Connect BuildBetter with Circle to import community posts and discussions, extracting insights from member feedback and conversations.
Features
- Space Selection: Choose exactly which Circle spaces to sync instead of importing everything
- Post Import: Automatically sync published posts as conversations in BuildBetter
- Comment Threads: Import full comment threads for complete context
- Per-Space Incremental Sync: Each space tracks its own sync progress for efficient updates
- Member Data: Capture author information including profiles and activity stats
- Engagement Metrics: Preserve likes, comments counts, and engagement data
How It Works
BuildBetter connects to Circle via API token and imports community posts with their comment threads. Each post becomes a conversation, enabling AI-powered analysis to identify trends, feature requests, and community sentiment.
Import Type: One-way (Circle to BuildBetter)
Sync Frequency: Hourly automatic sync
Setup Guide
Prerequisites
-
Circle Requirements:
- Circle community on Business or Enterprise plan
- Admin access for API token generation
-
BuildBetter Requirements:
- Active BuildBetter account
- Admin privileges for integration setup
Quick Setup
-
Get Your Circle API Token
- Log in to your Circle community as an Admin
- Navigate to Settings > API
- Generate a new Admin API token
- Copy and save the token securely
-
Connect in BuildBetter
- Go to Settings > Integrations in BuildBetter
- Find Circle in the Social section and click Connect
- Paste your Circle API token
- Click Connect to verify
-
Select Spaces to Sync
- After connecting, BuildBetter fetches your available spaces
- Select the spaces you want to import (or leave all selected)
- Deselect spaces you want to exclude from sync
-
Configure Import Settings
- Import History: Choose how far back to import
- None (new posts only), 4 hours (default), 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, 365 days, or all
- Click Save to start your first sync
What Gets Imported
Post Data
| Circle Field | BuildBetter Field | Notes |
|---|
| Post name | Conversation title | |
| Content | Message body | HTML and Tiptap formats supported |
| URL | External link | Link back to Circle post |
| Status | Metadata | Post status (published, etc.) |
| Topics | Tags | Preserved for filtering |
| Created/Updated | Timestamps | |
- Full comment content
- Author information
- Timestamps
- Nested replies (parent-child relationships)
- Engagement metrics
People
Community members are automatically created or matched:
- Name and email (for matching)
- Headline and bio
- Avatar
- Activity stats (posts, comments, likes)
- Gamification data (levels, points)
- Member tags and custom profile fields
Each imported post includes:
- Space ID and name
- Topics/tags
- Engagement metrics (likes count, comments count)
- Post status
- Source identifier (circle)
Space Selection
Why Select Spaces?
Not all community spaces may contain relevant product feedback. Space selection lets you:
- Focus on spaces with customer discussions
- Exclude internal or off-topic spaces
- Reduce noise in your insights
Managing Spaces
- Go to your Circle integration settings
- Click Configure Spaces
- Check/uncheck spaces to include or exclude
- Save your changes
Each space maintains its own sync progress. Adding a new space will import its history based on your backfill setting.
Sync Behavior
Per-Space Incremental Sync
- Each space tracks when it was last synced
- Only new and updated posts are fetched after initial import
- Adding a space starts a fresh sync for that space only
Automatic Sync
- Runs hourly to capture new posts and comments
- Smart cutoff logic prevents duplicate imports
- Early termination when reaching already-imported posts
Backfill Options
| Setting | Behavior |
|---|
| None | Only sync new posts going forward |
| 4 hours (default) | Import posts from last 4 hours |
| 7d - 365d | Import posts from specified time window |
| All | Import entire community history |
Use Cases
- Identify common questions and pain points
- Track feature requests from community members
- Monitor sentiment across discussions
Product Development
- Extract product ideas from community discussions
- Understand how members use your product
- Gather feedback on new features
Customer Success
- Spot members who may need help
- Identify power users and advocates
- Track community engagement trends
Troubleshooting
Connection Issues
“Invalid API Token” Error
- Verify you have an Admin API token (not a regular member token)
- Ensure your Circle plan includes API access (Business or Enterprise)
- Try generating a new token
“Needs Reauthorization” Status
- Your API token may have been revoked or expired
- Generate a new token in Circle and reconnect
Spaces Not Loading
- Check that your Circle account has Admin access
- Verify the API token has permission to list spaces
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting
Posts Not Syncing
- Confirm the space is selected in your settings
- Check that posts are published (drafts aren’t imported)
- Verify your backfill date covers the expected time range
- Allow up to 1 hour for the next automatic sync
Privacy & Data
- BuildBetter only imports data from spaces you select
- Posts and comments are stored securely in your BuildBetter workspace
- Member data is used for author attribution only
- You can disconnect at any time to stop all data sync
Support
Questions about this integration?
