Community overview
Build a home where your members gather to connect and talk.
What is a community?
A community is your own space on Root where members gather. You control who can join, how it's organized, and what members can do. Think of it as your own corner of Root, complete with channels for conversation, roles for organization, and tools for moderation.
A community is private by default: people join with an invite. When you're ready to grow, you can list it in Community Discovery so anyone on Root can find and join it.
As a community owner, you're responsible for:
- Structure: Organizing channels and groups so members can find conversations
- Access: Deciding who can join and what they can do
- Culture: Setting expectations and moderating behavior
- Growth: Inviting members and keeping them engaged
Key concepts
Before you start, here's how the main pieces fit together:
| Concept | What it is | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Spaces where members communicate (text, voice, or app) | Channels overview |
| Channel groups | Containers that organize related channels together | Channels overview |
| Roles | Named sets of permissions you assign to members | Roles and permissions overview |
| Channel Visibility | Controls who can see and use channels | Manage channel visibility |
| Invites | Links you share to let people join your community | Invite members |
| Community Discovery | Root's public directory, where anyone can find and join your community once you list it | Community Discovery |
Community lifecycle
Communities evolve over time. Here's a typical progression:
1. Create and set up
Start by creating your community and establishing the basics:
- Create a community or import from Discord
- Customize your appearance with a name, image, and color
- Set up channels and groups for different conversations
2. Invite and grow
Bring in your first members and expand:
- Create invite links to share with potential members
- Consider requiring email verification to reduce spam accounts
- Once your community is established, list it in Community Discovery so people can find it without an invite
- Add channels as your community's needs become clear
3. Organize and delegate
As your community grows, add structure:
- Create roles for different member types (moderators, trusted members, teams)
- Set up Channel Visibility to control who can see what
- Use permission syncing to manage channel access efficiently
4. Moderate and maintain
Keep your community healthy:
- Kick or ban members who break your rules
- Monitor the action log to see what's happening
- Use the system messages channel to track joins, bans, and other events
Tips for new owners
Start small. You don't need dozens of channels on day one. Begin with a few essentials (announcements, general chat, a voice channel) and add more as your community grows.
Set clear expectations. Whether formal rules or informal norms, let members know what behavior you expect. This makes moderation easier.
Delegate when ready. You don't have to do everything yourself. Create moderator roles and assign trusted members to help manage the community.
Listen to your members. Pay attention to what channels get used, what questions come up, and what members ask for. Let their needs guide how you evolve the community.