Community OS
Community OS Glossary
The essential vocabulary of community building — clear definitions for the terms organizers, moderators, and founders use every day.
Why a glossary
Community building has its own language, and the terms are often used loosely. A community OS glossary gives organizers, moderators, and founders shared definitions they can rely on — from the classic concepts like moderation and onboarding to newer ideas like engagement loops and hybrid events.
Core terms
Here are the core terms every organizer, moderator, and founder uses — each one is defined in practice across the Community Building guides:
Community manager
See the guides for how this term is used.
Community OS
See the guides for how this term is used.
Moderation
See the guides for how this term is used.
Onboarding
See the guides for how this term is used.
Activation
See the guides for how this term is used.
Engagement loop
See the guides for how this term is used.
Hybrid events
See the guides for how this term is used.
Co-founder
See the guides for how this term is used.
Go deeper
- Work through the Community Building guides — the step-by-step how-tos behind every term.
- See the concepts in practice: New York City and Berlin city pages.
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