General Settings
All settings live at WB Plugins > Anonymous Activity > General. Click Save Changes after adjusting any option.
Role Based Anonymous Posting
Section titled “Role Based Anonymous Posting”A multi-select list of WordPress roles. Controls which roles are allowed to see and use the anonymous checkbox.
No roles selected (default): Every logged-in user can post anonymously, regardless of role.
One or more roles selected: Only members whose WordPress role is in the list can post anonymously. Members with other roles will not see the checkbox.
Administrators are always exempt — they can post anonymously regardless of what is selected here.
Example: You want only your “Subscriber” and “Contributor” roles to be able to post anonymously, not Editors or Authors. Select “Subscriber” and “Contributor”. Editors and Authors will no longer see the checkbox.
Exclude Member Types from Anonymous Posting
Section titled “Exclude Member Types from Anonymous Posting”A multi-select list of BuddyPress member types. Any member type you select here is blocked from anonymous posting, even if their role would otherwise allow it.
This field only appears if you have BuddyPress member types configured on your site.
No types selected (default): Member type does not affect the permission check.
One or more types selected: Members who belong to any of the selected types cannot post anonymously.
Example: Your site has “Premium” and “Free” member types. You want “Free” members to be able to post anonymously to encourage participation, but not “Premium” members (since they’ve already shared identity information for billing). Select “Premium” in this field.
Allow Anonymous Activity for Verified Members
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Activity for Verified Members”A toggle that restricts anonymous posting to members who are verified by the BP Verified Member plugin.
This setting only appears if the BP Verified Member plugin is active on your site.
Enabled: A member must be verified before they can post anonymously. Disabled (default): Verification status has no effect on anonymous posting.
This is useful for communities that want both open discussion and accountability: anonymous posting is available, but only after a member has gone through your verification process.
Allow Anonymous Posts in Groups
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Posts in Groups”Toggle anonymous posting on or off for BuddyPress group activity feeds.
Enabled: Members see the “Post as Anonymous” checkbox when posting inside a group. Disabled: The checkbox is hidden in group contexts. Members can still post normally.
Group privacy is respected — an anonymous post in a private group is only visible to group members.
Allow Anonymous Posts in Sitewide Activity
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Posts in Sitewide Activity”Toggle anonymous posting on or off for the main activity directory (the sitewide feed all logged-in users see).
Enabled: Members see the checkbox when posting to the sitewide activity stream. Disabled: The checkbox is hidden on the activity directory page.
Allow Anonymous Posts in User Profiles
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Posts in User Profiles”Toggle anonymous posting on or off for profile-level activity feeds.
Enabled: Members can post anonymously from their own profile activity tab. Disabled: The checkbox is hidden on profile pages.
Note: A member can still see their own anonymous posts in their profile feed. The post appears normally to them, but others see it attributed to “Anonymous”.
Allow Anonymous Comments
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Comments”Toggle anonymous commenting on or off across all activity locations.
Enabled: A “Post as Anonymous User” checkbox appears inside comment forms on activities. Disabled: Comment forms do not offer the anonymous option.
Anonymous commenting is independent from anonymous activity posting. A member can:
- Post a named activity and leave an anonymous comment on it
- Post an anonymous activity and leave a named comment on it
- Mix these freely on a per-post, per-comment basis
Allow Anonymous Posts in Forums
Section titled “Allow Anonymous Posts in Forums”Toggle anonymous posting in forums. This setting only appears if bbPress or BuddyBoss Platform (with forums) is active.
Enabled: A “Post as Anonymous” checkbox appears on topic creation forms and reply forms. Disabled: Forum forms do not show the checkbox.
When a logged-in user submits an anonymous forum topic or reply:
- The post’s author is displayed as “Anonymous” with the anonymous avatar
- The real author ID is stored in post meta (
_bp_anonymous_user_id) for admin reference - Forum subscriber notifications are suppressed
- If BuddyPress activity is active, the associated activity item is also marked anonymous
This works with standalone bbPress, BuddyPress + bbPress, and BuddyBoss Platform forums. The plugin automatically selects the correct integration based on what is active.
Set Default Gravatar for Anonymous Posts
Section titled “Set Default Gravatar for Anonymous Posts”An image picker that sets the avatar displayed wherever an anonymous post or comment appears.
To change the avatar:
- Click the + icon in the image box.
- The WordPress media library opens. Upload a new image or select an existing one.
- Click Save Changes.
To remove a custom avatar and revert to the default:
Click the trash icon next to the current image, then save.
Recommended image specs:
- Square dimensions (equal width and height)
- At least 150 × 150 pixels
- PNG with transparency works well
The avatar appears in activity streams, comment threads, forum posts, and email notifications.
If no custom avatar is set, the plugin falls back to the WordPress mystery-person Gravatar image.
Where to go next
Section titled “Where to go next”- Permission Rules — understand how role, member type, and verification checks layer together