Glossary
Community Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the community, membership, and monetization terms that matter.
Community platform
A community platform is software for building a branded online space where members connect, discuss, learn, attend events, and pay for access — all in one place.
Membership site
A membership site is a website where people pay a recurring fee for access to gated content, a community, courses, or services.
White-label community platform
A white-label community platform lets you run a community fully under your own brand — your domain, logo, colors, and (often) your own mobile app — with no vendor branding.
Paid community
A paid community is an online community that charges members for access, typically via a subscription or one-time fee.
Community monetization
Community monetization is the set of models — memberships, tiered access, courses, events, sponsorships, and services — used to turn an engaged community into revenue.
Cohort-based course
A cohort-based course (CBC) is an online course where a group of learners progresses through the material together on a fixed schedule, usually with live sessions.
Community of practice
A community of practice is a group of people who share a profession or craft and learn from each other by interacting regularly over time.
Online community vs forum
A forum is a discussion-only message board; an online community platform adds events, courses, messaging, payments, and member profiles around that discussion.
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