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For Admins — Setting up a hub

This guide is for hub admins who are configuring a locali hub for the first time. It walks through the key setup steps — from creating the first places to entering required legal information.

Admin area

The admin area is accessible via the Admin link in the main navigation — only visible to users with the Hub Admin role.

Step 1: Create your first places

Places are the heart of a hub. Every place has its own feed, calendar, and member circle.

To create a place:

  1. Go to Admin → Places.
  2. Click Create place (bottom right).
  3. Give it a name (e.g. "Rinklingen") and a slug (e.g. rinklingen — becomes part of the URL).
  4. Choose the join mode: Open, Invite, or Moderated.
  5. Click Create.

Choose the slug carefully

The slug determines the place's URL and cannot be changed after creation.

Details: Manage places · Place settings

Step 2: Add sources

Sources are the channels from which locali automatically imports content — RSS feeds, iCal calendars, municipal bulletins.

  1. Go to Admin → Sources.
  2. Click New source.
  3. Fill in name, URL, area, and trust level.

Keep area names consistent

Always write area names in lowercase without spaces (e.g. bad-schoenborn). This value must be used exactly the same way in routing rules.

Details: Sources

Step 3: Create routing rules

Routing rules determine which content lands in which place. Without rules, imported content is not assigned anywhere.

Simple rule: Area → Place

  1. Go to Admin → Routing Rules → New rule.
  2. Select the target place, set priority to 100.
  3. Condition: Area · Equals · rinklingen.

More complex rule: Keyword overrides area

First create a keyword tag (e.g. "firebrigade") under Admin → Keyword Tags, then create a routing rule with priority 20 and condition Tag · Contains · firebrigade. Since the lower priority number is evaluated first, this content always lands in the right place — regardless of area.

Details: Routing Rules · How-to Guides

Running a public hub requires mandatory legal disclosures. locali provides dedicated fields for these in the admin area.

Go to Admin → Settings and scroll to the three sections:

Mandatory for every publicly accessible information service in Germany:

Field Content
Provider / Operator Name of the organisation or authority
Address Street, postcode, city
Email address Reachable contact address
Phone Optional, recommended
Person responsible (§18 MStV) Name of the person responsible under press law
Additional legal notes Free text (VAT ID, disclaimer, …)

The imprint is publicly visible on the hub's imprint page after saving.

Privacy policy (GDPR Art. 13/14)

Enter the full privacy policy for your hub here — as free text, displayed on the public privacy page.

The policy must contain the mandatory information under GDPR Art. 13/14: - Controller / responsible party - Purpose and legal basis of processing - Retention period - Data subject rights (access, deletion, objection)

Privacy policy generators

Tools such as those provided by data protection authorities can help create a GDPR-compliant policy.

Terms of use

The terms of use form the legal basis for operating the hub — particularly for moderation, suspensions, and disclaimers. Enter them as free text.

Recommendation

Have the terms reviewed by legal counsel if your hub is publicly accessible or has a significant user base.

Details: Hub Settings

Step 5: Set the registration mode

Under Admin → Settings → Registration you determine who can register on your hub:

  • Open — anyone can register
  • Invite code — registration only with a valid invite code
  • Closed — no new registrations

Start with invite-only

For the start, invite mode is recommended — it keeps you in control of who gets access during the alpha phase.