Two members talking over coffee on the red sofa in the tershouse corridor

03 — community

A community feed and chat,
built into your space.

A community feed and member chat built into tersOS, with posts, polls, threads, direct messages, channels and a place for staff to handle reports. There is no separate chat app for your members to install, no per-member fees, and your member data stays with you.

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The community feed in the backoffice: the channel list and view filters on the left, the composer and a pinned post in the middle, hot topics and upcoming events on the right — fig. 01 — the community feed in the backoffice

The feed

Members post to channels, and staff read the same feed.

The feed is built into tersOS, not a separate chat app your members have to install. A post goes to a channel, can carry photos, files, a GIF or a link preview, and can be scheduled for later. Members choose how much each channel notifies them, and staff read the same feed in the backoffice.

The community feed in the member app on the web, with the same channels, composer, pinned post and hot topics column — fig. 02 — the same feed in the member app on the web

The channels card in the backoffice feed settings, listing three channels with their badges — fig. 03 — the channels card in feed settings: a private channel with a slow-mode badge, the default channel and one more

Channels are set up by staff

Members choose per channel: every notification, only mentions or none.

The create-post composer in the backoffice with its toolbar and the channel picker — fig. 04 — the composer toolbar: photo, poll, emoji, GIF, code block, the channel picker and the schedule clock

Photos, files, a poll or a schedule

Add photos, files, a poll or a GIF, pick a channel, or schedule the post for later.

A post in the backoffice feed reacted to with a custom workspace emoji, with the comment box below it — fig. 05 — a post reacted to with a custom workspace emoji, with its comment box

A post with a custom-emoji reaction

A reaction can be any emoji, or one of your own that your space uploaded.

Custom emoji

The emoji picker is the same in the feed, chat and reactions, and your own emoji are in it.

Staff upload custom emoji for your space, and members can add their own if you allow it. The same picker opens when writing a post, in chat and for reactions on posts, comments and messages, with your emoji in their own row. Posts and comments keep an edit history that any member can open.

The picker, with your space’s own row.

Recent emoji first, then the ones your space uploaded, then the standard categories with a search box.

Custom emoji uploaded by staff, or by members if you allow it
Reactions on posts, comments and chat messages
Edit history on posts and comments
Bookmark a post, or follow it and get its notifications

The emoji picker opened from the feed composer, with recent, custom and smileys sections — fig. 06 — the emoji picker, with the workspace’s custom row

Chat

Direct messages, channels and threads, in the same app as the feed.

Chat is part of the same app as the feed. Members message each other directly or in channels, reply in threads, and pin, quote and forward messages. A link to any message opens the conversation around it, and staff use the same chat from the backoffice.

A direct message conversation in the backoffice chat with dated messages — fig. 08 — a direct message conversation

Direct messages

One-to-one, with online status, typing and read receipts a member can switch off.

Messages in the general channel with an emoji reaction chip under one of them — fig. 09 — a reaction chip under a message in #general

Reactions on messages

The same picker as the feed, custom emoji included, shown under the message.

The channel list in the backoffice chat beside the start of the conversation — fig. 10 — the channel list beside the open conversation

Channels and direct messages in one list

Channels first, direct messages below, and a search box across all of them.

Joining and status

Members join public channels themselves and decide how reachable they are.

Public channels are listed with a description and a member count, and a member joins with one tap. Other channels hand out an invite link instead. Each member sets a status and do-not-disturb, can switch read receipts off, and can list keywords that alert them whenever someone uses one.

Browse channels, in the member app.

Every public channel the member has not joined yet, with what it is for and how many people are in it.

Public channels to browse and join; invite links for the rest
Status and do-not-disturb for each member
Read receipts a member can turn off
Keyword alerts, even when the member is not mentioned

The browse channels dialog in the member app listing public channels with a Join button on each — fig. 11 — the browse channels dialog in the member app

Members

Every member has a profile, and the directory is searched from the app.

A member’s profile shows their details, team and recent posts, with buttons to message, email or block them. Members search the directory by name, and staff see the whole list in the backoffice. Interests come from a list your space curates, and members can suggest new ones for staff to approve.

fig. 12 — a member’s profile in the member app

Search results in the member app listing members for a two-letter query — fig. 13 — member search in the app, results for a two-letter query

Search the directory

Type a name in the app and matching members appear with their email or team.

fig. 14 — the Message, email and Block buttons on a profile, and the details card

Message, email or block

Blocking hides that member across the whole community, not only in the feed.

The interests taxonomy in the backoffice moderation hub, categories with a count each — fig. 15 — the interests taxonomy in the moderation hub, with a count per category

Interests your space curates

Each interest shows how many members picked it; new requests wait for staff approval.

Moderation

Reports, banned terms and custom emoji are reviewed in one place.

Members report a post or comment from its menu, and staff remove it or dismiss the report from one queue in the backoffice. A list of banned terms flags new posts and comments into the same queue. Members can mute someone in the feed or block them across the community without asking staff.

The moderation hub in the backoffice on the Emoji tab: the upload policy toggle and the workspace emoji table with shortcode and uploader — fig. 16 — the moderation hub, Emoji tab

The Reports tab of the moderation hub with no open reports — fig. 17 — the Reports tab of the moderation hub, empty on the demo tenant

The reports queue

Reported posts and banned-term hits wait here for staff to remove or dismiss.

Banned terms

A post containing a banned term still goes up, but is flagged for staff to review.

The actions menu on another member’s post: save, follow, copy link, forward, mute, block and report — fig. 19 — the menu on another member’s post

Mute, block or report from the post

Save, follow, copy the link, forward, mute or block the author, or report the post.

Where it shows up

The same post, wherever you look.

Staff and members look at the same feed and the same chat. A post made in the member app is already in the backoffice, tersAI can read it, and nothing has to be copied between them.

The composer and the pinned post in the backoffice feed — fig. 20 — the composer and the pinned post in the backoffice feed

Backofficestaff · feed

The composer and the same pinned post in the member app on the web — fig. 21 — the same composer and pinned post in the member app

Member Appmembers · iOS, Android, web

A direct message conversation in the backoffice chat — fig. 22 — a direct message conversation in chat

Chatmembers and staff

fig. 23 — tersAI reading the same channel

tersAImembers and staff

Also included

The rest of what Community does.

Feed

Link previews when a member pastes a link
GIF search in the feed and in chat
Polls in the feed and in chat, with a way to take a vote back
Scheduled posts and messages, which can be cancelled before they go out
Hot topics, and @-mention suggestions as a member types a name

Chat

Threads, pins, quotes and forwards
A link to any message that opens the conversation around it
Invite links a channel can hand out
Saved messages and bookmarked posts
A channel info panel listing the media, links and GIFs shared there
Status, do-not-disturb and keyword alerts

For staff and members

Built into tersOS, not a separate chat app your members have to install
Read receipts and typing indicators, which a member can switch off
Block a member community-wide, or mute them in the feed only
Staff read and write the same feed and chat from the backoffice

A quiet Monday

A member asks tersAI what they missed, then has it draft a post.

tersAI reads a member’s channels and sums up what they have not read, searches messages, and can send a direct message or post to a channel for them. Anything it is about to post is shown first as a draft, and nothing goes out until the member approves it.

“Anything I missed in chat since Friday?”

tersAI — Two things in #general: Gussie’s lunch order goes out at 11:30, and Shanelle is asking who owns the blue bike helmet at reception. Nothing was addressed to you.

“Post in #general that the kitchen is closed for cleaning until 14:00.”

tersAI — Draft for #general: “The kitchen is closed for cleaning until 14:00. Coffee is on the ground floor.” Confirm and I will post it.

unread chat summarised and a post drafted; it goes out only after the member confirms

The tersAI home screen in the member app with its suggestion cards and the composer — fig. 24 — the tersAI home in the member app

“Our community stopped living in a group chat nobody owned.”

The tershouse team, Sarajevo

Works with

See the feed with your own members in it.

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A community feed and chat,
built into your space.