Elefriends - how we built our online community

Elefriends – how we built our online community

Eve Critchley @EveGwendo

Where it all began...

The Ele’s early success • More than 4,000 friends within a year • A truly peer-led, 24-hour community • ‘Elefriends’ becoming ‘real life’ friends and meeting offline

The Ele in action...

But… • At the mercy of Facebook – “We don’t like the timeline” • What if I don’t want to use my real name? • No control over content/data • Moderation = reading every post • Facebook doesn’t look like ‘us’

So, we asked the Elefriends…

The theory…

How we did it…

Don’t neglect online…

Pulling it all together… • Identify user stories – “Don’t make me read lots of dos and don’ts”, “Don’t

define me by my diagnosis” • Prioritise – what does the community need to exist at all? • User personas – unaware to passionate

Laura Ward 36 years old, from Chelmsford, Essex “I used to go to a drop in at my local Mind and recently set up a Facebook group for

people like me who struggle with bipolar. Although I still have bad days, I’m beginning to feel more confident and hopeful about the future”

Engagement level – Regular

•Occupation - Works three days a week at her local Citizen’s Advice Bureau

•Education - GCSEs, and A levels. Planning to study part time for a degree in psychology

•Tech usage - Laptop and smart phone

•Motivation - Wants to use her experience to help others and build her volunteering experience. Also still struggles some days, and finds it difficult to ask for help now she’s ‘recovered’.

•Goals - For Laura to make elefriends an everyday part of her busy online routine and become a passionate advocate for it to her networks

I feel very lucky to know Ele. I was there when he was born, watched him take his first few steps in the world of Facebook and now I get to see him move out of home and into his new little palace.

What does your community look like?

• Choose an engagement level – unaware, interested, first timer, regular, passionate • Personal statement – ambitions, passions, outlook on life • Motivation – why do they want to use this? What problem will it solve? • Goals – what will they do? What will success look like? • Bonus question – how can you engage them in designing your community?

Exercise

Any questions?

Elefriends.org.uk

Follow the Ele on Twitter – @The_Elephant_

Stay in touch – e.critchley@mind.org.uk / @EveGwendo