questions to ask when building an online community
TRANSCRIPT
Questions to ask when building and maintaining an
online community
Scott MooreOnline Community Consultant
twitter.com/scottmoore
Printable Edition
This is intended for solo viewing, the live-action version will be much more exciting.
There are NOTES to add supporting details to the main point. So if you aren’t seeing notes, you are missing information.
Answering foundational questions early in the process will:
Set you on the right path.
Help you sift through technology decisions, especially giant feature lists.
Support you if a crisis arises.
If you don’t answer these questions sooner,
you will ask them later.
An answer is better than no answer
It’s about process, research, analysis, discussion, alignment.
Be flexible.
Who? Where?
Why? What?
How?
When?
People
Who?Clients?
Donors?Advocates?
Activists?Volunteers?
People
Who are they in terms of age, gender, profession, social technographics?
Where are they online? Where are they offline?
People
Who will the community not serve?- Age- Country
It’s about setting expectations
You can still welcome those outside direct service (diversity is good)
Objectives
Why are we doing this?
What is our mission, vision, purpose, focus, goals
Objectives
What values do we hold?
Objectives
What are the needs of our organization, our community members?
What is the value of our community members building relationships with each other?
Objectives
What are your areas of distrust?
Objectives
What does success look like?
Strategy
How does change happen?
Strategy
How is our organization limited?
Budget
Time
Development resources
IT support
Strategy
How involved do we want/need to be in the community?
Content
Behavior
Light HeavyAttitudes
Values
Strategy
Who controls when and how things change?
How much control does the community get?
Strategy
How will we sustain the community?
Will we manage or mediate conflict?
Pre- or Post hoc moderation?
What kind of moderation?- Content
- Behavior
- Attitude
How will we support diversity/dissent?
Strategy
When do we expect results?
When should we expect results?
Strategy
When do we want to launch/change?
When do we want it to end?
Wrap up!
It’s about people and processes.
Hit as many of the big questions as you can.
Reflect back on your answers while reviewing technology options.
Be flexible – experimentation is okay!
Review your questions and answers and update if necessary.
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