Set up your site

Open Profile to set the details and access rules for your author site.

Set your public profile

1. Enter a handle if your account does not have one.
2. Enter a display name if needed.
3. Enter a bio if needed.
4. Set the collection order if you want a custom order.
5. Select a theme under site appearance.
6. Check the theme preview.
7. Select a timezone.
8. Select save.
9. Open the URL under Your homepage to check the site.

You cannot change a handle after you set it. The collection order is a comma-separated list. The theme applies to your reader pages. The preview changes when you select a theme. Select save to apply the theme to your site. Select default (dark terminal) to restore the default colors.

Theme presets change colors. Headings use sans-serif type. Body text, navigation, and controls use monospace type. Jot adjusts text colors for readability.

Jot shows post dates in the selected timezone. An empty timezone uses UTC.

The site header shows collections that contain visible notes. It uses the collection order from your profile. Drafts, expired notes, unlisted notes, and password-protected notes do not appear in this navigation.

Make the site private

1. In Profile, select Private site — only invited emails can read.
2. Select save.
3. Enter a reader's email under Invitees.
4. Select add.
5. Give the reader your site URL.

An invited reader requests a one-time email code to open the site. The private rule covers notes, the homepage, collections, tags, and RSS feeds. You can remove a reader under Invitees. Your signed-in author session can still read the site.

A note password protects one note. An unlisted note only stays out of listings. See Publish and control notes for these rules.

Add a custom domain

1. In Profile, find the DNS target under Custom domains.
2. Add a CNAME record for your domain at your DNS provider. Point it to that target.
3. Enter the domain under add domain.
4. Select add.
5. After DNS updates, select verify on the domain row.
6. Open the verified domain to check the site.

For an apex domain, use your DNS provider's CNAME flattening or the address shown in Profile. If you use Cloudflare, keep its proxy enabled. A non-admin account can have one verified custom domain. Remove the old domain before you verify another one.

Subscribe to feeds

The author feed is at /{handle}/feed.xml. A collection feed is at /{handle}/{collection}/feed.xml. On a verified custom domain, use /feed.xml or /{collection}/feed.xml.

Feeds include published, listed notes that have not expired. A private site's feeds require reader access. Unlisted notes do not appear in feeds.

See the operation reference for other ways to change site settings and reader access.