What Are Rafts?

What is a Raft?

A Raft is the main building block of your Raftr community, connecting people based on a common topic, function, team, club, or other group. Rafts can include Events, Posts, messages, as well as offering various customization features and privacy options. Think of Rafts as groups where like-minded individuals can join around something they have in common, like all the residents of the same building, or alumni from a specific class year.  

Raft Features

Content Types

Rafts can include a variety of content types:

• Events
• Posts
• Messages
• Polls
• Announcements 
• Directories
• Checklists
• Virtual Tours
• Guides

Privacy Settings

Rafts offer customized privacy levels, each of which determines how members can interact and join the group.

• Public Rafts ー Public Rafts are visible and discoverable through search, on the Community Hub, and their content is visible to both members and non-members on the Events and Posts feeds. They can be instantly joined through a simple tap of a button. No approval is required for members to join a public Raft.
• Private Rafts ー Private Rafts have setting options that determine whether or not they are discoverable through search or other places on the platform, and whether or not their content is visible to non-members. Regardless of discoverability, approval is required to join a private Raft. A member may request to join, and that request must be approved by a Raft Leader or Co-Leader, or they can be invited by a Raft Leader or Co-leader.
• Secret Rafts ー Secret Rafts are not discoverable through search and the Rafts and their content are hidden from view unless you are invited and join as a member. Members cannot request to join; the only way to join a secret Raft is via an invite from a Raft Leader or Co-Leader.

Exploring and Engaging in Rafts

Take advantage of different ways to explore and engage in Rafts:

Start at the Raft Home Tab

Get acquainted with all the Raft content by starting in the Highlights tab of the Raft menu (the default view). From here, view Posts pinned by the Raft Admins, Events you're interested in, and Posts you've bookmarked.

Discover Upcoming Events 

On the Events page, you can view what new Events are approaching and mark yourself Interested to save it for later, or click Share to spread the word.

View and React to Posts 

Explore the Posts tab in the Raft menu and engage with Posts by writing a comment or liking the Post. You can also reply or like someone’s comment as well. These interactions all get tallied in our algorithm to surface trending content on the Community and Home pages.

Create Content

Creating content is a great way to share Events or your thoughts and ideas. You can personalize and illustrate your Events and Posts with photos, videos, or GIFs. You can also share links to external content by either pasting a link you copied or by clicking Share under the content.

Bookmark Content

Save your favorite Posts or messages for later by bookmarking them. You can use the Bookmark filter on Post feeds and Chat conversations to see a full list of what you've saved.

Send Announcements

Raft Admins can also share Posts and Events as an Announcement to get maximum reach.

Chat & Channels

Chat live with other members of your Raft by selecting the Chat tab in the Raft menu to chat with all members of the Raft, or go to the Channels tab to chat with members of sub-groups you’ve joined. Chat messages can also include emoji, pictures, videos, GIFs, Polls, and Events.