DFOS Space Starter Guide

6 steps to take a space from setup to open doors. This is the sprint version: the essentials, in order, nothing extra. Every space is different, so adapt the steps to yours.

1. Set your settings

Name, description, icon, background. This is the front door.

Tip: You already have most of this. Do a quick audit first: your name, description, images, links, anything you've written about yourself elsewhere. Pull it into one place and reuse it.

2. Build your desktop

Add your key apps: blog, chat, a folder, external link shortcuts, maybe an admin group. Put an image or gif on every app so the desktop reads visually instead of as a list of words.

Tip: No brand icons of your own? Use our premade set, or Pinterest is a good source for these.

3. Structure the inside

For groups, add apps to the group desktop. Add topics to your chat and blog.

Tip: Start small. A general or introductions topic, plus one or two others. DFOS is modular, so topics can merge and move between apps later. Nothing you pick now is permanent.

4. Bring your admins in first

Invite one or two people, have everyone introduce themselves, post resources, populate the space before anyone else arrives. Remember to make them admins in the Members app.

Tip: Add a shortcut to a welcome post on the desktop. The welcome post should say what happens in this space and what people should do first.

5. Set the rhythm before people arrive

Decide what brings people back: one or two recurring events, weekly, biweekly or monthly. Meetings, check-ins, a standing post. Put them in the Calendar app so they're already there when people show up looking for a reason to return. Turn on your Front page if you want your space to be public.

Tip: Pick something you can actually keep up. A monthly call you never miss builds more trust than a weekly one you quietly drop after three weeks. And it doesn't have to be live. A recurring post on the same day each week counts as a rhythm.

6. Invite your people

Make an announcement. This isn't one size fits all. Some of you have a small team in a WhatsApp group, others need a formal email out to a list.

Tip: Worried about migration? Start small. Announce one meeting, one action item, or one part of your community moving over. A monthly call is enough to begin with.