Create and Grow a Community

Create and Grow a Community

Set up a community, invite people into it, and shape how members join and what they can do once they are inside.

Before you start

• You need to be signed in. If you tap the create button while signed out, you will be asked to sign in first, and you will be returned to the create flow afterwards.
• Whoever creates the community becomes its organizer, with full control over its settings, members, and events.
• Have a name in mind (up to 30 characters) and, if you have one, a logo or cover image ready to upload. Everything you enter here can be changed later.

Step by step

1. Start a new community. From the Communities list, tap the add button. The welcome screen explains what you are about to set up. If you leave part way through, your entries are cleared and you start fresh next time.

2. Pick a category. Choose the one that best describes your group. Use the search box if the list is long. The category shapes which tags you are offered next.

3. Add tags. Tags are the specific topics inside your category, and they help the right people find you. Select as many as fit; your choices appear as chips above the list so you can see what you have picked.

4. Add the basics. Upload a community image, enter the community name, and, if you want, write a short description. The name is required and is capped at 30 characters, with a counter showing how much room you have left.

5. Choose your settings. This is where you decide how the community behaves:

   • Visibility, which controls whether people can find and browse the community.
   • Start date, the date the community is considered active from.
   • A custom web address. Type a handle of at least four characters and the app checks it as you type, telling you whether it is available or already taken. You can also set a date for the custom address to expire.
   • Member permissions, including whether members can post, whether they can share documents, whether sub-communities are allowed, and whether the community is locked to new activity.

6. Set onboarding questions (sub-communities). When you are creating a community underneath an existing one, you get an extra step for questions new members must answer when they join. Add as many as you need, drag them into the order you want them asked, and delete any you change your mind about.

7. Review and create. The last screen shows everything back to you: image, name, description, category, tags, settings, and any questions. Tap into any section to go back and change it, then create the community. If something goes wrong, a red message appears at the bottom explaining what to fix.

8. Run it from the dashboard. Once created, your community has its own home screen showing new members to welcome, upcoming birthdays and celebrations, the next few events, and any sub-communities. From here you can open the member list, edit the community profile, and share a link that invites people in.

Troubleshooting

I cannot create a group inside my community. Sub-communities only appear as an option when the parent community has sub-communities allowed in its settings. Turn that on in the parent’s settings, then open the Sub-Communities list and use the add button there. The new group is automatically attached to the parent you started from, which is also why it gets the extra onboarding questions step.

Who can change what? As organizer you have full control. Co-organizers can do nearly everything you can, but cannot delete the community or change billing. Ordinary members can view the community, take part in channel conversations, and RSVP to events; whether they can post or share documents depends on the permission switches you set in step 5.

I want to bring in a list of existing members. There is no bulk upload in this flow. People join either by opening your shared community link and joining from the preview screen, or by requesting to join if the community is not open to everyone. Requests to join arrive for you to approve.

My custom web address will not save. Handles must be at least four characters and must not already be in use. Wait for the availability message to confirm the address is free before continuing.

Nothing loads on the category or tag step. These lists come from the server. Check your connection and use the retry option on the error message.