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Getting Started

Learn the basics of PubHubs, from creating your account to joining your first hub.

Login & registration

PubHubs uses the Yivi app for login and registration. Yivi is a privacy-friendly identity wallet that stores digital “cards”: verified credentials like your email address and phone number. With Yivi, you prove who you are without giving away unnecessary personal data.

What you need

  • A smartphone with the Yivi app installed
  • A valid email address
  • A mobile phone number

Register for the first time

  1. Go to the PubHubs login page and click Register.
  2. Open the Yivi app on your phone and scan the QR code on screen.
  3. The Yivi app will ask you to share your email address and phone number. Confirm to proceed.
  4. After verification, you receive a PubHubs “card” in your Yivi app. This card is your login credential for future visits.

Warning

On mobile, you may need to complete the Yivi step twice: once to register your account, and a second time to receive your PubHubs card. This is expected behavior.

Log in as a returning user

  1. Go to PubHubs and click Log in.
  2. Scan the QR code with your Yivi app (or tap it on mobile).
  3. Confirm the login request in Yivi. You’re in.

Why Yivi?

Tip

Your email and phone number are only used at the central login level. They are never shared with individual hubs or other users. This means your real identity stays private. Hubs only know you by a pseudonym.

Logging out

To log out, open the hub switcher in the right sidebar and click the Log out button at the bottom. You will be returned to the PubHubs start page. Your Yivi card remains in your wallet for the next time you log in.

Discovering & joining hubs

A hub is an online community space managed by an organization: a library, school, patient group, sports club, or any other community. Each hub has its own rooms, members, and rules.

Finding hubs

You can find the Discover Hubs page by clicking the PubHubs logo in the top-left corner of the app. There is also a version on the website. Browse all available hubs and search by name or description to find the community you’re looking for.

Joining a hub

  1. On the Discover Hubs page, click the hub card you want to join.
  2. If you’re not logged in yet, you’ll be prompted to log in with Yivi first.
  3. The first time you enter a hub, you’ll go through a short onboarding: choose a display name, optionally upload an avatar, and accept the hub’s house rules.

Your identity in hubs

Each hub assigns you a unique pseudonym, a randomly generated name that is different in every hub. This means your activity in one hub cannot be linked to your activity in another.

Tip

You can replace the pseudonym with a display name of your choice within each hub. Other members will see this name, but your underlying pseudonym stays unique and separate across hubs.

Hub onboarding

The first time you enter a hub, you’ll be asked to:

  1. Set your display name: choose how you want to appear in this hub

  2. Upload an avatar (optional): a profile picture for this hub

  3. Accept the house rules: each hub has its own rules set by the organization that runs it

If the organization updates their house rules, you may be asked to re-accept them on your next visit.