Journal and Places
Last updated: 2026-09-10
Two ways for a community to keep track of itself: a Journal for what you are thinking and deciding, and Places for where things are.
Journal: a forum category that reads like a diary
Any pod forum category can be switched to journal mode. Nothing changes about who can read or write it. What changes is how it looks and feels:
- Entries are listed newest first and grouped by month.
- Each entry shows its first photo as a cover, the author, the date and a
short excerpt.
- Writing a reply uses the formatting editor by default, so an entry can carry
headings, lists and images.
Turn it on (pod leaders)
- Open your pod → Manage → Forum.
- Create a category (for example Envisioning Journal) and choose
Journal as its presentation, or switch an existing category with the Switch to journal button.
- Optional: in Manage → Modules → Custom Appearance, rename the home
screen's Forum button to Journal so members see that word everywhere (the forum page heading follows the same name).
Good habits
- Pin one entry as the living vision and update it rather than starting over.
- Use a poll inside an entry when a question needs a decision.
- If your pod runs the Community Agent with forum ingestion on, members can
ask it what the journal says about a topic.
Places: your community's shared map
Places is an add-on module a pod leader can enable under Manage → Modules → Add-Ons. Once on, a Places section appears on the pod's page for every member. It is members only: people outside the pod never see it, and images on it are served only to members.
What a place is
A pin with a name, a kind, a status, a description, an optional photo, and links to journal entries, people and other places.
| Kind | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Asset | Land, buildings, tools, equipment the community holds or stewards |
| Partner | Organisations and allies you work with |
| Site | Gathering places, venues, meeting points |
| Resource | Suppliers, services, shared infrastructure |
| Vision | Somewhere you are envisioning, not real yet |
| Other | Anything else worth a pin |
Status is Existing, Proposed or Retired. Proposed pins draw with a dashed outline so an idea never looks like a fact. Retired pins are hidden by default.
Precision is Exact or Approximate. Approximate pins show a shaded circle instead of a point. Use it for anything sensitive.
Connections link a place to journal entries, to people (with a role such as steward), and to other places (with a relationship such as supplies). Two connected places are drawn with a dashed line between them.
Who can do what
- Every member can open the map, switch to the list, filter by kind and
status, and read every pin.
- Managing pins (add, edit, remove, rename the section) is a role
permission called Places Manage. Pod leaders have it as soon as the module is on; they can grant it to any role under Manage → Members & Roles.
Adding a place (managers)
- On the pod page, in the Places section, tap Add place.
- Name it, pick a kind and status.
- Set the location by searching an address, tapping the map, or typing
coordinates. Leave it blank to add a place you have not mapped yet.
- Optionally add a photo (JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB) and connections.
- Add place. It appears on the map for every member and posts a line to
Pulse.
Naming the section
Managers can rename Places to whatever fits your community (up to 20 characters): Territory, Commons, Our patch. Tap the pencil next to the heading.
Sharing your own location (optional)
Members can choose to appear on their pods' maps. Open Identity → Location, tick Share my location with my pods, find your address, and save. By default your location is stored approximately (to about 1 km) and shown as a shaded circle; you can choose exact if you prefer.
Only people who share a pod with you can see it, and only while sharing is on. Remove it any time from the same place. Nothing about your location is ever public.
