Loclie

Community Groups

Creating a Group

Start your own community group on Loclie to connect with locals.

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Why Create a Group?

Benefits:

  • Build community - Connect people with shared interests
  • Share updates - Post announcements and news
  • Foster discussion - Create a space for conversation with posts and comments
  • Organise activities - Coordinate meetups and events
  • Local focus - Connect with people in your area

Who Can Create Groups?

Anyone with a Loclie account can create a group. You just need:

  • A Loclie account (create one free)
  • An idea for a community group
  • A town to associate with your group (selected via search during creation)

Creating Your Group

Step 1: Access Group Creation

  1. Sign in to the Manage portal at manage.loclie.com.au
  2. Navigate to Groups from the sidebar
  3. Click "Create Group"

Before You Create a Group

When you begin, an info modal will appear explaining the difference between Groups, Businesses, and Clubs. Groups are for informal community gatherings. If you have a venue-based organisation, consider creating a Club instead. If you have a commercial entity, register a Business.

Step 2: Group Details

Group Name (required):

  • Clear, descriptive name (3-100 characters)
  • What's the group about?
  • Must be unique (no duplicate group names)

Description (required):

  • What the group is for (10-500 characters)
  • Who should join
  • What members can expect
  • Character count is displayed as you type

Step 3: Town (required)

  • Start typing to search for your town
  • Select from the autocomplete suggestions
  • This determines which town your group is associated with

Step 4: Category (optional)

Select the best-fitting category for your group:

  • Sports & Fitness
  • Social
  • Music
  • Arts & Crafts
  • Games & Hobbies
  • Outdoors
  • Food & Drink
  • Books
  • Technology
  • Parenting
  • Seniors
  • Youth
  • Faith
  • Support
  • Business
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Other

Step 5: Meeting Location (optional)

  • Enter where your group meets (e.g., "Community Hall, 123 Main St")
  • Helps members know where to find you

Add your group's social media profiles:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • X/Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Step 7: Area-Wide Group (optional)

  • Check the "Area-Wide Group" box if your group spans the entire Local Government Area
  • When enabled, members from all towns in the area can discover and join your group
  • Leave unchecked if the group is specific to your town

Step 8: Privacy Setting

Public:

  • Anyone can join and view all posts

Private:

  • Users must request to join
  • Content is visible only to approved members
  • The group is still listed in the groups directory, but posts are hidden from non-members

Step 9: Create

  1. Review your group details
  2. Click "Create Group"
  3. Your group will be submitted for staff review

Note: Groups are reviewed by staff before becoming visible to others. This helps maintain quality and prevent spam. You'll be notified once it's approved.

Important: Groups with no activity for 30 days may be automatically removed, so keep your group engaged! You'll receive a warning before removal.

Note: The create form does not include image upload. You can add a group image after creation via the group management page.

After Creating

You're Now the Group Owner

As the owner, you can:

  • Post updates and announcements
  • Manage members (approve, remove, change roles)
  • Edit group settings (privacy, post moderation, area-wide)
  • Assign moderators
  • Generate QR codes for promotion

First Steps

  1. Write a welcome post - Introduce the group
  2. Set expectations - What's the group about
  3. Invite members - Share with friends or use QR codes
  4. Stay active - Post regularly to keep the group alive

Group Visibility

Where Your Group Appears

  • Groups page - Listed with other groups in your town
  • Search results - Searchable by name
  • Town-specific - Shows in your group's associated town
  • Area-wide - If enabled, visible across the Local Government Area

Managing Your Group

Owner Responsibilities

As group owner:

  • Keep the group active (groups with no activity for 30 days may be removed)
  • Moderate discussions
  • Respond to member requests (for private groups)
  • Maintain group guidelines

Group Settings

Access your group settings by selecting Groups from the sidebar on the Manage portal to:

  • Toggle privacy (public/private)
  • Toggle post moderation (require approval for member posts)
  • Toggle area-wide visibility
  • Manage members and roles
  • Approve or reject join requests (private groups)
  • Generate and manage QR codes
  • Link events to your group (see Managing Groups)

Learn more: Managing Groups

Best Practices

DO:

Be specific

  • Clear group purpose
  • Who it's for
  • What members get

Stay active

  • Post regularly
  • Engage with members
  • Keep momentum

Welcome members

  • Greet new joiners
  • Make people feel included
  • Foster community

Set guidelines

  • Expected behaviour
  • What's appropriate
  • Keep it positive

DON'T:

Create abandoned groups

  • Stay active (groups with no activity for 30 days may be automatically removed)
  • If you can't maintain, transfer ownership
  • Or close the group

Be exclusive without reason

  • Open groups build faster
  • Use approval only when needed
  • Don't gatekeep unnecessarily

Spam or over-promote

  • Quality content
  • Respect members
  • Don't flood the feed

Group Ideas

Community & Social

  • Neighbourhood Watch
  • New Parents Group
  • Retirees Social Group
  • Dog Owners Meetup

Sports & Recreation

  • Running Group
  • Cycling Group
  • Surf Crew
  • Beach Volleyball

Hobbies & Interests

  • Book Club
  • Photography Group
  • Gardening Enthusiasts
  • Bird Watchers

Professional

  • Small Business Network
  • Freelancers Collective
  • Industry Meetups

Frequently Asked Questions

Is creating a group free?

Yes! Creating and running groups on Loclie is completely free.

How many groups can I create?

You can create multiple groups if needed.

Do groups need approval?

Yes. New groups are reviewed by staff before becoming visible. You'll be notified once approved.

Can I transfer ownership?

Contact support using the Help button to request group ownership transfer.

What if I can't maintain the group?

Contact support using the Help button to discuss options. Note that groups with no activity for 30 days may be automatically removed.

Next Steps

Start your community:

Build your local community!

Need help?

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What is a Group?
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Managing Your Group