2. All about community What do we mean by ‘community’? What is an online community? Getting started How do we keep our community safe? Activity
3. What do we mean by community? We mean people We mean connections We mean support We mean similarity We mean social group We mean peers We mean a group being ‘led’
4. Community confusion People rarely consider themselves part of communities People are rarely members of just one community Communities can be physical and conceptual They can be permanent or temporary
5. All about community What do we mean by ‘community’? What is an online community? Getting started How do we keep our community safe? Activity
6. What is an online community? It used to mean ‘message boards’ and not much more For a while, people meant ‘facebook’, although that’s a social network of people you already know Really, it’s up for grabs: it means people on a platform
7. What Twitter isn’t... Twitter isn’t a message board, or a social network of people you already know... ...So is it a community?
8. What Twitter is... Twitter is a platform It’s about connections It’s the direction we’re heading in It’s a micro-community that is different for every individual
9. What Twitter gives us Freedom It has blown away old rules A boost to existing communities
10. One word to describe a good online community experience?
11. All about community What do we mean by ‘community’? What is an online community? Getting started How do we keep our community safe? Activity
12. Identify a community Who are you providing a platform for? “Build it and they will come” doesn’t work Do these people want or need a space to communicate? Who are they?
13. What are the concerns of the community? Do they need to speak anonymously? Do they need to share images? Do they need to be protected? Do they have barriers to understanding technology? Do they have fractured interests? Are there opposing viewpoints and needs?
15. Vibrant, ugly. It’s okay if it’s not perfect to look at Between timely and perfect, choose timely "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late." - Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn
17. Where will you host your community? Do you have an online presence that can be enhanced? Do you need to build community elements into your next iteration? Do you have the budget and resource to build from scratch – and manage? Should you set up a space where your audience already is? Don’t automatically reject free tools like Ning.
18. All about community What do we mean by ‘community’? What is an online community? Getting started How do we keep our community safe? Activity
19. What do you mean by safe? Safe from offensive material Safe from ‘trolls’ and trouble-makers Safe to chat without fear of personal attacks Safe from ‘real-life’ crossover Safe from spam attacks
20. Control – and lack of it You cannot control people – but you can steer, guide and react You must establish ground rules, and update them regularly
21. Control – and lack of it No-one is solely interested in one topic – nor should they be Single-issue parties don’t win elections; single-issue communities, don’t thrive Connections are what’s important, give people the freedom to connect Tools like CAPTCHA
22. Keeping your organisation safe If someone writes a lie about a celebrity on a community that you host – when are you liable?
23. Who will keep your community safe... and vibrant? Moderation Welcoming members Stimulating discussion Removing spam and offensive content Who is liable? “Can the receptionist do it?”
24. Activity List 10 communities that you are a part of. Of those offline communities, which ones lend themselves to an online space? How could you go about creating a community online – who would it help, how would it work and why would anyone use it?
Editor's Notes
Physical and conceptual:“I’m a mum; I live in Sevenoaks”Permanent or temporary: – “I’m British-born” -“I’m an out-patient”
It has opened up definitions and conversationsIt says “give people a platform – let them organise and engage with their community on their terms”Boosting through links and outreach
What do you actually know – rather than think you know – about them?
A: always and instantly. Whether you’ve seen it or not. Gina Ford v mumsnet. You have to set guidelines, moderate and recognise, and encourage other users to report anything iffy. Have a proper take-down procedure.
