Do you have an online community? Are you posting content and sharing your ideas with groups online? Well, here are 5 easy steps to increase your group's activity. Watch the webinar here: https://www.bigmarker.com/BMCommunity/online_Community_Active You will learn: ~ Finding and creating good content ~ Implementing a schedule ~ Making newbies into regulars ~ Recruiting volunteers ~ Taking Advantage of the BigMarker Platform

1. How to keep your online community active

2. Andy
Andy@BigMarker.com
Community Hero
Joe
Joe@BigMarker.com
Community Hero

3. What is an active community?
• It’s a self-sustaining community
• If the organizer of the group left, it would
continue to function
• Your job, as an organizer, is to work toward
this stability

4. What does an active community
look like?
4

5. Stages of an online community
Stage
Incep*on
Establishment
Maturity
Mitosis
Descrip*on
The
community
just
started.
You’re
pos*ng
most
of
the
content
and
invi*ng
most
of
the
people
to
join.
You’re
the
driving
force.
This
is
where
most
communi*es
fail.
The
community
is
on
a
good
pace.
It’s
growing
and
members
are
sharing
on
their
own.
You’re
no
longer
the
driving
force.
You’re
a
facilitator.
Take
a
vaca*on,
because
this
community
is
100%
its
own
en*ty.
If
it
was
garden,
you’re
just
trimming
here
and
there.
If
you
leE,
the
community
would
con*nue
to
grow.
The
community
has
grown
so
large
that
you
need
sub-­‐groups
to
facilitate
more
specific
and
in*mate
conversa*ons.
Each
sub-­‐
group
will
go
back
to
the
incep*on
stage.
%
of
organizer
posted
content
50
to
100%
<
50%
<
10%
50
to
100%

6. 5 ways to keep your community
active
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Finding and creating good content
Implementing a schedule
Making newbies into regulars
Recruiting volunteers
Taking Advantage of the BigMarker
Platform

7. 1. Finding and creating good
content
• In an online community, everything revolves
around content.
• You need compelling content for your members
to have a reason to log in.
• When we say content, we mean:
– video conferences, webinars, comments, files, polls,
kudos as well as, sharing articles, asking questions,
posting interesting quotes, and generally adding new
ideas to the community.
• You can find content all around the web
– Google a topic, and share some interesting news or
blog with the group
7

9. 2. Implementing a schedule
• You should create a content posting
schedule
• This will make your community more
predictable for your members
• It will also make it easier for you to find
content
• Your schedule should be based on your
community needs and wants

10. Example schedule
1. Monday - Opinion feature (stir debate)
2. Tuesday - News or journal repost (get opinions
on the subject)
3. Wednesday - Host a webinar
4. Thursday - Featured interview (can be with
outsiders or those in your group)
5. Friday - Event for the weekend
6. Saturday - Welcome newcomers
7. Sunday - Summary of the week and a look
forward to the next week
10

12. 3. Turning Newbies into Regulars
• When someone joins your community, they are a Newcomer
(Newbie).
• Newcomers do not know anything about the community’s culture:
– inside jokes, hierarchy, insider language, norms and customs, etc.
• For most Newcomers, this is off putting.
• You need to make them feel welcome and accelerate them into
becoming Regulars.
• You can do so by sending a “Welcome Guide” document that
shares a history of the community and some other useful tips.
• You should also introduce the Newcomer to the group, and make
sure that they are commenting on posts, participating in webinars,
etc.
12

14. Regulars are amazing
• Regulars are the most important part of a
community
• Regulars post their own content, they attend
events, they make comments, and they keep
the conversation going
– This makes them the life blood of the
community.
– Without regulars, it is just you posting content.
– To move from Inception to Maturity, you need to
cultivate Regulars
14

16. 4. Recruiting volunteers
• Volunteers are the champions or evangelists of
your community
• They create video conferences and webinars,
stay to your content schedule, and are
dependable.
• If you have a few great Volunteers, it means you
can focus on the long term stability/growth of
the community.
• If you identify a potential Volunteer, beg them to
help out
16

18. 5. Taking Advantage of BigMarker
• BigMarker is a space where people go to
connect
– With like minded people
– With those that share their passions
• On BigMarker, we help other passionate
people find your group

19. The BigMarker home and find
• This page lets you browse all of the public:
– Video conferences
– Webinars
– Recordings

21. BigMarker is a content factory
• Your community includes an amazing amount of
features
• Including the ability to host webinars and video
conferences
• Webinars/conferences allow you to present or
meet face-to-face with your community
– This is the ultimate content
• Also, anyone in your community can host
webinars/conferences
– Give your volunteers the power to create amazing
content!

22. Contact
Andy Papier
Community Hero
Andy@bigmarker.com
Joe Yeoman
Community Hero
Joe@bigmarker.com

23. Follow BigMarker
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