This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Art
We built ListenCircle to bring the ancient practice of the Talking Circle into the digital world.
It’s a space where every human being can speak and be heard — regardless of where they come from or what they believe.
No accounts. No logins. No stored identities. Just real people, listening.
🌿 What is a Talking Circle?
A Talking Circle is an ancient form of conversation:
People sit in a circle.
Whoever speaks holds the Talking Stick.
The others listen — without interrupting.
When the speaker is done, the stick passes to the next person.
ListenCircle brings this practice into the digital age — for Rainbow Gatherings, community meetings, and anywhere people want to truly listen.
⚙️ How it works
Creating a circle
- Choose a language
- Set a topic (or keep it open)
- Decide:
- Open Circle — anyone can join
- Closed Circle — invite only
- Limit participants (default: 13)
Joining a circle
- Open circles appear in the lobby
- Join instantly — no account needed
- New participants must listen through one full round before speaking
🪶 The Talking Stick
- Hold button → speak (push-to-talk)
- Release → stick moves to next person
- Strict order — no interruptions
- Max speaking time: 3 minutes
💛 Reactions
While someone speaks, others can respond with:
- 🌿 Aho
- ♥ Thanks
The speaker sees them live.
🔐 Privacy by design
- No accounts
- No stored identities
- No IP tracking
- No persistent data
Audio runs peer-to-peer (WebRTC) — never through a server.
🏗️ Architecture
- Go backend for real-time logic
- WebSockets for signaling
- WebRTC for direct audio
- ForgeCMS for rendering UI via SML
Separation of concerns:
- Backend = logic
- CMS = UI
🛡️ Abuse protection (without logins)
- Session tokens (not IP-based)
- Rate limiting
- Join throttling
- Speaking timeout
- Stick timing rules
All without breaking anonymity.
🚀 Why this matters
Most online communication is:
- chaotic
- interrupt-driven
- attention-seeking
ListenCircle creates something different:
- one voice at a time
- real listening
- no identity games
It’s not just a tool.
It’s a different culture of communication.
🔗 Open Source
👉 https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/ListenCircle
🌱 Final thought
What happens when people are truly heard?
That’s what ListenCircle is exploring.
Status
It's not yet ready...we just started it today, but I just wanted to start a discussion and you may add feature requests. Just think about the outcome. Are we able to stop wars this way?
Btw...it's free and open source...host your own server on a 1,- EUR VPS.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Art
Art | Sciencx (2026-04-22T19:13:27+00:00) ListenCircle: A Digital Talking Circle for Real Human Connection. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2026/04/22/listencircle-a-digital-talking-circle-for-real-human-connection/
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