Overview

If you’re using the Khoros Aurora community platform and have implemented a content filter (such as replacing a term with “XXX”), you may wonder how it behaves over the lifetime of your community content. This article explains two key points:

• Whether filters apply to existing content or only to new content (they apply only to new content or edits after the filter is in place).

• How to monitor when filters trigger so you can ensure they are working as intended.

Solution

1. Understanding how the filter works

1. Navigate to Settings ▶ Features ▶ Moderation ▶ Content Filters to view or create filters. (Aurora: Set up content filters)

2. When you set up a filter with an action such as Replace term (e.g., replace “term” → “XXX”), the system will apply that rule only at the moment content is created or edited. (About Aurora content filters)

3. Important: The filter does not automatically go back and update existing posts or replies that were created before the filter was configured. (Aurora: Edit a content filter)

4. If you want to update older posts (for example, replace “Barclays” in discussions from before the filter was active), you must edit those posts manually — then the filter will apply at the time of the edit.

2. Setting up a filter step‑by‑step

1. Sign in as an Admin.

2. Go to Settings → Features → Moderation → Content Filters. (Aurora: Set up content filters)

3. Click Add Filter (or edit an existing one).

4. Enter:

   • Filter Name

   • Action: e.g., Replace term

   • Replacement term: e.g., “XXX”

   • Apply to: select content types (Posts, Replies, Private Messages, etc.)

   • Terms to filter: e.g., “term” (one per line)

   • (Optional) Enable “Ignore diacritics” if you want accent‑insensitive matching. 

5. Save the filter. From that moment on, when a user posts or edits content that contains “term”, the system will automatically replace the term with “XXX”.

3. Monitoring content filter activity

Although Aurora does not send out real‑time alerts when a filter triggers, you can review filter usage via the moderation interface:

1. Sign in as a Moderator or Admin.

2. Navigate to Manage → Abuse (sometimes labeled under moderation tools). (Aurora: Review content reported by content filters)

3. In the Abuse tab:

   • Select Filters to view items flagged by content filters. 

   • Set Reported By to Content Filter.

   • Use the Actions dropdown to filter by those entries where the action was Replaced, to focus on posts where a term was replaced.

   • Optionally filter by content type (Post/Reply/Private Message), filter name, filtered keyword, or author to zero in on specific cases.

4. Periodically review the list to verify the filter is working and to detect any unintended uses or workarounds (e.g., alternate spellings of the term).

4. Additional best‑practice considerations

• Recognise that retrospective content (existing posts made before the filter) won’t be updated unless edited manually. If you have critical terms you want replaced in legacy content, plan for moderator or admin review.

• Since filters don’t raise alerts automatically, consider scheduling a regular moderation task (e.g., weekly review) of the Abuse → Filters log.

• Consider anticipating misspellings or variations of a term and add them to the terms list to increase coverage. 

• Determine whether the filter’s action is appropriate: Replace term is less heavy‑handed than Do not allow, which prevents posting altogether. For company names or non‑offensive terms, replace‑term is often better. 

Summary

• Filters in Aurora apply only to new content or edits made after the filter is in place. They do not automatically modify historical content.

• To handle existing posts, you must manually edit them so the filter can apply on save.

• There is no automatic alert for when a filter triggers — you monitor activity via the Manage → Abuse → Filters section.

• Use scheduled moderation reviews and consider variations in spelling/terms to optimise filter coverage.

FAQ

Q1: Does a content filter replace terms in posts made before I created the filter?
A1: No. Aurora applies filters only when content is posted or edited after the filter is in place. Posts made earlier won’t be changed automatically.

Q2: Can I get notified (email or alert) when a filter triggers and replaces a word?
A2: Currently, Aurora does not send real‑time notifications for filter triggers. You need to monitor via the Abuse tab where flagged content is logged. 

Q3: What happens if a user edits an old post that includes a filtered term?
A3: If the post is edited and saved after the filter is in place, the filter will apply at that moment and replace the term, assuming the filter is set to apply to edited content.