Spaces are organized discussion areas based on topics (such as Announcements, General, VIP, etc.).
They help you keep posts and conversations grouped in a way that makes sense for you and your members.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how Spaces work.
Understanding spaces
Spaces are organized discussion areas based on topics, such as Announcements, General, or VIP. They help you structure your community by grouping conversations into different topics.
When you open a specific space, you’ll only see the posts happening inside that space.
Members can only view the spaces they have permission to access, based on the settings you’ve chosen.
You’ll be able to create Spaces and control access based on the products someone has purchased, the community plan they’re on, or by granting access directly to specific members.
Viewing spaces
You can view spaces by clicking on any space you’re following in the Spaces section of the home feed.
If you click Browse, you’ll see all the spaces you have access to — including ones you’re not currently following. Only the spaces you follow will appear in your navigation menu.
Creating a new space
To manage spaces, you'll need to access your Admin dashboard. Here's how to do it:
From your home feed, click on your site name and select Admin from the dropdown menu.
From the Admin dashboard, click Spaces in the sidebar menu.
Click "+ New space" to create a new space.
Enter your space Details, such as Name, Icon, description, and an image.
Control your space options, such as permissions, who has access, who can post & more.
When you're done, hit Create at the top right corner.
Space options
Let's take a closer look at each one of the available space options.
Layout
Choose how you want posts to appear in your space page.
If you turn this option on, posts will show in a compact list with only the title and reactions. Members will need to click each post to view the full content.
If you turn it off, posts will display in full, along with the top comments.
Compact list
Full list
Default space
Choose the default behavior for spaces you're creating:
Members automatically follow this space: Turn this on to have new members automatically follow the space you’ve created. This means they’ll automatically receive notifications and see updates from this space in their home feed.
Members can unfollow the space at any time if they no longer want to receive updates.
Members cannot unfollow this space: This option is available when “Members automatically follow this space” is turned on. Enabling it prevents members from unfollowing the space.
This is useful for important spaces you want everyone to stay subscribed to, similar to how default topics worked before the beta.
Permissions
Define who can view and post in your space:
Only specific members can view this space: Turn this on if you want to control who can access the space. You’ll be able to grant access through products, plans, or by selecting specific members.
If this option is turned off, the space will be open to all members, including those with free access.
Only you can create posts: Turn this option on if you want to prevent members from posting in the space. When enabled, only you (the creator) will be able to create posts in that space.
FAQs
Can I create private spaces?
Can I create private spaces?
Yes. You can create private spaces so only those with access can view.
To make a space private, check the "Only specific members can view this space" when creating or editing a space.
Then, select the Plans, products or members you want to have access to this space.
I’m seeing way more people following my spaces than expected... HELP!
I’m seeing way more people following my spaces than expected... HELP!
With the new Podia experience, community access works a bit differently, which is why you’re seeing more members in your spaces.
Community is now built in by default, so anyone who joins your site gets free access to your community. This means that, by default, they can view any spaces that are set as open.
If you previously had open topics, these have been migrated as open spaces.
After the migration, everyone is considered a member, so anyone — including those with free access — will be able to view any spaces that are set as open.
How to restrict access
To restrict who can access a space, simply turn these open spaces into private ones and control who has access (for example, only people on paid plans).
To control access to a space:
From the Spaces page, click Edit next to the space you'd like to edit
Enable “Only specific members can view this space”
Choose which plans, products, or members should have access
Once set, only the selected people will be able to view and follow the space, and anyone who previously had access will be removed.
