A science explainer community has an unusual audience problem. Most of the people asking questions are not scientists, and most of the people answering are busy. If the site feels like a research forum, the curious public stays away. If it feels like a chat room, the experts leave. The job of the site is to make it cheap for an expert to give a good answer and cheap for a curious reader to find it later.
This guide builds that on three Wbcom plugins. Jetonomy takes the questions and holds the reading lists. Eventonomy runs the live talks. BuddyNext is the community around them, with profiles, spaces and polls. Reign is built to work with BuddyNext and every Wbcom plugin, so the whole site shares one design. All three have a free version from the Wbcom store, with an optional paid Pro licence for each. Each section says when something needs Pro.
This is a setup guide for the software. It makes no scientific claims, and it gives no medical advice. Where a question touches health, safety or law, the community rules below send the asker to a professional.
If you are building a peer study group with code questions, notebooks and peer review, the data science study group guide covers that, and this guide deliberately does not. Here the focus is on public questions, sourced answers, reading lists and talks.
Who answers, and how readers know
Before any plugin settings, decide who is allowed to answer, because that decision shapes everything else.
| Model | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Open answers | Anyone can answer; votes sort the replies | Fast and lively, but a confident wrong answer can rise |
| Volunteer scientists | A named group answers; others comment | Reliable, but answers depend on a few busy people |
| Hybrid | Anyone answers; a volunteer reviews and accepts | Slower, but readers get one settled answer |
The hybrid model suits most explainer sites, and it maps neatly onto how Jetonomy handles Q&A.
The Ask a scientist space
Create a Jetonomy space and set its type to Q&A. In a Q&A space every post is a question, replies are answers, and the person who asked, or anyone who can close topics in the space, sees an Accept button on each reply. The accepted reply carries an Accepted tag, and the question shows an Answered badge in the list. An Unanswered filter shows the questions that still need someone, which is the working list for your volunteers.
Voting is on in a Q&A space, and the default Popular sort ranks by net votes. Votes are not a measure of correctness, so say so in your rules. A popular answer can still be incomplete.
Marking who the experts are
Be honest with yourself about what the software offers, because “verified expert” sounds like a feature and is not one in the free plugins.
- Role pills. Jetonomy shows an Admin or Mod pill next to the name of a space admin or moderator on every post and reply, visible to signed-out visitors too. If a volunteer scientist is made a space moderator, the pill appears. A moderator can also close, move, merge and split topics, so only give the role to people you trust with those powers.
- Member types. BuddyNext lets you define types such as Scientist, Student and Curious reader. A type is shown as a coloured badge on the profile header and on the member card, and works as a filter in the member directory. You assign the Scientist type yourself. If you make a type self-selectable, anyone can pick it, so keep the Scientist type under your control.
- Profile fields. Add fields such as field of study or institution. They are searchable if you mark them so, and each member chooses who can see each value up to the ceiling you set. Do not require anyone to publish an employer.
The documentation does not say whether a BuddyNext member type badge appears next to an answer inside a Jetonomy topic, so check that on your own install before you promise readers a visible badge in every thread.
Write a short “who answers here” page that describes how you choose volunteers. Never describe the check you do as stronger than it is. “We confirmed these people’s roles by email” is honest. “Verified by the platform” is not.
Answers that show their sources
An answer in an explainer community has a different job from an answer on a support forum. The reader is not trying to fix a problem. The reader wants to understand something and to know whether to trust it.
A shape for answers
Pin an answer guide at the top of the space. Each space allows up to three pinned topics by default, so it fits. Ask volunteers to follow this shape.
Short answer: one or two sentences in plain words
Why: the explanation, with any jargon explained once
How sure we are: settled, debated, or unknown
Where to read more: two or three links
The “how sure we are” line does the most work. It lets a scientist be truthful about uncertainty without writing an essay, and it teaches readers that science comes in degrees.
Sources
Jetonomy turns a link on its own line into a preview card with the title, description and thumbnail, and up to three cards render per post or reply. That is enough for a short source list. Ask volunteers to put each source on its own line so readers can see where it points. The preview cards use the target page’s own metadata, so a page without good tags may show less than you expect.
For topics where members will want a label, use topic prefixes. They are coloured labels you define per space, up to 50 characters, and a member picks at most one. Examples of editorial labels are “Settled”, “Debated” and “Out of scope”. They are labels, not checks, and clicking one does not filter the list. Say in the rules who is allowed to apply which label.
Questions the site should not answer
Some questions are better sent elsewhere, and the rule should be written before the first one arrives.
- Health and medicine. The community explains how science works. It does not diagnose, advise on treatment or interpret anyone’s results. Point the asker to a qualified professional.
- Safety and legal questions. Same rule. Refer to the relevant professionals or the rules where the asker lives.
- Homework. Many sites will decide that doing a student’s assignment is outside scope. That is a policy choice for you.
Jetonomy lets a member mark a topic private, visible only to the author and the space’s moderators. That is useful for someone who wants to ask a personal question without posting it publicly, although a private topic is a poor place for a medical question, for the reason above.
Moderating disagreement and error
Expect corrections. When a volunteer’s answer turns out to be wrong, the best response is public and polite. A moderator or the volunteer replies with the correction, and the asker can move the Accept to the better answer, since the accepted mark can be undone. Jetonomy also lets moderators merge duplicate questions, move a topic to another space and close a topic once it has run its course. A closed topic stays readable, so the archive keeps its value.
Reports go to a moderation queue in the free plugin. Pair it with the community moderation guide for strikes and escalation, and the Q&A site guide for the general mechanics of accepted answers.
Reading lists that stay current
A reading list is the part of an explainer site that outlives any single question. It is also the part most likely to go stale. Four methods are available, and they suit different jobs.
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| A pinned topic | One post per theme, pinned in the space | A short, curated starter list |
| A Reading lists space | One topic per theme; members add links in replies | A growing list the community maintains |
| Tag pages | Tag each topic; every tag has a page listing topics from all spaces | Browsing by subject |
| Personal bookmarks | A member saves topics privately | A reader’s own queue |
A starter list in a pinned topic
A topic author can edit their own post, so a pinned reading list can be updated in place by the moderator who owns it. Keep it short, and put a “last checked” line at the bottom in your own words. Because the cap is three pinned topics per space, use it for the lists that matter most.
A community list in a Reading lists space
Make a Forum space called Reading lists. Each theme gets one topic, and members reply with a link and one sentence on why it is worth reading. Votes then rank the contributions, and the Best sort puts the strongest on top. Replies thread three levels deep, so a short debate about whether a source is fair stays attached to it.
Tags and bookmarks
Members add tags when they create a topic. Each tag has a page that lists the published topics carrying it from every space, sorted by latest by default, with a Popular sort that orders by net votes. Agree a short list of subject tags and write it down, because drift between near-duplicate tags is how an archive gets messy.
Jetonomy has a Bookmarks tab on each profile where a member saves topics privately, and BuddyNext lets a member save a feed post. Both give a reader a personal queue without any effort from you.
Live talks and ask-me-anything sessions
Written answers are patient. Talks are the community’s heartbeat. Eventonomy handles the schedule.
A talk series, one event per talk
Create a separate event for each talk, and not a single recurring series. A recurring event shares one RSVP across every date, so a member who says Going is signing up for the whole series, and editing the event changes every date. Talks differ in title, speaker and description, so one event each is the right shape. A standing, same-format session is the exception, and a recurring event works well there if you accept that registration covers the series. Free Eventonomy repeats daily, weekly and monthly.
Planning before the date is fixed
Eventonomy can publish an event with the start date left blank, and it shows as “Date to be announced”. It is listed after the dated events and is left out of calendar views, upcoming counters and reminders. That suits a talk where the speaker is confirmed and the date is not. Fill in the date later and the event gets its first date.
Questions in advance
The RSVP form can ask custom questions. Write a bank once in Settings, Registration, then tick the ones each event asks. For a talk, add a paragraph question such as “What would you like the speaker to cover?”. The answers are stored with each registration, so the speaker can read them before the session. The bank holds up to 20 questions.
Online talks
For an online talk, mark the event Virtual and add the meeting address. Each registrant gets a personal join link on the event page and in the reminder email, and the address itself is never shown. A cancelled registration stops the link working. The meeting tool’s own waiting room is the way to stop someone passing the link on.
Confirmed attendees get reminders one day and one hour before, with nothing to configure. The organiser can email everyone who is Going from the attendee screen, which is the simplest way to send the recording link afterwards. Registration can also be limited by a capacity, with a waitlist when the call is full.
Formats that work
| Format | Setup | Where the discussion lives |
|---|---|---|
| Short talk with questions | One Eventonomy event, questions collected on the RSVP form | A scheduled Jetonomy topic that opens at the start time |
| Journal club | One event; everyone reads one paper first | A thread in the Reading lists space |
| Ask me anything week | A Jetonomy topic open for a few days, then closed | The same topic, closed when the window ends |
| Panel | One event with several speakers listed in the description | One thread for questions to the panel |
Jetonomy lets a moderator write a topic now and schedule it to publish later, using the arrow beside the Post button. The time is read in the site’s timezone. A closed topic stays visible but takes no new replies from regular members, which gives an ask-me-anything week a clear end.
If you want to charge for a masterclass, Eventonomy Pro adds paid tickets. The free plugin supports free RSVPs. For general advice on hybrid and online formats, read the virtual and hybrid events guide.
BuddyNext as the people layer
Jetonomy and Eventonomy handle content and events. BuddyNext holds the people together.
- Spaces by discipline. Create Open spaces for each area of interest, such as one for physical sciences and one for life sciences. Members join with one click, and a space can require approval if you want to vet joiners.
- Polls for the next talk. A BuddyNext poll has two to five options, one vote per member and an optional closing time. Ask the community which topic they want next and close the poll before you book the speaker.
- Announcements. A site-wide announcement pins to the top of every member’s home feed until each member dismisses it. Use one for the next talk.
- Follow and connect. Members can follow each other, and the feed shows what people they follow have posted.
- Messages. Direct messages in BuddyNext run through WPMediaVerse, installed with Messages on.
BuddyNext Pro is needed for Eventonomy events to appear in the BuddyNext feed, in community search and as profile and space tabs. Without it, Eventonomy still works as a standalone calendar.
What each job needs
| Job | Plugin | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Q&A space, accepted answers, voting, tags, pinned topics, private topics | Jetonomy | Free |
| Moderation queue, reporting, merge, move, close | Jetonomy | Free |
| Scheduled topics | Jetonomy | Free |
| Talks, RSVPs, waitlist, reminders, custom questions, attendee email | Eventonomy | Free |
| Spaces, polls, announcements, member types, profile fields | BuddyNext | Free |
| Events shown in the BuddyNext feed and search | BuddyNext with Eventonomy | BuddyNext Pro |
| Paid tickets for masterclasses | Eventonomy | Pro |
| Anonymous posting for sensitive questions | Jetonomy | Pro |
See the plugins overview for each product and the forum picker if you are comparing options.
A first month
| Week | Do this |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create the Ask a scientist space, post the answer guide and the question rules, and write the “who answers” page |
| 2 | Recruit volunteers; assign the Scientist member type; seed ten questions yourself so the Unanswered list is not empty |
| 3 | Open the Reading lists space with three starter lists; create the first talk event |
| 4 | Run the talk; schedule the discussion topic; post a poll for the next topic |
Frequently asked questions
Can I mark certain members as verified experts?
Not as a built-in verified badge. You can make volunteers space moderators so they show an Admin or Mod pill, or assign a BuddyNext member type such as Scientist. Describe what checking you actually do, and keep to that wording.
Can scientists answer without being moderators?
Yes. Anyone who can post can answer. In a Q&A space the asker, or a moderator, accepts the best reply. If you want a volunteer to settle each question, let that volunteer be the moderator for the space.
How do I keep reading lists from going stale?
Give each list an owner and put a “last checked” line on it. A topic author can edit their own post, so a pinned list can be updated in place. A community list in a Reading lists space updates itself as members add links.
Can members ask a question anonymously?
Anonymous posting is a Jetonomy Pro feature, switched on site-wide and then per space. The real author is still tracked, and only administrators can reveal it. Free Jetonomy has private topics, visible to the author and moderators.
Should each talk be a recurring event?
Usually not. A recurring event shares one RSVP across the series, so one event per talk is the better shape. Use recurrence for a standing session where signing up once for the series makes sense.
Do I need all three plugins?
No. Jetonomy alone gives you the questions and the reading lists. Eventonomy adds talks with registration, and BuddyNext adds profiles, spaces and polls.