# Getting started

Source: https://social9.com/docs/getting-started

> What Social9 does, what you need before you start, and the order to set things up in.

Social9 posts to your social accounts for you. You write a post once (or let the AI write it), pick where it goes and when, and Social9 sends it out on time.

It can also plan a whole week of posts for you in your brand's voice. That part is called **Autopilot**. You decide how much it is allowed to do on its own.

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![The Social9 home screen: this week at a glance and the Get going checklist](https://social9.com/docs/screenshots/home.png)

## What you need

| Thing | Why | Required |
|---|---|---|
| **A name for your brand** | Posts are always written for one brand | Yes |
| **Your website address** | Social9 reads it and fills in your brand profile for you | No |
| **Logins for your social accounts** | You sign in once to give Social9 permission to post | Yes, to post |
| **A card** | Only for a paid plan. The Free plan needs no card | No |

You do not need a developer. There is nothing to install.

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## The order to do it in

1. [Create your workspace and brand](https://social9.com/docs/getting-started/create-your-workspace-and-brand): tell Social9 about your business
2. [Connect your accounts](https://social9.com/docs/getting-started/connect-your-accounts): sign in to the networks you post on
3. [Get your first post out](https://social9.com/docs/getting-started/your-first-post): write it, pick a time, schedule it
4. [Choose a plan](https://social9.com/docs/getting-started/choose-a-plan): when you need more accounts, credits or people

The **Home** page shows a **Get going** checklist with the same steps. The goal is one post live and three more scheduled.

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## Where things are

The menu on the left of the dashboard has three parts.

| Section | Pages | What they are for |
|---|---|---|
| **Main** | Home, Approvals, Calendar, Create, Upload, Analytics, Library | Your week, writing and scheduling posts, and seeing what went out |
| **Brands & channels** | Brands, Channels | Your brands and the social accounts they post to |
| **Settings** | Workspace, Members & roles, Billing & plan, Usage, Connected apps | Timezone, your team, your plan, and AI apps you have connected |

At the top of every page you will find:

- **The brand switcher**, to work on one brand or **All brands**
- **Your plan**, with the AI credits you have left this month. Click it to see what you have used
- **Search**, to jump to any page. Press **Ctrl + K** (or **Cmd + K** on a Mac)

> **Tip:** On a phone, the first four pages sit in a bar at the bottom. Everything else is under **More**.

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## Next steps

- [Create your workspace and brand](https://social9.com/docs/getting-started/create-your-workspace-and-brand): the two questions Social9 asks, and what it fills in for you
- [Creating posts](https://social9.com/docs/posts): everything about writing, images and scheduling