ArtHelper Community

# ArtHelper Community — What It Is, How to Join, and What's NewThe ArtHelper Community is where artists gather to show work, get feedback, learn from each other, and make friends. It's built into ArtHelper — no separate app, no extra login.## What you'll find in the Community- **Public communities** — open groups organized around themes like watercolor, abstract, photography, printmaking, or business tips. Anyone can join. - **Private communities** — invite-only groups for classes, collectives, mentorship circles, or close colleagues. - **The main feed** — a rolling stream of posts from artists you follow, communities you've joined, and trending work from across ArtHelper. - **Direct messages** — one-on-one or group chats with artists you're connected to. - **Contests and prompts** — see [www.arthelper.com/contests](https://www.arthelper.com/contests) for what's running now. - **The Human-Made Art Society** — one of the most active spaces on ArtHelper, built around hand-made creative work. - **The Reputation Leaderboard** — a public ranking of the most active, helpful, and engaged artists on ArtHelper (see below). - **First-class search** — a new search experience that helps you find people and communities quickly. Start typing in the search bar at the top of Community or Town Square, and you'll see instant suggestions for artists and communities across ArtHelper. Search now handles full names, is case-insensitive, and shows paginated results so you can browse through more matches easily.## Greatest Hits — curated standout posts from your community's historyWhen you open a community feed, you'll often see a **Greatest Hits** section at the very top, before the trending posts. This is a curated selection of standout posts from that community's archive — conversations, artwork shares, and discussions that were especially popular, helpful, or inspiring when they were first posted.**How Greatest Hits works:**- **It appears at the top of the community feed** — you'll see it immediately when you visit a community, above the trending posts. - **It's personalized** — ArtHelper only shows you posts you haven't engaged with yet. If you've already liked, commented on, or read a post, it won't appear in your Greatest Hits section. - **It refreshes as you read** — as you interact with posts in the Greatest Hits section, new ones will surface to replace them. This means you're always discovering fresh highlights from the community's history. - **It helps you catch up on what you missed** — if you're new to a community or haven't visited in a while, Greatest Hits gives you a quick way to see some of the best conversations and work from before you joined.**Why this matters:**Great posts don't disappear after a few days — they stay valuable. Greatest Hits surfaces those evergreen conversations and standout artwork shares so newer members can discover them and long-time members can revisit gems they might have missed the first time around.You don't need to do anything to see Greatest Hits — it's built into the community feed experience and updates automatically based on what you've already seen.## The Arty panel — your AI community assistantStarting with this release, you'll see an **Arty** panel in the Community area — an AI assistant designed to help you with community tasks. Arty appears in the Community section and is available to all ArtHelper members.**What Arty can help with:**- **Answering questions about the community** — if you're not sure how something works, where to find a feature, or what a community rule means, ask Arty. - **Suggesting posts to read** — Arty can recommend discussions, threads, or artists based on your interests and what's happening in the communities you've joined. - **Helping you write a post or comment** — if you're stuck on how to phrase feedback, start a discussion, or respond to another artist, Arty can draft suggestions or help you refine your wording.**Where to find it:**The Arty panel is available in the Community area. Look for the Arty button or icon — tapping it will open the assistant panel where you can type your question or request.**A few things to know:**- Arty is frontend-only for now — it's a helper tool built into the Community interface, not a separate chatbot or account. - You can dismiss or close the panel at any time; it won't interrupt your browsing. - Arty's suggestions are AI-generated, so always review and edit any text it provides before posting — your voice should stay yours.Think of Arty as a quiet helper in the background, ready when you need a hand navigating the community or getting unstuck on a post.## How to join a community1. Tap **Community** in the main navigation. 2. Tap **Discover Communities** at the top of the screen. 3. Browse the list or use the search bar to find a group that fits your work. 4. Tap **Join** on any public community. You're in immediately. 5. For private communities, tap **Request to Join**. The community admin will approve or decline your request.Once you've joined, that community's posts will appear in your main feed.## Creating your own communityAny ArtHelper member can start a community around any creative topic — a technique, a medium, a niche, or a local scene. You're the moderator: you set the rules, manage members, and shape the conversation.1. Go to [www.arthelper.com/community](https://www.arthelper.com/community). 2. Click **Create Community**. 3. **Pick a category** for your community (e.g., Photography, Painting, Business) and click **Next**. 4. **Choose a community type**: - **Public** — anyone can view and contribute. Best for open topics and growing an audience. - **Restricted** — anyone can view, but only approved members can contribute. Best for curated discussions. - **Private** — only approved members can view and contribute. Best for collaborations, local clubs, or paid classes. 5. Click **Next**. 6. **Name your community** (up to 100 characters). The community URL will be auto-suggested from the name — you can edit it. URLs use letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. 7. Add a short **description** (optional, up to 500 characters) so people know what the community is about. 8. Click **Create Community**.You'll land directly on your new community's page, where you can add an avatar, banner, rules, bookmarks, and invite the first members from the **Community Settings** menu.## Inviting other moderatorsRunning a community is more fun with help. Once your community is live, you can add other ArtHelper members as moderators or admins.1. Open your community on [www.arthelper.com/community](https://www.arthelper.com/community). 2. Click **Community Settings** in the sidebar. 3. Open the **Member Roles** tab. 4. Find the member you want to promote and click **Change Role** → pick **Moderator** or **Admin**.## The tabbed community page and Guild activity feedEach community (also called a Guild) now has a **single tabbed page** that brings all the important information and activity into one place. Instead of navigating between separate pages, you'll see everything on a single screen with tabs at the top.**What you'll find on the tabbed Guild page:**- **Feed tab** — the main community feed showing posts from members, pinned announcements, and Greatest Hits. - **About tab** — community description, rules, moderators, and member count. - **Members tab** — the full list of community members. - **Activity tab** — the new **Guild activity feed** showing recent actions and engagement across the community (see below).**What is the Guild activity feed?**The **Activity tab** shows a real-time stream of what's happening in the community — recent posts, comments, new members joining, and other engagement signals. This feed helps you see at a glance how active the community is and what members are talking about right now.**What appears in the Guild activity feed:**- New posts published in the community - Recent comments on community posts - New members joining the community - Posts that are getting a lot of engagement (likes, comments, shares)The activity feed updates automatically, so you'll always see the freshest snapshot of community activity.**Where to find it:**1. Open any community (Guild) page. 2. Look for the tab row at the top of the page. 3. Tap the **Activity** tab.You'll see a chronological list of recent actions in the community. This is especially useful for moderators and admins who want to monitor engagement, or for members who want to catch up quickly on what's been happening since their last visit.**Why this matters:**The Guild activity feed gives you a birds-eye view of community health and momentum. Instead of scrolling through the main feed to see if a community is active, you can check the Activity tab and immediately see how much conversation, posting, and engagement is happening. For community leaders, it's a quick way to spot trending discussions or see when new members arrive. For regular members, it's a fast way to find the most active threads.## Filtering the community feed — Following vs TrendingThe community feed now gives you two main ways to filter what you see, accessible via tabs at the top of your feed:- **Following** — shows posts only from artists you follow or are connected to, plus the communities you've joined. This is your personalized feed of people and groups you've chosen to keep up with. - **Trending** — shows popular posts from across all of ArtHelper, regardless of whether you follow the poster. This tab surfaces work that's getting a lot of engagement right now, helping you discover new artists and communities beyond your existing network.You'll see these two tabs in a tab row at the top of the community feed. Whichever filter you pick will persist as you browse — ArtHelper remembers your choice and keeps you in that view until you switch tabs again.**Why this matters:**- **Following** keeps you close to your creative circle — the artists and communities you've deliberately chosen to follow. - **Trending** opens the door to serendipity — it's where you'll find breakout work, emerging artists, and conversations you might have missed otherwise.Switch between the two tabs whenever you want a different perspective on what's happening in the community.## New posts appear instantly — no refresh neededWhen you're browsing a community feed, new posts appear in real time. If someone publishes a post while you're reading the feed, you'll see a banner at the top of the screen letting you know there's new content. Just tap the banner to load the latest posts without refreshing the page — it's instant and keeps you in the conversation as it unfolds.## What kinds of posts you can make in a communityWhen you create a new post in a community, you'll see a post-type picker with several options to choose from. Each type helps you frame your contribution and set the right expectations for other members:- **General discussion** — for open-ended conversations, questions, or sharing thoughts. - **Artwork share** — for showing your work and getting feedback or appreciation. - **Pricing Feedback** — for asking what to charge for a piece or service. Use this when you're unsure about your rates or want input on how to price a commission, print, or creative service. - **Rate My Art** — for critique requests. Use this when you want honest, constructive feedback on a piece — whether it's a work-in-progress or a finished piece you're looking to improve. - **Contest entry** — for submitting work to a community contest or challenge. - **Event announcement** — for sharing details about an upcoming show, workshop, or meetup.The post-type picker appears at the top of the new-post form. Choosing the right type helps other artists know how to respond and makes your post easier to find later.## How the Reputation Leaderboard worksThe **Reputation Leaderboard** is a public ranking of the artists who are most active and helpful in the ArtHelper Community. It updates in real time based on:- Posts you publish - Comments you leave on other artists' work - Likes you give - How often other artists engage with your posts**Where to find it:**1. Tap **Community** in the main navigation. 2. Tap **Leaderboard** at the top of the screen (next to Discover Communities).You'll see the top 100 artists, sorted by reputation score. Your own rank appears at the top of the page if you're in the top 100, or at the bottom if you're not yet ranked.**Why it matters:**The leaderboard helps new artists find the most active voices in the community — the artists who are generous with feedback, post regularly, and show up for others. It's not a measure of how good your art is; it's a measure of how much you participate.**How to move up:**- Post your work regularly - Comment thoughtfully on other artists' posts - Like work that resonates with you - Join communities and participate in discussionsThe score updates every few minutes, so you'll see movement as you engage.**A note about reputation in notifications:**When someone upvotes your post or comment, you'll now see your current reputation score in the notification email and in your inbox, so you can track how your community engagement is building your reputation in real time.## Newcomer bounties and quests — complete the wizard firstArtHelper offers **newcomer bounties** and **quests** to help new artists get started in the community and earn their first reputation points. These are small tasks like making your first post, leaving your first comment, or joining a community.**Important:** Newcomer bounties and quests only count for artists who have **completed the onboarding wizard** — the setup flow you see when you first sign up for ArtHelper. If you create an account but don't finish the wizard, you won't see bounty progress or earn reputation from these early tasks.**Why this matters:**The onboarding wizard helps you set up your profile, choose your interests, and understand how ArtHelper works. Completing it ensures you're ready to participate fully in the community, so the newcomer tasks you complete will count toward your reputation and progress.**How to complete the wizard:**If you haven't finished the onboarding wizard yet, you'll see prompts to complete it when you log in. Just follow the steps — it only takes a few minutes — and once you're done, you'll be eligible for newcomer bounties and quests.## Welcoming new members with the Welcome buttonWhen a new artist makes their very first post in a community, you'll see a **Welcome** button on their post — both on the community post page and in the post overlay. This button lets you greet them warmly and help them feel at home in the community.**Where you'll see the Welcome button:**- On the post page when you open a post by a brand-new community member - In the post overlay when viewing a newcomer's post in the feed**When the Welcome button appears:**The Welcome button only appears on posts made by artists who are brand new to the community — specifically, artists making their first post in that community. Once they've been welcomed or made additional posts, the button will no longer appear.**How to welcome a new member:**1. Open a post by a new community member (you'll see the Welcome button if they're making their first post). 2. Tap the **Welcome** button. 3. ArtHelper will help you compose a friendly greeting — you can personalize it or send it as-is.**Why this matters:**A warm welcome makes new members feel seen and valued, especially when they're taking the brave step of sharing their work for the first time. When you welcome someone, you're helping build the kind of community where artists feel safe to post, ask questions, and grow.**Note:** ArtHelper also greets returning members differently on the Welcome Wizard intro screen when they rejoin or revisit the platform after time away — so both brand-new artists and returning members get a tailored greeting experience.## Pinning posts and making announcementsCommunity admins and moderators can now **pin posts** to keep important content at the top of the community feed, and can mark pinned posts as **announcements** to give them extra visibility.**What pinned posts are:**A pinned post stays at the very top of a community feed so members see it first, no matter how many new posts are published. This is useful for welcome threads, community rules, contest details, event reminders, or any post you want members to see when they visit the feed.**Who can pin a post:**Only community admins and moderators can pin posts in the communities they manage. Regular members cannot pin posts.**How to pin a post:**1. Open the post you want to pin in the community feed. 2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the post. 3. Select **Pin post** from the menu.The post will immediately move to the top of the feed and stay there until you unpin it. You can have multiple pinned posts in a community — they'll stack at the top in the order they were pinned.**What announcements are:**An announcement is a pinned post with a special visual badge that makes it stand out even more. When you mark a pinned post as an announcement, it gets an **Announcement** label so members know it's something especially important — like a rule change, a community event, or a time-sensitive update.**How to mark a pinned post as an announcement:**1. Pin the post first (following the steps above). 2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) on the pinned post. 3. Select **Mark as announcement** from the menu.The post will now display with an announcement badge at the top of the feed.**How to unpin or remove the announcement badge:**To unpin a post or remove the announcement badge:1. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) on the pinned post. 2. Select **Unpin post** to remove the pin entirely, or **Remove announcement** to keep the post pinned but remove the announcement badge.**Why this matters:**Pinning and announcements help community leaders highlight the most important information for their members — whether that's onboarding new artists, promoting an event, or sharing a critical update. Members always know where to look for the latest community news.## Discovering artists with Suggested ConnectionsThe Town Square sidebar now shows **Suggested Connections** — a personalized list of artists ArtHelper thinks you'd connect well with based on your work, the communities you've joined, and who you already follow. These suggestions update regularly and clicking any artist takes you to their profile where you can send a connection request or follow them.This helps you grow your network with artists whose work and interests align with yours.## What the Join button looks like nowWhen you land on a community's page, the **Join** button is now larger, bolder, and sits at the top of the screen — you can't miss it. This makes it faster to join a group you've just discovered.If you've already joined, the button will say **Joined** instead, and tapping it again will leave the community.## Platform-authored tips and announcements in your feedAs you scroll through your community feed, you may occasionally see cards from the ArtHelper team — helpful tips, product updates, community highlights, or celebrations of milestones. These cards look different from regular posts: they have a distinctive ArtHelper branding treatment so you can tell they're from the platform.**What these cards are for:**- Guiding you toward useful features you might have missed - Announcing new tools or improvements - Celebrating community achievements or highlighting inspiring artists - Sharing tips to help you get more out of ArtHelper**A few things to know:**- These cards are curated by the ArtHelper team — they're not AI-generated. - They appear sparingly so they don't crowd out posts from artists you follow. - You can dismiss any platform card you're not interested in by tapping the **×** or **Dismiss** button. - This is a normal part of the community feed experience — you don't need to enable or configure anything.Think of these cards as friendly signposts from the ArtHelper team, designed to help you discover features, stay in the loop, and feel more connected to the wider community.## Tips- **Join a few communities before you create one.** Get a feel for the tone, the post mix, and what your readers want. - **Pin a welcome thread.** A simple "introduce yourself" thread at the top makes new members much more likely to post. - **Use the bookmarks block in the sidebar** to link to your community Discord, a tutorial doc, or external resources.## What should we build next?Tell us in the official feature requests community: [www.arthelper.com/community/townsquarefeaturerequests](https://www.arthelper.com/community/townsquarefeaturerequests). The team reads every post.## Related articles- [Finding and joining communities](https://arthelper.com/help/community/joining-communities) - [Creating and running your own community](https://arthelper.com/help/community/creating-a-community) - [ArtHelper Community Standards](https://arthelper.com/help/community/community-standards) - [Understanding Your Connections, Network, and Messages](https://arthelper.com/help/community/connections-network-messages)