Welcome! This checklist will walk you through setting up your PhotoCircle Workspace step by step. We recommend completing the steps in order, since some build on earlier ones.

Who is this for? This guide is for Workspace Owners and Admins. Most settings can only be changed by the Workspace Owner. By default, your Workspace Owner will be the person whose email address purchased your subscription. If you need to change this or add an additional owner, please email [email protected]

How long will this take? Most organizations complete the checklist in about 30 minutes. Items requiring PhotoCircle staff configuration are usually completed in 1-2 business days.

Where do I do all of this? All steps are completed in the PhotoCircle Admin Console. To get there from PhotoCircle for Web, click the PhotoCircle dropdown (upper left corner) and select Workspace Management.

💡 Tip: Bookmark the Admin Console link so you can get back to it quickly.

1. Create Groups

Groups provide structure to your account. They help you organize your Circles and control which teachers and staff members have access to which content by default. For School Core plan subscribers, many settings (such as branding) can also be specified per Group.

Groups serve two purposes:

• Organization: Keep related Circles together so they're easy to find.
• Access control: Decide which teachers can see and interact with which Circles.

Understanding the Root Group

Every Workspace must have a Root Group. Think of it as the top-level container that all other Groups live under — any user assigned to the Root Group can access all Circles by default. For this reason, we recommend only assigning administrators to the Root Group to help maintain student privacy.

We recommend structuring your Groups as follows:

• Root Group — Admins only. This gives access to all Circles across your Workspace.
• Second-level Groups — Create one for each grade level, after-school activity, and school-wide event (e.g., field day, holiday concerts). Assign teachers and staff to the Group most appropriate for their role.
• Child Groups (optional) — Within each second-level Group, you can create additional sub-Groups to organize by section, classroom, or activity type.

Example Group Configuration

→ For a walk through, see our full guide: Creating and Managing Groups