Reactions now have their own section in Studio settings. Give your community a single Like, a short list of reactions, or any emoji, then decide what one tap gives and how many reactions each person can leave. The NEO web and mobile apps follow your settings.
Pick one in Reactions mode.
The Default reaction is the one a single click or tap gives, and a second tap takes it back. The other reactions are a hover or long press away.
Set it to None and the button reads React and opens the choice every time. With one reaction per person, a new pick replaces the old one.
Reactions per person goes from 1 to 5 and works in the Few and Many modes. With 1, choosing another reaction replaces the one given. With more, people can give that many different reactions to the same post. At the limit the other reactions are disabled and the picker says so: "You can give up to 3 reactions." A reaction already given can always be taken back.
Split counters shows a counter for each reaction instead of one total. Leave it off for a quieter feed, or turn it on when the mix of reactions is the point.
Everything is in Studio › Settings › Global › Reactions:
The settings apply wherever reactions appear on your site, on content and on comments.
options: mode, default, per_user, split_counters and items. Any client can follow them.e_<hex> codes, because the utf8mb4_unicode_ci collation treats many emoji as equal.Reactions are in UNA 15. Open Studio › Settings › Global › Reactions, try the three modes on your own feed, and keep the one that fits your community.
One more thing! The volunteer sign-up sheet for next month's neighbourhood cleanup is pinned in the Neighbourhood Organisers group.
Non-litter highlights from this year's litter picks:
The gnome now lives in the community garden. He seems happy there.
Late-night notes on a year of organising, because I promised myself I'd write them down before January.
What worked: regular dates people could plan around, a list of small jobs for those who can't make Saturdays, and tea. Never underestimate tea. We went from a handful of people in spring to twenty-odd most months.
What didn't: me doing everything. By November I was the only person who knew where the kit was, who had the hall keys and who to ring at the council. Next year I want at least two other people able to run a session without me. If you've managed that hand-over in your own group, I'd love to hear how you did it.
Checking back in on these in March. The small-jobs list is working: eight people have picked something off it since January.
The hand-over part is slower. Two people have led a litter pick without me so far, which is two more than last year.
And the later start for winter sessions was the right call. Turnout held up even through February.
Next up is the spring clean-up. I'll post the date once the council confirms the skip.
Dog-sitting the foster lurcher from down the road over the holidays (the one who needed a crate back in November). He has claimed the sofa, he snores like a tractor, and I have given up on sleep. Not so nervous any more, clearly.
Fourteen litter picks, one coat swap, and a neighbourhood group chat that turned into an actual group. That was 2025 for us. Thank you all.
What's one thing you want to try in your community next year?
Thanks, John Hallett, for digging up this review after I asked about GPS watches for dogs. It's about a children's watch, but the app side, with safe zones and location history, looks a lot like the pet trackers I've been comparing.
Before I buy anything for our walks: does anyone here use a tracker on their dog? How long does the battery really last?
Also, did people sign their own names, or did you keep the cards anonymous?
Answering my own question after talking it over with our moderators: for a health support space we're going to keep the cards anonymous, or first names only. A few ground rules we agreed on, in case they help anyone running something similar:
Thanks for the idea, Jane. I'll report back on how it goes.
I'm Jane. I organise volunteers in my Bristol neighbourhood (litter picks, community clean-ups, a winter coat swap) and host virtual meetups for organisers in other cities. Always happy to swap ideas in the comments.
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