Skip to main content

Social Features

Connect with other collectors, share your collection, post about your finds, and discover what others are cataloging. RTC Collector's social features include a full social feed, follow system, and community tools.

Social FeedSocial Feed

Social Feed​

The social feed is an Instagram-style experience where you can share posts about your collection and engage with other collectors.

Creating Posts​

  1. Tap the + button or go to Social → Create Post
  2. Add images (up to 10 images per post, displayed as a swipeable carousel)
  3. Write a caption with optional hashtags and @mentions
  4. Tag collection items in your post to link them directly
  5. Set privacy: Public, Followers Only, or Private
  6. Add a content warning if the post contains sensitive content
  7. Tap Post

Post Features​

Image Carousel: Posts support up to 10 images, displayed as a swipeable carousel that other users can browse through.

Hashtags: Use #hashtags in your captions to categorise posts. Hashtags are clickable and lead to a page showing all posts with that tag.

@Mentions: Mention other users with @username. They receive a notification when mentioned.

Item Tagging: Tag items from your collection in posts. Tagged items link directly to the item detail, letting viewers see the full specs.

Content Warnings: Add optional warnings for posts that may contain sensitive content. Posts with warnings show an overlay that users must click through to view.

Engaging with Posts​

Likes: Tap the heart icon to like a post. See who liked a post by tapping the like count.

Comments: Leave comments on posts. Comments support @mentions to tag other users.

Sharing: Share posts via native device sharing or copy a link.

Reporting: Flag posts that violate community guidelines by tapping the menu icon and selecting Report.

Editing and Deleting Posts​

  • Edit your posts after publishing (tap the menu icon → Edit)
  • Delete posts at any time

Hashtag Pages​

Click any hashtag to see:

  • All posts using that hashtag
  • The total post count
  • Related trending hashtags

The Explore section shows currently trending hashtags based on recent post activity. This helps you discover popular collecting topics and community trends.

User Verification​

Verified collectors display a verification badge next to their username throughout the platform, including on posts, comments, and profiles.

Follow System​

Following Users​

The social system uses a follow model:

  1. Visit a user's profile
  2. Tap Follow
  3. If their account is public, you immediately see their posts in your feed
  4. If their account is private, your follow is sent as a request that they must approve

Followers and Following​

View your followers and who you follow from your profile:

  • Followers: Users who follow you (tap to see the full list)
  • Following: Users you follow (tap to see the full list)
  • Remove Followers: Remove individual followers from your followers list

Follow Requests​

If your account is private, manage incoming follow requests from the Follow Requests page:

  • See all pending requests
  • Accept to approve a follower
  • Decline to reject the request

Privacy Controls​

Control who can follow you and see your posts:

  • Public Account: Anyone can follow you and see your posts
  • Private Account: Follow requests must be approved; only followers see your posts

Configure in Settings → Social → Privacy.

User Profiles​

Profile Information​

Your social profile displays:

  • Profile photo and banner image
  • Bio text
  • Follower and following counts
  • Post grid showing your published posts
  • Link to your collection (based on privacy settings)

Editing Your Profile​

  1. Go to your profile
  2. Tap Edit Profile
  3. Update your photo, banner, bio, and display settings
  4. Save changes

Enthusiast tier users get additional custom profile options.

Friends​

Finding Friends​

There are several ways to connect with other collectors:

Discover Tab: Browse suggested users based on:

  • Similar items in your collections
  • Shared manufacturers or categories
  • Active marketplace participants
  • Users in your geographic area

Search by Email: If you know someone's email address:

  1. Go to Friends → Discover
  2. Enter their email in the search box
  3. Click Search
  4. Send a friend request if found

From Marketplace: After a successful transaction, you can send a friend request to the buyer or seller.

Sending Friend Requests​

  1. Find the user you want to connect with
  2. Click Add Friend or Send Friend Request
  3. Optionally add a message explaining who you are or why you want to connect
  4. Click Send Request

The user receives a notification and can accept or decline your request.

Friend Request Messages​

When sending a request, include a message if:

  • You don't know the person personally
  • You share a specific collecting interest
  • You had a marketplace transaction
  • You found them through a recommendation

Example messages:

  • "Hey, I saw you collect Commodore computers too. Would love to connect!"
  • "We just completed a trade for the Game Boy. Great transaction!"
  • "I'm also based in Manchester and collect retro consoles. Let's connect!"

Accepting Friend Requests​

When you receive a friend request:

  1. You'll get a notification
  2. Go to Friends → Requests
  3. See the person's profile, collection summary, and their message
  4. Click Accept or Decline

If you accept:

  • They're added to your friends list
  • You can view their collection (if they've made it visible to friends)
  • They can view your collection (based on your privacy settings)

If you decline:

  • They're not notified
  • They can't send another request for 30 days

Managing Friends​

Go to Friends to see your friend list.

Each friend shows:

  • Username and profile picture
  • Collection item count
  • Last active timestamp
  • Quick link to view their collection

Unfriend someone:

  1. Click on their profile
  2. Click Unfriend
  3. Confirm

They won't be notified, and their collection access is revoked immediately.

Viewing Friend Collections​

Permission Levels​

When you view a friend's collection, what you see depends on their privacy settings:

Public Collections: Anyone can view

  • All items and details
  • Analytics (if they've made it public)
  • Wishlist items

Friends-Only Collections: Only friends can view

  • All items and details
  • Analytics
  • Wishlist items

Private Collections: Nobody can view except the owner

Browsing a Friend's Collection​

  1. Go to Friends
  2. Click on a friend
  3. Click View Collection

You can:

  • See all their items (with their permission)
  • Filter and search their collection
  • See their stats (total items, value, categories)
  • View their wishlist

You cannot:

  • Edit or delete their items
  • Export their collection
  • See hidden items
  • View private notes or purchase prices (unless they've made this public)

Wishlist Feature​

When viewing a friend's wishlist:

  • See items they want to acquire
  • If you have a wishlist item they want, you might consider offering a trade
  • If you see one for sale, you can send them a link

This makes it easy to help friends complete their collections.

Collection Sharing​

Share Your Collection​

Share your entire collection as a public link:

  1. Go to Friends → Share Collection
  2. Click Generate Share Link
  3. Choose what to include:
    • All items or specific categories
    • Include purchase prices (yes/no)
    • Include private notes (yes/no)
    • Read-only or allow suggestions
  4. Set expiration (optional): 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or never
  5. Copy the link

Anyone with the link can view your collection, even if they don't have an RTC Collector account.

Use cases:

  • Share with insurance companies for documentation
  • Post on social media to show off your collection
  • Share with potential buyers at events
  • Create a permanent portfolio link for your website

Share Individual Items​

Share a specific item:

  1. Open the item details
  2. Click Share
  3. Choose sharing method:
    • Copy link
    • Share to Twitter
    • Share to Facebook
    • Share to Reddit
    • Copy embed code (for websites)

The shared link shows:

  • Item photos
  • Details and specifications
  • Your notes (if you choose to include them)
  • Link to view your full collection (if public)

Revoking Shares​

Shared links can be revoked anytime:

  1. Go to Settings → Data Management → Active Shares
  2. See all active share links
  3. Click Revoke next to any share
  4. The link stops working immediately

Privacy Settings​

Control who sees your collection and profile:

Profile Visibility​

Go to Settings → Privacy to configure:

Profile Visibility:

  • Public: Anyone can see your profile and stats
  • Friends Only: Only friends see your profile
  • Private: Only you see your profile

Collection Visibility:

  • Public: Anyone can browse your collection
  • Friends Only: Only friends can see your items
  • Private: Nobody can see your collection

Show Email:

  • To Everyone: Email is visible on your profile
  • To Friends: Only friends see your email
  • To Nobody: Email is hidden

Show Phone: (if you've added a phone number)

  • Same options as email

What Each Setting Controls​

Public Profile + Public Collection:

  • Anyone can find you
  • Anyone can see your entire collection
  • Your profile appears in Discover suggestions
  • Other users can send friend requests

Friends-Only Profile + Friends-Only Collection:

  • Only friends see your collection
  • Non-friends see your username and can send friend requests
  • Your stats (item count, total value) are hidden from non-friends

Private Profile + Private Collection:

  • Nobody sees your collection
  • Minimal profile information visible
  • You can still use marketplace and messaging
  • Not recommended if you want to use social features

Collection Comparisons​

Find Common Items​

When viewing a friend's collection, you can see:

Items You Both Have: Items that appear in both collections

  • Useful for comparing condition, price paid, or variations
  • Great for discussing collecting strategies

Items They Have That You Don't: Potential wishlist additions

  • Might inspire you to seek out items you didn't know about
  • Useful for finding missing pieces in themed collections

Items You Have That They Don't: Potential trading opportunities

  • If you have duplicates, they might be interested in trading
  • Helps identify items they might want to add

Wishlist Matching​

If you and a friend both use wishlists, the system can match:

  • Items you want that they have (potential trade or purchase)
  • Items they want that you have (you might help them out)
  • Items you both want (you could search together or split shipping)

This matching is automatic and shown when viewing friend collections.

Activity Feed​

What's in the Activity Feed​

See what your friends are doing:

  • New items added to collections
  • Milestone achievements (50/150/unlimited items, collection value milestones, etc.)
  • Marketplace listings created
  • Completed transactions
  • Collection value increases

Privacy​

You can control what appears in your activity:

  1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Activity Sharing
  2. Choose what activities to share:
    • New items added (yes/no)
    • Milestones (yes/no)
    • Marketplace activity (yes/no)
    • Collection value changes (yes/no)

Viewing the Feed​

Go to Friends → Activity to see the feed.

You can:

  • Like activities
  • Comment on achievements
  • Click through to see items or listings

This helps you stay connected with your collecting community.

Suggested Connections​

How Suggestions Work​

We suggest friends based on:

  • Similar Collections: Users with items from the same manufacturers or categories
  • Geographic Proximity: Other collectors in your area
  • Marketplace Interactions: People you've bought from or sold to
  • Common Friends: Friends of your friends
  • Community Activity: Active users who engage with collections similar to yours

Managing Suggestions​

In the Discover tab:

  • Swipe or click through suggestions
  • Click Add Friend to send a request
  • Click Not Interested to skip
  • Click Why This Suggestion? to see the reason

Skipped users won't appear in suggestions again.

Social Etiquette​

Do's​

  • Send personalized friend requests with messages
  • Respect privacy settings
  • Engage with activity feed positively
  • Share knowledge and collecting tips
  • Offer fair trades to friends
  • Help friends find items on their wishlists

Don'ts​

  • Don't spam friend requests
  • Don't pressure friends to share private collections
  • Don't screenshot or share friend collections without permission
  • Don't use friend connections solely for marketplace deals
  • Don't send unsolicited marketplace offers through friend messages
  • Don't harass friends who decline trading opportunities

Exporting Friend Data​

You can export your friends list:

  1. Go to Settings → Data Management
  2. Click Export Friends List
  3. Download as CSV

This includes:

  • Usernames
  • Email addresses (if they've made them visible)
  • Friend since date
  • Collection item counts

Removing Friend Connections​

Unfriending​

To remove someone from your friends list:

  1. Go to their profile
  2. Click Unfriend
  3. Confirm

What happens:

  • They're removed from your friends list
  • You're removed from theirs
  • Collection access is revoked
  • No notification is sent
  • You can send a new friend request later if you change your mind

Blocking​

If someone is harassing you or you want to prevent all contact:

  1. Go to their profile
  2. Click Block User
  3. Confirm

What happens:

  • They're removed from your friends list
  • They can't send you friend requests
  • They can't message you
  • They can't see your profile or collection
  • They can't make offers on your marketplace listings
  • They're not notified that they're blocked

Unblock anytime from Settings → Blocked Users.

Search & Discovery​

Find other collectors:

  1. Go to Social → Search
  2. Search by username or display name
  3. View profile previews in results
  4. Follow or send friend requests directly from search results

Search for hashtags to find posts about specific topics:

  1. Go to Social → Search
  2. Type a hashtag (with or without the # symbol)
  3. See matching hashtags with post counts
  4. Tap a hashtag to view all associated posts

Questions?​

For questions about social features: