Setting Up a Private Community with Squarespace + Circle

[@SEWebDesign]

I have changed my process from the embedding you see here. Please watch the update video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d36TomZmlrSqlcksi=qvnuzR0tSnjAy0gO

[@sfphotogirl]

This is awesome! I hope to see more member communities on businesses' websites instead of on social media in the future!

[@SEWebDesign]

Thanks Heather! More Circle community content coming soon. It has been really interesting figuring out the best way to set it up!

[@SquareWebsites]

One of the biggest features missing from SS. Nice overview.

[@SEWebDesign]

Thank you!

[@hmg7871]

Excellent community engagement option, Chris! Greatly appreciate your thourough explanation of best tracks for SS adjunct integrations. I'm going to watch this 3x! Thank you!

[@SEWebDesign]

Great to hear! No problem!

[@SEWebDesign]

Google has announced they will be eliminating 3rd party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2024 which are required for embedding the community inside of Squarespace. I am super bummed about this because it was an awesome solution and am now looking into the best alternative ways to make the communities feel seamless. EDIT: See my new pinned comment for the solution - setting up a sub domain

[@AnneandSteve]

That is truly a bummer because your video was very exciting and inspiring at the possibility. Would love to hear what you discover for a solution. ~Anne

[@brookep4164]

@SEWebDesign would love to know the best alternatives you discover. Do you think it's possible to completely code your own forum to set up in SquareSpace? Or is it all moot once the third-party extension is disabled in Chrome?

[@SEWebDesign]

@@AnneandStevesee my new pinned comment! If you set up a sub domain for your community then it works again!

[@SEWebDesign]

⁠@@brookep4164I don’t think coding your own is feasible. But check out my new pinned comment. You can embed it if you set up a sub domain! Just heard back from support today.

[@brookep4164]

​@SEWebDesign interesting that a subdomian would circumvent the cookies...will uou be making a video on this? Would love a deeper explanation for squarespace! 😅 thanks so much

[@abbyleighton.studio]

omg this is amazing and so timely because I am trying to do the exact same thing right now. Thank you!

[@SEWebDesign]

No problem! I have a full circle tutorial coming out at the end of the month

[@SEWebDesign]

Update on embedding: if you set up a sub domain for your community then the embedding works again even if 3rd party cookies are disabled! For example: community.example.com

[@monasheealonso6227]

I'm curious how you onboard clients without them signing up off of your website. I tried embedding the sign up link and it didn't seem to work, so I think the only option is to send them a link via email, which will then open up outside the website. Are you doing a redirect? I just want to easily get them back on my website. Thanks so much, this video was really helpful.

[@SEWebDesign]

@@monasheealonso6227 I’m emailing the link so the sign-up happens off my website. I’m not sure if there is a way to make the sign up happen on the website as well, let me think about that one.

[@brookep4164]

@SEWebDesign would you recommend setting up a forum subdomain under a 301 redirect or a 302? I've never set up a subdomain before but it seems like 301 would be the right way?

[@victoriamoser]

Is the sub domain created on Squarespace and added to Circle or the other way around?

[@SEWebDesign]

@@victoriamoser the records are added wherever your domain DNS settings are updated. For me that is Squarespace: here is the guide: help.circle.so/p/administration/custom-domains/set-up-a-custom-subdomain I have since found that keeping the two separate is actually easier than embedding though since all of the email notifications take people to the not-embedded version of the community.

[@MrSoloDev]

It's not clear how login information is passed from Squarespace to your embedded Circle site.

[@SEWebDesign]

It isn’t passed to the circle community. Users need two logins, I was encouraging them to make the login the same for both. I have since found that not mending the community is actually easier to manage than embedding it.

[@DJTheBoss]

you da man! good looking out boss!

[@asiamdav]

Can you do a review on Squarespace member areas and courses? I’d love to know your thoughts on those.

[@SEWebDesign]

Absolutely! I am loving both!

[@MassiveIron]

Excellent content

[@SEWebDesign]

Thank you!

[@DFWRunningTalk]

Impressive. Love the video!

[@johnvoirol1637]

Hey great vid! May I ask which camera you are using to record? Love the slightly blurred background.

[@SEWebDesign]

Sony a6400 with sigma 16mm lens

[@sacredbloomalchemy]

Well I am looking to do this so this is very useful

[@taylorelmer1240]

Hey man first off thanks for the video extremely helpful! I followed the instructions and it worked but I ran into an issue… Once integrated into the site the login does not seem to work through my Squarespace site only through the circle community’s url. It acts like the login was successful and redirects but no member can actually sign in and use the feed. Is this the cookie issues or something else? Any help would be massively appreciated! Thanks again

[@SEWebDesign]

Yeah that’s the thing I mentioned about needing a sub domain in order to embed the community. What I have found since making this video though is that it is actually easier to manage when it isn’t embedded. The reason being people will get emails when they are dm’d or when someone replies to their comment or with the weekly roundup, and when they click on the email to go to the community there is no way to take them to the embedded version of the community. So then they end up with two different community experiences: one where they access it embedded and one where they access it outside. For that reason I have found it is easier to keep it outside and not embed it.

[@TainaErlend]

Really good video, thank you so much! 😊

[@chronograph750]

Hey, does the embed feature work with wordpress?

[@SEWebDesign]

I am not sure because I have only used it with Squarespace. I have actually gone away embedding now though since any emails take people directly to the community link and not to the embedded site which results in sort of a disjointed experience. So it turned out to be better not to embed it.

[@ecommrevolution]

You didn't consider Skool? I'm 98% in on Circle, but Skool's simplicity keeps getting my attention.

[@SEWebDesign]

It wasn’t as big so it never really was a consideration at the time. I’ve heard it’s big on gamification but for me I like the simplicity of Circle. So many different options you can do with just a few “ingredients” per say

[@islasierraco]

can you still do this if you want to host your course inside of circle?

[@SEWebDesign]

After having worked with circle for a while now, I think it is generally better to keep them separate rather than trying to embed the community in Squarespace. So yes you can host your course inside of circle and take payment through circle and just link to the community from your website.

[@islasierraco]

@@SEWebDesign awesome thanks!!! what email marketing do you recommend for this process? do you have a yt video by any chance?

[@SEWebDesign]

@@islasierraco I don’t have any videos beyond what is mentioned here, but I use and love ConvertKit so that is what I would recommend

[@ellepatton]

I thought sqaurespace just introduced their own community?

[@SEWebDesign]

They have member areas which means people have to pay in order to access content, but that is just gating regular pages. There is no way to create posts or anything actually community related which is why it requires a 3rd party software

[@mdnahidseo]

Do u need a professional KZbin thumbnail designer?

[@SEWebDesign]

At this time I am content to do them myself but thank you for the offer!