In Melimelo, we often talk about “sharing” without always saying who with. 3 spaces are there for that: the household, Messages and Circles. They don't have the same format or the same purpose. Here's how they fit together.
Key points
- The household is the foundation: lists, tasks and calendar with the people who share your daily life.
- Messages is Melimelo's messaging: private or group conversations, with household members or people invited by email.
- Circles are private groups beyond the household (extended family, neighbours, friends) with photo and text posts.
The household, the foundation
The household is Melimelo's unit of management. It holds the shopping lists, the calendar, recipes, routines, birthdays and the fridge. Joining it means getting access to all that shared logistics.
You invite the people you share everyday life with: partner, children, flatmates, parents who stay during the week. The household isn't a family in the administrative sense, it's a logistics group.
Messages and Circles side by side
The 2 spaces have different purposes. Here they are side by side, so you can see what sets them apart.
Messages
To talk, right now
- Conversation format, read in real time.
- With household members, or someone outside invited by their email.
- Private or group conversation, with several threads possible.
- Good for day-to-day coordination.
Circles
To share with the people close to you
- Post format, read when you have time.
- Open beyond the household (extended family, friends, neighbours).
- Several circles possible, kept separate from each other.
- Good for moments worth sharing, not logistics.
When to use one or the other
4 real situations to make it clear.
“Can you pick up some milk on your way home?”
Household logistics. A conversation in Messages is enough. Even better: add it straight to the shopping list.
“The photo of Olivia taking her first steps”
The extended family will want to see it: that's a typical post for a circle dedicated to the family.
“Shall we plan a weekend away?”
To settle the dates quickly, a group conversation in Messages does the job. To keep the weekend's ideas and photos in one place, a dedicated circle stops things getting scattered.
“Residents' meeting on Wednesday”
A “Building neighbours” circle will be more practical than a throwaway group on a third-party messaging app.
Invite someone outside the household to Messages
When you create a conversation, search for the person by their email or username and choose “Invite”. They get an invitation by email and accept it from the “Invitations” tab in Messages. That way you can chat with the nanny, a neighbour or a colleague without inviting them into your household.
What doesn't overlap
A few deliberate limits to avoid confusion.
No logistics in a circle
You can't share a shopping list or a task in a circle. Logistics tools stay within the household.
Notifications set separately
Each circle has its own “Get notified” switch, in its About section. Each conversation is muted separately, with “Mute”. You choose what's worth being disturbed for.
This separation is deliberate. It keeps household logistics apart from wider sharing, which doesn't have the same pace or the same readers.
The modules involved
This guide makes the most sense when you open the modules below in the app.
