Getting started with your circle
The first steps in a new circle: make your first post, choose how you hear from it, and catch up on what's new since your last visit.
Your first steps
If you do not have a circle yet, your home page welcomes you and offers Create a circle. Give your circle a name, then invite the people you want to share with. If someone has invited you to their circle, open the invitation they sent you by email or text.
In your first circle, the guide links to the conversation so you can share a photo or a note. You can also email a post to your own circle email address, which you'll find in Circle settings and on your contact card. To post by text, use the circle number in your welcome message.
Follow the notification link to choose how often you hear from your circle.
Recent activity from your people
Your circle can show a short recent activity line for each member, such as sharing a post, reacting, or adding to a chapter. These lines use recent visible activity, so older activity may have no line. Hidden posts and posts still waiting to publish do not contribute.
Since your last visit
The New counts on your circle shelf and the marks on collections help you catch up on posts shared since you last opened that circle. Each person's visit is remembered separately. Your first visit starts the clock without marking the existing archive as new. Hidden posts and posts you cannot currently view do not count.
An optional second way to reach you
If you have verified only an email address or only a phone number, you may see an invitation to add the other. Use the verification button to open the existing sign-in verification flow. You can choose Not now and keep using your circle with your current verified channel.
Dismiss the guide when you are ready
The getting-started guide in your circle and the optional verification prompt can be dismissed separately. Your choice is saved to your account, so they stay hidden on another browser or device too.
The welcome on your home page shows while you don't own a circle, whether you have no circles yet or only circles someone else owns. When you don't need it any more, choose Got it, hide this. That choice is saved to your account too. If you hide it before you have any circles, your home page shows No circles yet. Create one, or open an invitation someone sent you.