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11 simple tips to power the community as a facilitator. And focuses on getting and retaining members.
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Batteries Not Included
How community facilitators can help power the community
www.communities.idea.gov.uk
Batteries not included
Community facilitators help power the
community so choose your batteries wisely….
Here’s 11 tips that can help power your
community, especially around….
From stranger to passer by
From lurker to participant
From participant to regular
From passer by to lurker
Getting and Retaining members
.
So you have 21 days
Supposedly it takes 21 days for
something to become a habit.
So if that’s the case, if you can
keep new members of your
community engaged for their
first 21 days, they should
become hooked.
Tip 1 - Introduce yourself
Don’t send a standard e-mail.
Welcome the newcomer and ask relevant questions.
The goal here is to begin a conversation, a conversation that continues past the initial interaction.
Highlight discussions they might like to participate in. Give them something to do.
Tip 2 - Send them a welcome pack
CO
P A welcome pack brings newcomers up to speed with the
latest happenings in the community and its history.
Tip 3 - Advertise
Join us Update your email signature with a link to the community
Create some simple postcards or business cards with the what’s in it for me (WIIFM) for the potential
members
Tell people about it on other professional networks or social
networking sites e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn
Tip 4 - Introductions
Help to place the newcomer in a group with others. Ask those with similar interests or location to introduce
themselves
Tip 5 - lots of invites
Think about your potential audience and tailor your invites to each of them.
A personal message is better than a mass mail out.
Also ask your current members to invite new people
Tip 6 - Members Market Place
A marketplace could be seen as a ‘dating service’ for knowledge.
It identifies what people know and what they need to know on a particular subject, then connects them appropriately.
Tip 7 - Content
Content is key
Article’s
Presentations
Reports
Guides
Video
Etc
Tip 8 - Forum posts exchange
Strike a deal with members or facilitators of similar communities where you can cross post discussions and
help each other to stimulate discussion
Tip 9 - Newsletters
Read allabout it!
Tip 10 - Hire bloggers
Encourage key members or subject matter experts to blog on a regular basis.
This will give the community a heads up on
upcoming topics or an insight into the hottest
topics and events
Tip 11 - Hotseat
Hotseat’s are a useful tool that can be used within a Community of Practice; it
enables participants to ask the person or persons in
the hotseat questions, which they can post over a
set period of time.
Normally these questions and answer session are
hosted within the forum to help capture the responses.
Welcome them, give them pointers on
getting started, suggest topics where they might
participate, and tell them about any
interesting upcoming events.
Provide some reward to those who make the
effort
From stranger to passer by
Make personalised invitation
From lurker to participant
From participant to regular
From passer by to lurker
Getting and Retaining members
Make potential members aware of your
community
Building content that will attract members
Encourage members to bring in interesting
participants
Send an email to new members within 24
hours of their membership
Highlight community content
Create "small steps" for encouraging
participation, posting regular
questions or forum answers
ALWAYS greet newcomers, and encourage other
community members to welcome them.
Write a regular newsletter highlighting
your site and community People return to places
where they find a group of people to talk to. If
you do not have such a place, you will not be
able to retain members. No effort on your part, no matter how great, will create a regular
where there is no community
Facilitate members to find people to talk, through personal
profiles, highlighting member interests,
discussions, and so on.