User Guide
Everything you need to create, manage, and grow thriving communities with GoodNests. From getting started to advanced customization.
Getting Started
Set up your account and start building your community in minutes.
First-Time Launch
When you open GoodNests for the first time, you'll see a Welcome Screen with the GoodNests cloud illustration and a "Get Started" button. This screen only appears once.
Signing Up (Community Owners)
To create your own community, follow the Owner registration flow:
Logging In
Forgot Password
User Roles & Permissions
GoodNests has four user roles, each with different levels of access.
| Permission | Owner | Admin | Mod | Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View feed & interact with posts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| React, comment, save posts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vote in polls | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| RSVP to events | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Use chat/messaging | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create posts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Delete own posts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Delete others' posts | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Pin posts | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Invite members | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Assign roles to members | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Customize community theme | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Delete community | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Full community control | ✓ | — | — | — |
Role Descriptions
- Owner — The community creator. Has full, unrestricted control over the community including branding, member management, role assignments, and the ability to delete the entire community.
- Admin — Trusted community managers. Can create posts, invite members, delete posts (except the owner's), customize the theme, and help manage the community.
- Moderator — Content gatekeepers. Can create posts and delete their own posts to help maintain content quality.
- Member — Community participants. Can view the feed, react, comment, save posts, vote in polls, RSVP to events, and use chat — but cannot create posts.
Creating a Community
During Registration
When you sign up as an Owner, community creation is part of the onboarding flow:
After submitting, a unique community slug (URL-friendly name) is automatically generated from your community name.
Creating Additional Communities
Inviting Members
Owners and Admins can invite new members through three methods.
Email Invitation Steps
Joining a Community
Accepting an Email Invitation
Requesting to Join
Switching Between Communities
If you belong to multiple communities:
The Feed (Home Screen)
The Feed is the heart of your community.
Category Tabs
| Tab | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All | All posts across all categories | ||
| Announcements | Important community-wide updates | ||
| Events | Posts with event details and RSVP | ||
| Topics | Discussion threads and conversations | ||
Feed Features
Post Display
Each post in the feed shows author info, content with hashtag support, media (images, video, or link preview), poll or event details, reactions, comment count, save button, view count, and timestamp. Pinned posts appear at the top with a pin indicator.
Creating Posts
Tap the + (Create) floating action button to open the post composer.
Post Types
Post Categories
| Category | Use For | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Everyday posts, updates, and shares | ||
| Announcements | Important community-wide announcements | ||
| Events | Event-related content with RSVP | ||
| Topics | Discussion threads and open conversations | ||
Interacting with Posts
Reactions
React to any post with one of 5 reaction types: Like, Love, Laugh, Sad, or Angry. Tap a reaction to add it; tap again to remove. Your reaction is highlighted and counts are shown per type.
Comments
Tap the comment icon to open the comment thread. Write a comment and tap send. You can reply to comments to create nested/threaded conversations.
Saving, Sharing & Downloading
- Save — Tap the bookmark icon to save a post. Saved posts appear in your Profile → Saved tab.
- Share — Tap the share icon to share a post via your device's native share sheet.
- Download Media — In the full-screen image viewer, tap download to save images to your gallery.
Viewing Media
- Image Gallery — Full-screen viewer with swipe navigation and download support.
- Video Player — Full-screen video with looping and audio mixing.
Pinned Posts
Owners and Admins can pin important posts to the top of the feed. Pinned posts display a pin icon and "Pinned Post" label.
Polls
Creating a Poll
Voting & Results
Tap your preferred option to cast your vote (one vote per poll). After voting, you'll see vote percentages, counts per option, your selection highlighted, and the total vote count. Expired polls show an "Expired" indicator with results still visible.
Events & RSVP
Creating an Event
RSVP Options
| Status | Meaning | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Going | You plan to attend | ||
| Interested | You're considering attending | ||
| Not Going | You won't be attending | ||
You can change your RSVP at any time. Each event displays attendee counts broken down by status. Tap to view the full attendee list with profiles.
Chat & Messaging
Navigate to the Chats tab to start conversations with any community member.
Notifications
GoodNests delivers notifications in real-time. You'll be notified about:
| Type | Trigger | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Post Created | A new post is published in your community | ||
| Comment Added | Someone comments on your post | ||
| Reaction Added | Someone reacts to your post | ||
| Message Received | You receive a new direct message | ||
| Conversation Created | A new chat conversation is started with you | ||
Tap any notification to navigate directly to the relevant content. The notification bell badge shows unread count, and you can scroll through past notifications with infinite scroll.
Members
Navigate to the Members tab to see all community members.
Filtering Members
| Filter | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All Members | Everyone in the community | ||
| Staff | Owners, Admins, and Moderators only | ||
| Most Recent | Newest members first | ||
| Oldest | Longest-standing members first | ||
Use the search bar to find specific members by name. Each member card displays their profile picture, name, role badge, and a Follow/Unfollow button.
Profile Management
Your profile shows your picture, name, bio, website, and follower/following counts. It has two sub-tabs: Posts (your published content) and Saved (bookmarked posts).
Editing Your Profile
Email & Password
Go to Settings → Email & Password to update your email address or change your password.
Follow System
- Follow — Tap the Follow button on any member's profile or in the members list to stay connected.
- Unfollow — Tap Unfollow on a user you're currently following.
- Counts — Your follower and following counts are displayed on your profile. Tap to view the full list.
- Mutual Follows — The app tracks whether a user follows you back.
Community Customization & Theming
Color Schemes
Choose from 3 preset themes or create a custom palette:
| Preset | Primary | Accent | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Green | #2D4A3E | #7A9E8E | #E8F0EC |
| Warm Gold | #C4993D | #E8D5A8 | #FFFDF9 |
| Ocean Blue | #5094D4 | #779FE5 | #E0E8FF |
| Custom | Your choice | Your choice | Auto-generated |
Font Selection
| Font | Style | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter (Default) | Clean, modern sans-serif | ||
| Poppins | Geometric sans-serif | ||
| Nunito | Rounded sans-serif | ||
| Roboto | Google's signature font | ||
| Merriweather | Elegant serif font | ||
Managing Themes
- Save a theme for later use.
- Create multiple themes and switch between them.
- Set an active theme — applied community-wide for all members.
- Update existing themes (name, colors, font).
- Delete themes you no longer need.
- Load defaults to reset to the original theme.
- All changes are previewed in real-time before saving.
Community Statistics
The community dashboard provides detailed analytics:
Privacy & Safety Settings
Control your privacy and notification preferences from Settings:
| Setting | Description | Default | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push Notifications | Enable/disable push notification alerts | On | |
| Mentions & Replies | Get notified when mentioned or replied to | On | |
| Show Online Status | Allow others to see when you're online | On | |
| Allow Direct Messages | Control whether others can DM you | On | |
Offline Support
GoodNests is designed to work even when your internet connection is unreliable.
App Guide & Walkthrough
When you first enter the app, an interactive guided tour highlights key features: Feed Tab, Members Tab, Create Post Button, Chats Tab, Profile Tab, Notification Bell, and Community Logo.
A separate guide appears the first time you visit Settings, highlighting Community Customization, Notification Preferences, and Privacy & Safety settings.
Plans & Pricing
GoodNests offers three product tiers to fit your needs:
We'll be in touch!
Thanks for reaching out. Our team will review your details and get back to you within 24 hours with a personalized plan.
Account Management
Logging Out
Go to Settings → Logout. Confirm in the dialog, and all local data and tokens are cleared.
Deleting Your Account
Deleting a Community
Web Support
GoodNests works on the web with a responsive design.
| Screen Width | Layout | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| < 900px | Mobile-like layout (same as phone) | ||
| > 900px | Desktop layout with sidebar navigation and wider content area | ||
- All mobile features are available on web.
- File uploads work via browser file picker.
- Desktop navigation uses a rounded navigation bar with pill-style active indicators.
- Browser back/forward buttons work for navigation.
- Content width is constrained for comfortable reading on large screens.