How Topical, working groups, and invitations work.
Topical is a place for collaborative discussions that stay connected to the work they produce. Participants build on a shared record instead of reconstructing context from email threads or chat history. The aim is conversations that lead somewhere.
A working group is a named group of people who work together in Topical. Topics belong to a working group. Joining a working group is how you become a member of that group's conversations. Signing in identifies you; it does not by itself make you a member of every working group.
A working group owner invites a person to join that group. The invitation is an offer of membership in one specific working group. You respond by accepting or declining. This page explains the process; it does not complete an invitation by itself.
Accept if you want to join the working group. That adds you as a member. Decline if you do not want to join. Declining means you are not added. Use the invitation you were given to make that choice.
Log in with that account, then accept or decline. Use the same account you already use for Topical.
Create an account first, then accept or decline. If the invitation named an email address, use that same address when you create the account.
Invitees who accept start at membership level 1. Membership levels range from 1 to 9. Level 1 is the starting membership. The working group owner can change a member's level later.
The working group owner manages membership and member permissions. Owners decide who belongs to the group and what members can do. Accepting an invitation does not make you an owner.
Topical accounts identify participants. Your name and contributions are visible to people who can see the relevant topic. Who can see a topic depends on how that topic is shared and who is in the working group. A working group owner decides who is a member. Do not treat Topical as a private or confidential channel. This page does not describe encryption, data retention, or a formal privacy policy.