One of the great things about Skool is that Sam Ovens listens when people ask questions or make feature requests inside the Skoolers community. Some questions that came up were: How do I get notified when someone posts in my community? How do I get a notification when a new member requests to join? These were common questions because most owners want to respond quickly and keep engagement moving. Until now there was no way to turn those alerts on. Skool listened and built the solution. You now have them in your notification controls. They are turned off by default. If you want alerts, you can turn them on manually. Here is how to update your notification settings: Click on your profile photo. - Desktop will show you the user menu drop down - Mobile you will have to click the 3 dots in the top right to get to the user menu drop down On the user menu drop down, click Settings. Then click on Notifications. - Desktop it will have tabs on the side and you see "Notifications" there - Mobile you will need to slide it to see "Notifications" Then expand the notification settings for the community you want to change. Click either On or Off for what you want to be notified on. You can turn on notifications for: • Admin announcements • Event reminder email • New customer email • Membership requests • Reported content • New Post This puts you in control of what you stay updated on. Faster approvals. Better responsiveness. A smoother community experience for everyone. Which notification are you turning on first now that the option is finally here?

EDIT: To honor the privacy of everyone, I'm cleaning the community up first. It takes a bit of time to do so, but I'm about 1/2 way there. I want to give everyone plenty of time and transparency around an upcoming change. Starting December 1, this group will shift to a public setting. This means anything posted inside will be viewable to anyone, so please take time now to remove or edit anything you would not want visible publicly. This is also your chance to post about your community while I still have posting open for members. After December 1, only commenting will be available. There may be a name change as well. Still undecided on that. If being part of a public space no longer feels aligned for you, this also gives you time to leave without pressure. No hard feelings whatsoever. This decision connects directly to how I recommend using Skool. A free public community supports SEO and AI discoverability, which helps the right people find practical guidance when they need it most. From there, they can choose to go deeper through paid or tiered communities. What you will continue to see here is focused, practical content that breaks down Skool features, community building strategies, announcements, and new updates in a way that supports you in making smarter decisions for your own community. The goal is for you to clearly understand what to do and why it matters for your growth and visibility. There will also be special things I do here for my paid members (yes, there is a paid community, but that is getting some changes as well.. which is why it's hidden from my profile til changes are made), such as featuring their communities under specific circumstances, while still keeping this space valuable and educational for everyone. Why now? Things shifted when I became a Skoolers moderator. My goal is to make learning more open and more accessible so more people can build stronger communities, avoid common missteps, and feel more confident navigating this platform.

I’ve only been officially moderating Skoolers for less than two weeks, but stepping into it felt easy because I was already showing up and helping in the ways that mattered. I’ve moderated large groups before, but Skoolers has its own rhythm. It’s more relaxed. You still get fluff, spam, and people who don’t fully get how the space works, but overall, it’s solid. Even during a holiday weekend and regular life stuff, it’s stayed manageable. These five things are what make that possible, and I wanted to share them in case it helps with your own community or one you're helping with. Here’s what’s worked for me so far: 𝟏. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 I keep mine saved in a note on both my phone and computer so I can respond fast from anywhere. A few examples: • This post was removed because it wasn’t directly related to the focus of the Skoolers community. • This post was removed because self-promotion isn’t allowed in Skoolers. • This post was removed because it was self-promotional and not directly related to the focus of the Skoolers community. If it needs more context, I’ll add it. Keeping it short and neutral usually avoids confusion. The system sends it automatically, so there’s no back and forth, but I do sometimes get separate messages from repeat posters. Any time I remove a post, I screenshot it and save it in a folder. It’s never a he said she said thing for me. I keep receipts. 𝟐. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 If it’s obviously off, I delete it. If it’s borderline, I report it and check with someone else. If two people agree, it goes. Keeps moderation consistent and fair. I find I do this especially when it’s someone well known within Skool. Why? Because those people are already connected to leadership. Sometimes a message from them carries more weight, or it’s something that’s better handled from that level. 𝟑. 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 I sort posts by new, then go back to the most recent post I’ve already seen and do a sweep. I check first thing in the morning, a few times throughout the day, and even if I wake up at night. It only takes a few minutes, and doing it consistently keeps the space clean for everyone no matter what time zone they’re in.

Andrew Kirby shared a little-known Skool trick that almost nobody knew. At first, it was just him, Sam, and a couple of engineers who knew this even existed. When you post a YouTube video inside Skool, people can watch it, but those views won’t show up on your YouTube channel. You’re getting watch time inside Skool, but YouTube isn’t tracking it. Here’s how to fix it: - If your link is youtube.com, add &views to the end. - If your link is youtu.be, add ?views to the end. Now every view inside Skool will count toward your YouTube views. Andrew uses this for every Skool News episode. I tested it with my own videos too. It works. You can even add this to old posts you've created. Just edit the post, delete the old link, and add the new one with the &views or ?views to start making them count. Most people have no idea this exists. Now you do. There’s no CTA to subscribe, like, or join a community in the video, so you can feel free to share this information with others! :)

Most people fail when they go all in on Skool, and they do not even realize why. After talking with multiple people who are "all in" or running Skool communities full-time, I have noticed a pattern among those who continue to succeed and those who do not. You need systems. If you do not have structure, you will always be reacting instead of growing. Chaos does not scale. You need more than enough. Once you hit a number that gives you a little breathing room, keep going. Stopping too soon keeps you trapped in survival mode. Every lost client feels like an emergency. You need enough stability that losing two or three clients does not send you into panic mode, tensing your shoulders and clenching your jaw thinking, I need to do something ASAP. You lose momentum because you think comfort means security. It does not. That desperation is a business killer. It clouds your judgment. It makes you take on the wrong clients. Worst of all, it repels the right ones. People can sense when you are operating from scarcity. Instead of bringing in the right fit, you chase anyone willing to say yes. And that only makes the cycle worse. Do not sit there watching the clients or opportunities you still have, waiting for signs they might disappear too. That mindset will sink you faster than losing a few deals. Instead, use the gaps to go harder on outreach and nurturing. Waiting is not the answer. Bringing in more people is. And when you do, aim higher. Whether you own a community or support one, you have to think bigger. Entrepreneurs pay their own retirement, health care, and everything else. If you are not setting yourself up for stability now, you are setting yourself up for stress later. If you are there right now, know this is not a callout. This is a wake-up call. This applies to both community owners and supportive roles. Do not get complacent. Be honest. Have you ever let things slip and paid for it? What did it cost you? What did you do next? 👇 If you have ever been here, share your experience. Someone reading this might need that lesson today.