This page is your start-to-finish guide on how to run a successful project on Commonplace. The page is split into sections covering everything from first logging in through to launching your project, analysing your data and closing the loop with respondents.
Each section covers the main steps you'll need to take to build an interesting and engaging project, with lots of useful tips along the way.
You can check out our glossary for definitions of some frequently used terms.
Let's get started!
Once your project has been set up (either by the Commonplace team, or by one of your colleagues) you'll receive an email inviting you to create your account.
Article: How to create your Commonplace account
You will be invited to join a project - accept the invite to create your account and set up a password.
Article: How to log into Commonplace
Once your account has been created, follow these steps to log in.
Now that you're logged in, you can start populating your pages and customising your project to suit your needs. Utilise the following guides to become an edit mode pro! If you'd rather let Commonplace do the hard work, explore our handy site build service.
Article: Introduction to edit mode
Start here for an introduction to the layout and functions of edit mode.
Article: How to edit the home page
Customise the primary landing page to engage visitors effectively.
Article: How to create a tile
Article: Introduction to maps / how to create and edit a map tile
Tiles are customisable pages on your project. They come in two main forms - proposals, which are blank pages, and maps. Proposal tiles are ultra flexible, meaning you can lay out your text, images, documents and survey questions in any way you choose.
Article: How to edit the team page
The Team page lets visitors know who's running the project. For projects involving multiple stakeholders, you can outline the roles and responsibilities of each organisation, as well as including logos and links.
Article: How to edit the timeline page
The Timeline page gives visitors a better understanding of the context behind your project by letting them know what has already happened, what's happening now and what will be happening in the future. Here you can add past, present and planned project milestones.
Article: How to edit the demographics page
The Demographics page allows you to gain a greater understanding of your project's reach by asking for personal information such as postcode, age or ethnicity. Here you can add new questions, either your own or from a list of standardised benchmark questions.
Article: How to edit the preferences page
The preferences page allows users to opt in or out of various contact preferences. Here you can create custom consents, such as allowing users to opt in to a prize draw.
Article: How to customise branding on your project
The branding page allows you to customise the look and feel of your project - tweak the colour palette, logos and fonts to your heart's content.
Once you're happy with your content, prepare to launch your project!
Article: Project launch checklist
Review the pre-launch checklist to make sure your site is in tip-top shape.
After launching, your Commonplace dashboard is your go-to hub for diving into your data. You can slice and dice data using filters, export or embed charts, or export your data for use in external data analysis tools.
Article: Navigating the dashboard
The Commonplace dashboard is home to all your project data. This article contains a guide to the different tabs in the dashboard and what they contain.
Article: How to use charts
Charts allow you to view, export and embed your data in an easy to use, visual format. This article shows you how to pivot and export your charts.
Our best-performing projects don't just have a successful launch - they keep respondents engaged and informed by posting regular news updates and responding to comments.
Article: How to send news updates
Posting news is a great way to keep your users updated.
Article: How to respond to comments
Responding to comments helps to reassure users that their voices are being heard. You can respond to comments either publicly or privately.
Article: Report builder
The report builder allows you to easily share the results of your engagement by embedding live versions of the charts from your dashboard into other pages - either on your Commonplace, or even on external websites.
Now you've mastered the basics, there's plenty more to discover in our help centre. Why not check out our FAQs, or explore handy add-ons such as full platform translation? You can also use the help widget to stay up to date with the latest feature releases and suggest future improvements.
Still unsure about anything? There's lots more information here on the Commonplace Help Centre - alternatively, contact the support team and we'll be happy to help 👋
