This glossary defines key terms used throughout Esri Community. Where terminology has changed from the previous platform, the old term is noted for reference.
A
Accepted Answer / Accepted Solution
A reply to a Question that has been marked as an answer by the original poster or a member with advanced permissions. Accepted Answers are highlighted within the thread so others can find the answer quickly without reading every reply. Previously called: Accepted Solution, these terms may still be used interchangeably at times.
Announcement
A content type used to broadcast important notices to community members. Announcements appear prominently on Category or community home pages and are typically managed by Community Administrators or Place Managers. Members cannot post Announcements — they are an admin-only content type used for platform news, policy updates, or major notices.
Article
The platform's term for a single piece of content published within the Knowledge Base module. In Esri Community, this content type is surfaced to members as a Document. If you see the word “Article” in the platform interface or URL structure, it refers to the same thing Esri Community calls a Document. See Document and How to Create a Document.
Avatar
The profile image displayed next to your username on posts and your profile page. You can upload a custom avatar or choose from available options once you reach Active User status.
B
Badge
A visual reward earned by completing specific actions in Esri Community — such as logging in for the first time, posting a reply, having an answer marked as an Accepted Solution, or contributing across multiple content types. Badges appear on your profile and in notifications. Many badges are part of a series with multiple levels. See Community Guide to Badges.
Blog Post
A content type used to share articles, announcements, news, product updates, or thought leadership with the community. Blog posts are authored by Active Users and above, appear in designated blog-enabled Categories, and encourage engagement through comments. Blog posts are technically a type of Discussion posted within a designated blog category — there is no separate standalone Blog tool. Esri Community surfaces these as "Blog Posts" to maintain a familiar experience for members.
Board
A content feed within a Category organized by a single content type (Discussion, Question, Blog, Document, Event, Idea, or Poll). Only a few Categories have this displayed.
Best Answer
A platform label for a reply that has been marked as the definitive answer to a question. In Esri Community this is surfaced as Accepted Solution — you may see either term depending on where you are in the interface. Both refer to the same thing: the reply that best resolves the original question.
Bookmark
A feature that saves a post or document to your personal reference list so you can find it again easily. Bookmarked content is accessible from your profile settings.
C
Category / Place
The organizational unit in Esri Community that groups related content together. Categories (also called Places) house the boards and posts for a given product, industry, program, or topic area. Categories are overseen by assigned Place Managers.
Community Administrator (Community Admin)
An Esri-managed role responsible for the overall configuration, governance, and moderation of Esri Community. Community Admins control Category and User Group creation, role assignments, and platform-level settings.
Community Moderator
A role assigned by Community Administrators with broad content moderation capabilities across the community.
D
Discussion
A content type for general community conversations and open-ended topics. Discussions don't require a specific answer - they encourage back-and-forth dialogue and opinion-sharing. Previously: Discussions and Questions were combined into a single board type. They are now separate post types.
Document
A native, collaboratively authored file created directly within Esri Community. Documents support multiple authors, version tracking, and rich formatting. Used for how-to guides, meeting notes, workflows, training materials, and reference content.
Draft
A saved but unpublished version of a post, blog, or document. Drafts are visible only to the author (and Place Managers/Admins with approval permissions) until published.
E
Event
A content type used to share details about upcoming webinars, meetups, training sessions, User Group gatherings, and conferences. Events include date, time, location, description, and RSVP/registration options. Events appear on the community calendar and in Category or User Group feeds.
F
Feed
The stream of content that appears on your homepage, in a Category, or in a User Group which shows recent posts, ideas, discussions, blogs, documents, polls, and events.
Follow
A subscription action that adds a Category, User Group, Tag, specific post, or member to your followed content. When you follow something, you receive in-app and/or email notifications when new content is posted there. Following a member notifies you when they post new content. Previously called: Subscribe.
I
Idea
A content type that allows members to submit product feature requests and suggestions. Ideas can be voted on by other community members and are reviewed by Esri staff for potential product changes or development. Ideas are posted within specific product Categories.
K
Knowledge Base
A module for authoring and publishing structured help articles. Esri Community uses a Knowledge Base for the Community Help Documents, a collection of how-to and reference content.
M
Member
Anyone with a registered account in Esri Community. The term also refers to the base User Group role - the default role for someone who has joined a User Group, with permissions to create content, reply, edit their own posts, and add tags and labels.
Member Introductions
A dedicated Category in Esri Community where new (and established) members can post a brief introduction about themselves, their background, and their interests.
Mention (@mention )
A way to tag another Community member in a post or reply by typing @ followed by their username. Mentioned members receive a notification. Useful for directing a question or comment to a specific person.
MVP (Most Valuable Professional)
A special recognition role awarded to non-Esri Community members who make outstanding, consistent contributions. MVPs are evaluated annually based on replies authored, solutions provided, and reactions received. Related roles: MVP Alum (former active MVP), MVP Emeritus (honorary title for long-term retired contributors).
N
Notification
An in-platform (and optionally email) alert triggered by activity relevant to you such as a reply to your post, a Reaction on your content, a new post in a Category you follow, or a badge you've earned. Manage notification preferences in your profile settings.
P
Place / Category
Place and Category are interchangeable terms. See Category.
Place Manager
An Esri staff member or distributor assigned responsibility for overseeing a specific Category. Place Managers monitor content, mark accepted solutions, float important posts, approve draft content, and manage engagement within their Category. See Place Manager Guide. Note: The role title remains "Place Manager" even though the space is now called a Category.
Private User Group
A User Group type that is publicly searchable but requires a request or invitation to join. Content within a private User Group is visible to members only. Prospective members request access by selecting "join" in the User Group and waiting for approval from either the Group Owner or Group Leader.
Private Message (PM)
A direct message sent between Community members that is not visible to the public. Private Messages appear in the recipient's inbox and can trigger email notifications. Available to Active Users and above.
Profile
Your personal page in Esri Community, displaying your avatar, username, rank, badges, and recent activity. Your profile is visible to other members.
Public User Group
A User Group that is visible to all Community members and open for anyone to join. Members who join are automatically following to the User Group's content feed.
Q
Question
A content type designed to seek a specific answer or solution to a problem. Questions support marking an Accepted Solution, which surfaces the best answer prominently within the thread for others to find. Questions are a separate post type from Discussions.
R
Rank
A gamification element that reflects your overall level of participation in Esri Community. Ranks appear on your profile and next to your username on posts. Ranks advance automatically based on your activity - posting, replying, earning Accepted Solutions, earning badges. See Member Rank Guide.
Reaction
A way to express appreciation for helpful, insightful, or valuable content. Members can React to posts and replies. Reactions replaced the “Kudos” feature from the previous platform. Previously called: Kudos.
Rich Text Editor
The in-platform content editor used to create and format posts, documents, blogs, and other content. Supports text formatting, headers, bullet lists, image uploads, video embeds, links, and file attachments.
S
Secret User Group
A User Group type that is invisible to the public and accessible only by invitation. Secret User Groups do not appear in search results.
Subcategory
A nested space within the broader Esri Community site. Subcategories allow distinct groups of members to have their own tailored home page, navigation, and content feeds while still being part of the overall community.
Solution
See Accepted Answer.
T
Tag
A keyword or phrase added to a post to describe its topic, theme, or subject. Tags are freeform and any member can add predefined tags to posts. Multiple tags can be applied to a single post. Tags help with search and discoverability. This was previously called Labels.
U
User Group
A member-driven collaborative space focused on a specific goal, special interest, or shared topic. User Groups can be Public, Private, or Secret. User Groups are managed by a User Group Owner and require membership for Private and Secret types. Previously called: User Group. The term “Group” may appear in the platform interface, but Esri Community uses “User Group” consistently.
User Group Leader
A Community member designated to manage day-to-day engagement, member activities, and moderation within a User Group. User Group Leaders share responsibility for Group management with the User Group Owner.
User Group Owner
A Community member designated to manage day-to-day engagement, member activities, and moderation within a User Group. User Group Owners share responsibility for Group management with User Group Leaders.
For additional help, visit the Community Help section or contact the Esri Community team at esricommunity@esri.com.