or be invited to private ones
Who can see the posts in a Viva Community?
Public communities are visible to everyone in the organization. Private communities restrict visibility to members only.
Can I be part of multiple communities?
Yes! You can join or create as many communities as needed—based on interests, departments, or initiatives.
Features and Functionality
What types of content can I share in a community?
Share text posts, images, videos, polls, praise, questions, events, and links. You can also embed files from OneDrive or SharePoint.
How do I post announcements or pin important messages?
Admins and community managers can mark posts as announcements, which notify all members. Important posts can be pinned to the top of the feed.
Can I schedule posts or events within a community?
While post scheduling isn’t built-in, you can create events with RSVP options and calendar integration. For post timing, use external tools or reminders.
How do I tag people or use hashtags effectively?
Use @mentions to notify individuals or groups. Hashtags (e.g., #WellnessWeek) help categorize content and improve discoverability.
Roles and Permissions
Who can create a community?
Helpdesk team members can create Viva Community by getting request in Fresh from requestor with all necessary approval from Direct Manager.
What are the roles in a community (admin, member, etc.)?
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Admin: Manages settings, members, and content moderation
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Member: Can post, comment, and react
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Moderator (optional): Helps manage content and engagement
How do I manage membership or remove someone from a community?
Admins can add or remove members, change roles, and adjust privacy settings from the community’s settings panel.
Notifications and Engagement
How do I get notified about new posts or replies?
Notifications appear in Viva Engage, email, and optionally in Teams. You can customize notification preferences in settings.
Can I mute notifications from a specific community?
Yes. Go to the community’s settings and choose “Unfollow” or adjust notification preferences to reduce alerts.
How do I encourage engagement in my community?
Use polls, praise, questions, and recognition posts. Highlight contributions, celebrate milestones, and encourage reactions and comments.
Integration and Access
Is Viva Community available on mobile devices?
Viva Engage is available via the Yammer mobile app (rebranded) and integrates with the Teams mobile app.
Can I access Viva Communities outside of Microsoft Teams?
Yes. You can access Viva Communities via the Viva Engage web portal or mobile app, independent of Teams.
How does Viva Community integrate with other Viva modules like Insights or Learning?
Viva Communities can link with Viva Insights (for well-being and productivity) and Viva Learning (to share learning content and encourage participation).
Privacy and Governance
Are Viva Communities private or public by default?
Communities are public by default, but creators can set them to private during setup.
Can I restrict access to sensitive content?
Use private communities and control membership. Admins can also moderate posts and restrict file sharing.
What happens to a community if the admin leaves the organization?
Admin rights can be transferred to another member. Microsoft 365 admins can assign new owners if needed.