# Community Setup

This guide walks through creating and configuring a TinyLVT community.

## Before You Start

**Choose your currency mode first.** This cannot be changed after community
creation. See [Currency Modes](/docs/currency) to understand your options.

## Creating a Community

1. Log in to TinyLVT
2. Go to Communities and click "Create Community"
3. Enter your community name
4. Select your currency mode and configure its settings
5. Click "Create"

You'll be the community **Leader** with full administrative access.

## Community Structure

Communities are organized as follows:

**Community** — The group of people sharing resources. Has members, roles, and
currency settings.

**Site** — A location or logical grouping of spaces. A site defines a
collection of spaces that are auctioned together. Examples: "Main Office",
"Parking Garage", "Practice Rooms".

**Space** — An individual unit within a site that can be possessed by one
member at a time. Examples: "Desk 1", "Spot A-15", "Room 101".

**Auction** — A time-bounded event associated with a site, where all of that
site's spaces are allocated for a possession period.

## Member Roles

| Role | Can do |
|------|--------|
| **Member** | Participate in auctions, receive distributions |
| **Moderator** | + Add/remove members, set active status |
| **Coleader** | + Full community management (sites, spaces, auctions, moderators) |
| **Leader** | + Manage coleaders, transfer leadership |

Coleaders have full administrative control over the community. The Leader role
exists to provide final authority: only the Leader can promote or demote
Coleaders, and only the Leader can transfer leadership to someone else.

## Inviting Members

1. Go to your community's Invites page
2. Create an invite link
3. Share the link with people you want to join
4. They'll create an account (if needed) and join your community

## Active vs Inactive Members

**Active members** receive their share of auction proceeds (in Distributed
Clearing mode) or allowances (in Points Allowance mode).

**Inactive members** can still participate in auctions but don't receive
distributions. This is useful for:

- Members who are temporarily away
- People who want to reserve space before officially joining

Active status can be updated frequently to reflect who is actually present and
participating. For example, a shared workspace might define "active" as being
physically present—if the value of the space comes from the people gathered
there, then distributions should flow to those who are actually present and
available for collaboration.

## Creating Sites and Spaces

1. From your community page, click "Create Site"
2. Name the site and configure settings
3. Add spaces to the site with names and descriptions

**Tip:** Think about how spaces relate to each other. If people often want
adjacent spaces together, consider creating bundles.

## Running Your First Auction

1. Navigate to a site
2. Click "Create Auction"
3. Set the auction parameters:
   - Start time
   - Round duration
   - Bid increment
   - Possession period
4. Members can enter proxy bids before the auction starts
5. The auction runs automatically at the scheduled time

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*Learn more about [Auctions](/docs/auctions) and [Currency Modes](/docs/currency).*