Circles Communities are on-chain communities within the Circles ecosystem that bring people together around shared interests, values, locations, or goals.
Communities are designed to coordinate both social participation and economic activity, allowing members to collaborate, build trust, and participate in shared community economies.
As part of the evolution of the Circles ecosystem, Groups are being renamed to Communities, with a new system for discovering, joining, and participating in communities being introduced.
How Do Circles Communities Work?
Each community is an independent on-chain network with its own members, objectives, and economic activity.
Communities may be centred around:
Geographic regions
Shared interests or causes
Professional networks
Local organisations
Social initiatives
Community projects
Members can participate in community activities, contribute to shared goals, and engage in community-driven economic systems. Many communities may also utilise gCRC to coordinate value, rewards, and participation among members.
Membership in Communities
Communities are built around real on-chain membership. Membership is recorded on-chain rather than being represented only through the user interface.
As the new community system develops:
Users will no longer need to select a single primary community.
The concept of a "Supporter" will be removed.
Communities and members will be the only membership roles.
Users will eventually be able to join multiple communities simultaneously.
Joining a community may involve paying a community-defined membership fee.
This creates a more flexible and transparent membership model while ensuring that community participation is verifiable on-chain.
What role does gCRC play into that?
Many communities may use gCRC as a shared community currency.
gCRC can help communities:
Facilitate transactions between members
Reward participation and contribution
Coordinate community incentives
Support local economic activity
As communities grow, gCRC can become an important tool for strengthening economic coordination within the community.
How Is Membership Managed?
Each community defines its own membership requirements and participation rules.
Requirements may include:
Open enrollment
Invitations or approvals
Membership fees
Community contributions
Reputation requirements
Identity verification
This flexibility allows communities to create structures that align with their goals and values.
Why do Circles Communities matter?
Circles Communities provide a framework for building coordinated networks that combine participation, trust, and economic activity.
They enable communities to:
Build stronger trust relationships
Coordinate resources and participation
Reward contributions
Create community-specific opportunities
Develop sustainable local economies
Rather than functioning solely as social spaces, communities can evolve into ecosystems where participation creates tangible value for members.
Community Governance
Each community maintains control over its own structure and operations.
Depending on the community, this may include:
Membership policies
Participation requirements
Governance processes
Incentive structures
Community objectives
Membership fees
This allows communities to operate independently while remaining connected to the broader Circles ecosystem.
Key Benefits of Circles Communities
Real On-Chain Membership
Community membership is recorded on-chain, providing transparent and verifiable participation.
Flexible Participation
Users will be able to join multiple communities rather than being limited to a single primary community.
Community Incentives
Communities can reward engagement, contribution, and long-term participation.
Economic Coordination
Members can exchange value, support one another, and participate in community-driven economic activity.
Independent Governance
Each community defines its own rules, membership model, and operating structure.
Key Takeaways
Groups are being renamed to Communities.
The community discovery and membership experience is being rebuilt.
The Supporter role is being removed.
Communities and members will be the primary participation model.
Membership is real, verifiable, and recorded on-chain.
Users will eventually be able to join multiple communities.
Communities may define their own membership fees, governance models, and participation requirements.
Communities are designed to coordinate both social participation and economic activity.
The long-term vision is to create communities that are not only places for connection, but also on-chain networks where members can collaborate, contribute, and build value together.