About
How to use KnowQR
A practical guide to finding groups, understanding facets, choosing the right main topic, creating communities, using chat, and managing notifications.
KnowQR is designed to help people find and create groups that genuinely fit them. Some groups may be light and social. Others may be more private, reflective, practical, or focused on learning, support, or growth.
This page explains the main parts of the app and gives guidance on how to choose topics, facets, descriptions, and group rules so that people can find the right communities more easily.
Finding groups
You can search for groups by using the search and filter options. Groups can be found by things such as values, interests, humour, traits, language, location, online format, and other group details.
The aim is to help you find communities that are a better fit, rather than simply showing a long list of unrelated groups.
Understanding facets
Facets are filters that help you narrow your search. For example, instead of only searching for a word, you can refine results by the type of group, location, language, values, interests, traits, humour, or other details that matter to you.
Facets are useful because people are complex. A group may be a good match not because of one single label, but because several things fit together.
Think of the main topic as the community's anchor, and facets as the lenses that explain the particular angle of the group.
Choosing the main topic and facets
When creating a group, choose the main topic by asking: what is the group mainly rooted in? The main topic should usually be the activity, community, interest, identity, place, or shared context that brings people together.
Facets should describe the group's angle, purpose, tone, values, concerns, or special focus. They help people find a more precise fit without replacing the main topic.
A simple test is: if you removed one idea, would the group still make sense? If the group would not make sense without a particular activity or community, that is probably the main topic. The other idea is probably a facet, purpose, or description.
For example, a group about respectful behaviour in tango should usually use Tango as the main topic, because the group only makes sense inside the tango context. The safety, respect, boundaries, consent, or behavioural-patterns angle should be added as facets and explained in the description.
| Group idea | Better main topic | Better facets or description |
|---|---|---|
| Discussing uncomfortable behaviour in tango | Tango | Community Safety, Respectful Behaviour, Boundaries, Behavioural Patterns |
| A hiking group for beginners | Hiking | Beginner Friendly, Outdoors, Fitness, Social |
| A chess group for people who like quiet focus | Chess | Quiet, Focused, Strategy, Introvert Friendly |
| Parents discussing school travel safety | Parenting or the school/community space | Child Safety, Local Community, Transport, Practical Support |
Behaviour, safety, and sensitive group topics
Some groups may want to discuss behaviour, safety, boundaries, consent, conflict, or community culture. These can be important topics, but group owners should choose neutral and constructive labels where possible.
Instead of creating a group around a negative label such as “bad behaviour” or “misbehaviour,” it is usually better to choose the relevant main topic, such as Tango, and then use neutral facets such as Behavioural Patterns, Community Safety, Respectful Behaviour, Boundaries, or Support.
The group description and rules can then explain the specific focus. For example: “A private support space for discussing tango community safety, boundaries, respectful behaviour, and how to handle uncomfortable experiences.”
Sensitive groups should not be used for public accusations against identifiable private people. Group owners should make clear whether the group is for support, advice, education, event culture, reporting guidance, or community improvement.
Creating and sharing groups
If you create a group, describe who the group is for, what it is about, and what kind of people may feel at home there. A clear description helps the right people join and helps the wrong people understand that the group is not for them.
A good group page usually includes the main topic, the purpose, who it is for, what members can expect, any important boundaries, and the tone of the group.
Group owners can also share links to their groups on social media or other websites. This allows a group to be advertised publicly while still allowing members to join and participate pseudonymously inside KnowQR.
This can be useful if you want to attract people around a topic, interest, value, activity, event, or private discussion without forcing people to expose their full identity immediately.
Writing a good group description
Your description should explain the group in plain language. Try to answer: What is this group about? Who is it for? What kind of discussion is welcome? What is not welcome?
For sensitive topics, avoid wording that sounds like the group exists to name, shame, expose, or punish people. Use wording that focuses on support, learning, safety, boundaries, respectful behaviour, and community improvement.
Example: “A private support and discussion group for people who want safer, more respectful tango spaces. Members can discuss boundaries, consent, event culture, and how to handle uncomfortable situations. This group is not for public accusations against identifiable private people.”
Spaces, groups, and sub-groups
A space is a larger area where groups can belong. For example, a space could be connected to a school, workplace, organisation, club, location, or community.
A group is a specific community or discussion area. A sub-group is a smaller group inside a larger group. Sub-groups can be useful when a community grows and people need smaller, more focused places to connect.
Member-only fields
Some group information may be visible only to members. This allows a group owner to keep public information simple, while sharing more detailed or sensitive information only after someone joins the group.
For example, a public page may explain the general purpose of a group, while member-only fields may include meeting details, private links, deeper questions, or internal guidelines.
Chat
KnowQR includes private group chat. Chat is intended to help members communicate, ask questions, share updates, and build trust gradually.
Depending on the group, chat may be used for light conversation, practical coordination, deeper discussion, or support.
Private or pseudonymous chat should still be used responsibly. Do not use chat to defame, threaten, harass, dox, impersonate, shame, intimidate, or make public accusations against identifiable private people.
Encrypted messages
KnowQR is designed so that chat messages are encrypted. The server relays encrypted delivery packages and is not intended to read the contents of private messages.
Messages are stored on your own devices so that you can read them again from that device. This also means that deleting local chat data from a browser or device may remove your local copy of those messages.
Because encrypted messaging limits what the server can see, group owners and app administrators may not be able to verify message contents unless a user reports a problem and provides evidence.
Deleting local messages
If you want to remove local chat data from a device, you may be able to do this from the app if deletion controls are provided, or from your browser's site data settings.
Be careful: deleting local browser data may remove local copies of encrypted messages from that device. It may also affect device registration for chat or notifications.
Broadcast chats and muting
Some groups may have broadcast-style chat or announcements. Broadcast messages can be useful for important updates from a group owner or organiser.
If a chat becomes too active, you may be able to mute notifications for that chat or group. Muting helps you stay in control of attention without necessarily leaving the group.
Push notifications
Push notifications can help you know when something important happens, such as a new chat message or group update. You can enable or disable notifications from your account settings.
On iPhone, web-app notifications usually require an extra step. You may need to:
- Open KnowQR in your browser.
- Tap the Share button.
- Choose Add to Home Screen.
- Open KnowQR from the Home Screen icon.
- Go to Account.
- Open Chat devices & notifications.
- Tap Enable.
You can later manage notifications from your device settings or from KnowQR, depending on your device and browser.
Pseudonymity and abuse
KnowQR is pseudonymous by default. This means people can begin with a chosen name and decide what to reveal as trust develops.
Pseudonymity is not permission to abuse others. If someone behaves abusively, they may be reported to the application owner. Depending on the behaviour, this may lead to warnings, suspension, removal from groups, or removal from the platform.
The purpose of pseudonymity is to support privacy, safety, and gradual trust — not to protect harmful behaviour.
Getting help or giving feedback
If you are logged in, you can use the Contact / FAQ page to send feedback.
Feedback is especially helpful while KnowQR is still developing. You can report confusing wording, suggest improvements, mention bugs, or offer skills that may help the mission.
If the idea behind KnowQR moves you and you would like to support the initiative financially, please visit the Support page.