Posts bring articles into the places where people catch up, browse a space, and discover work worth opening. Each post gives readers enough context to judge the subject quickly, while the linked article provides the complete reading and discussion experience.
A Deliberate Summary, Not a Clipped Preview
A post is the feed-facing summary of an article. It is not a separate update that an author must keep aligned, and it is not an automatic excerpt taken from the opening paragraph. The author chooses a title and one focused summary that can introduce the work clearly on its own.
This distinction keeps the feed useful. A reader can understand what the article is about before opening it, while the author can reserve the body for detail, evidence, instructions, or a longer argument. Short updates do not need a body at all; their title and summary can carry the complete message.
The summary can take several forms:
An author selects one of these forms for the published summary. The full article can use richer and more varied content without turning its feed card into a miniature article. Authoring and Publishing explains how authors shape the summary and body.
Where Posts Appear
The main feed helps a signed-in reader catch up across the spaces they have joined. It combines published posts from those spaces so readers do not need to open each community separately. When no joined-space scope is available, public posts may also support broader discovery; content from protected areas remains subject to its own access rules.
Other feeds keep discovery closer to the reader's current context:
These views are different routes into the same published work. Opening a post leads to its article rather than creating a second copy of the content.
Reading a Post Card
A post card is designed for quick scanning. It normally identifies the article through its title, owning space, author, publication age, and focused summary. Depending on the content and the reader's permissions, the card can also show a poll, reaction and Award controls, comment counts, or other linked-content counts.
The card keeps the focused summary prominent while article-level responses remain compact.
The space and author labels are useful navigation shortcuts. Follow the space label to continue browsing that community, or the author label to see their profile and published feed. Select the title or card to open the full article.
The article page keeps the summary that introduced the work, then adds any body, embedded media, article index, related material, and focused discussions. This makes the transition from discovery to reading feel continuous. See Reading Articles for the full reading surface.
What Stays Connected
Because the post and article are two views of the same work, readers should not have to reconcile conflicting versions or interaction counts. Visual Space keeps their shared state aligned:
Comments intentionally open in the article context. The feed can show that discussion exists, but the article gives readers the surrounding content needed for a useful response.
Signed-in readers can open the post options with a secondary click or a long press, then add or remove the item from View Later. The complete reader journey is covered in Find, Read, and Save Articles.
The saved state belongs to the article itself, so the feed menu can manage the same View Later item.
Drafts Stay with Their Author
Every new standard article begins as a draft, with a corresponding draft post that lets its author return to the unfinished work. Drafts do not appear as ordinary items in the main feed, another person's profile feed, or the published feed seen by other readers.
In a space or activity feed, the create bar shows a draft counter when the current author has unfinished posts there. Opening that control switches from published posts to the author's draft feed; selecting it again returns to published work. If the last draft is published or removed, the draft control closes with it.
Selecting a draft post reopens the linked article editor. The author can continue the title, summary, and body, then publish the article and feed post together when the work is ready. Create and Publish an Article walks through that lifecycle.
Creating from the Right Context
Starting from a space or activity gives the new draft an immediate owner and destination. Starting from the main feed first asks the author to choose a joined space, because the main feed does not belong to any one community.
Creation is available only when the context permits it:
The destination matters beyond where the post appears. It also supplies the article's community context and access boundaries. Choosing it deliberately helps the right readers find the work after publication.
Visibility and Interaction Boundaries
Opening a feed never grants extra access. Published work in a public area can be discovered and read publicly. Work in a protected area is intended only for people who can access that area, including its post summary and media.
Reading and contributing are separate decisions. Someone may be able to read a published article but still need to sign in, join the space, or receive permission before they can react, give an Award, comment, vote, or publish. Controls that are unavailable for the current reader may be absent or may lead to the appropriate sign-in or access step.
Space-level curation and moderation are separate from ordinary reading. Eligible space roles can pin suitable published work, add it to Expo, or respond to reported content. These actions do not create a different article or change its authoring destination. See Curation and Moderation for the verified Space Admin and maintainer workflows.
Common Questions
Is a post separate from its article?
No. The post is the compact, feed-facing summary of the same article. Opening it reveals the complete article context.
Does the feed generate the summary from the article body?
No. The author deliberately creates one focused text, media, album, link, or poll summary instead of relying on a clipped opening paragraph.
Why do comments open the article?
The article gives a discussion its full subject and surrounding context. The feed stays focused on discovery and compact feedback.
Can other readers see my draft post?
No. Draft posts stay in the author's draft feed and are excluded from normal published and profile feeds.
Why do I have to choose a space when creating from the main feed?
The main feed combines several joined spaces and has no single publishing destination. Choosing a space establishes where the article belongs and which access rules apply.
Will saving from the feed also save the article?
Yes. View Later belongs to the same published item, so its saved state remains connected between the post and article page.