Communities
Overview
Build vibrant communities where users connect, collaborate, and share experiences around common interests
Transform Your App Into a Social Hub: Create and manage vibrant communities that bring users together around shared interests, goals, and experiences. Our comprehensive community management system provides everything you need to build thriving social spaces with sophisticated governance, moderation, and membership controls.
Core Capabilities
Community Discovery
Search, browse, and find communities with powerful filtering and intelligent recommendations
Membership Management
Complete member lifecycle from joining to governance with sophisticated approval workflows
Content & Moderation
Advanced content controls, role-based permissions, and comprehensive enforcement tools
Administrative Tools
Comprehensive community management with categories, analytics, and automation
Complex Governance Made Simple: Communities can be configured with over 20 different properties to create exactly the social experience you envision - from open public forums to exclusive private groups with sophisticated governance structures.
Community Architecture
Communities in social.plus are sophisticated social structures that support complex governance models, flexible membership rules, and comprehensive content management. Each community operates as a self-contained ecosystem with its own rules, roles, and organizational structure.Core Components
Visual Identity
- Display name and description
- Avatar and visual branding
- Official verification status
- Custom metadata fields
- Public/private visibility settings
- Search tags and categorization
- Discovery controls and recommendations
- Category-based organization
Community Types & Access Models
social.plus supports various community configurations to match different organizational needs and governance requirements:Public Communities
Open Access: Discoverable and joinable by anyoneModerated Access: Discoverable but requires approval to joinContent Visibility: All content visible to members and discoverable
Private Communities
Invitation Only: Not discoverable, requires invitation or approvalControlled Access: Limited visibility with administrative oversightProtected Content: Content only visible to approved members
Official Communities
Verified Status: Platform-verified communities with special designationEnhanced Discovery: Prominent placement in search and recommendationsTrusted Content: Higher trust indicators and administrative support
Complete Community Data Structure
Understanding the complete community object structure is essential for effective implementation. Communities are highly configurable with over 20 properties controlling every aspect of governance and behavior.Core Properties
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
communityId | String | Unique identifier for the community |
channelId | String | Associated channel identifier |
userId | String | ID of the user who created the community |
displayName | String | Community name for displaying |
description | String | Description of the community |
avatar | Object | Avatar object for community branding |
Access & Visibility Controls
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
isPublic | Boolean | Is this community public? |
isDiscoverable | Boolean | Making communities discoverable from community search function (Always true on public community) |
requiresJoinApproval | Boolean | Determines whether a community requires users to have membership approval (Always false on private and hidden community) |
isOfficial | Boolean | Is this community official? |
Content & Moderation
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
onlyAdminCanPost | Boolean | Only admins can post in this community |
postSettings | Object | Community post settings within a community, how posts are moderated |
hasFlaggedPost | Boolean | Flag for checking internally if post inside community is reported or not |
Organization & Discovery
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
categoryIds | List | ID of categories |
tags | List | List of tags used for searching |
metadata | Object | Additional properties to support custom fields |
Analytics & Status
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
postsCount | Integer | Number of posts in community |
membersCount | Integer | Number of members in community |
isJoined | Boolean | Is this community joined? |
isDeleted | Boolean | Is this community deleted? |
createdAt | DateTime | Date/time when the community was created |
updatedAt | DateTime | Date/time when a community is updated or deleted |
Governance Complexity: Notice how
isDiscoverable is always true for public communities, while requiresJoinApproval is always false for private/hidden communities. These interdependencies are crucial for proper community governance implementation.Best Practices
Start Simple, Grow Complex: Begin with basic community features and gradually add governance complexity as your community grows and needs evolve.
Community Design
Community Design
Planning & Purpose
- Clear Purpose: Define community goals and target audience before creation
- Appropriate Access Model: Choose public/private settings based on community needs
- Governance Planning: Establish moderation policies and role structures early
- Growth Strategy: Plan for discovery, onboarding, and member retention
- Start with basic features and expand gradually
- Consider your target audience’s needs and behaviors
- Plan for scalability from the beginning
- Design clear user journeys for joining and participating
Technical Implementation
Technical Implementation
Architecture & Development
- Data Modeling: Understand the complete community object structure before building
- Permission Architecture: Implement proper role-based access controls from the start
- User Experience: Design intuitive flows for joining, participating, and moderating
- Performance Optimization: Plan for efficient querying and caching strategies
- Implement proper error handling for community operations
- Use appropriate data validation for community properties
- Design for mobile-first community experiences
- Implement real-time updates for community activities
Community Management
Community Management
Operational Excellence
- Active Moderation: Implement consistent content oversight and member management
- Clear Guidelines: Establish and communicate community rules and expectations
- Member Engagement: Foster participation through events, discussions, and recognition
- Continuous Improvement: Monitor analytics and iterate on community features
- Establish clear moderation workflows and escalation paths
- Create onboarding experiences for new community members
- Implement feedback loops to understand member satisfaction
- Regular review of community health metrics and KPIs
Growth & Scaling
Growth & Scaling
Sustainable Growth
- Focus on quality over quantity in early growth phases
- Implement referral and invitation systems for organic growth
- Use data-driven approaches to optimize discovery features
- Create incentives for active community participation
- Plan moderation resources as communities grow
- Implement automated moderation tools for scale
- Consider community subdivision strategies for large groups
- Monitor performance metrics as membership increases
Next Steps
Ready to start building? Choose your implementation path:Create Your First Community
Step-by-step community creation guide
Implement Discovery
Build community search and browsing
Set Up Governance
Configure roles, permissions, and moderation
Need Help? Our community management system is highly configurable with 20+ properties controlling every aspect of governance. Start with the Quick Start Guide and gradually explore advanced features as your needs grow.