Knowledge Hub

https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk

Introduction to online communities - How to create an active and vibrant online community of practice

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Get the most out of the webinar

• Turn off email, phones instant messenger tools

• Let colleagues know you are on a webinar – to avoid

distractions

Craig Jarrow author of Time Management Ninja says

“The average worker gets interrupted 15+ times an

hour. And we wonder why work doesn’t get done.”

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Before we start

If you have a question please use the questions function

and type them in on the right hand screen and we will

answer as many as we can at the end of the webinar.

If we are unable to answer them on the day we will take

them away and answer them for you after the event.

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Michael Norton

Community Manager

Knowledge Hub

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What we will cover today

• what is an online community?

• the benefits?

• different types of communities

• managing expectations

• key ingredients

• facilitation tactics

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What is an online community?

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Community of Practice

Etienne Wenger points out the term "community of practice" is

of relatively recent coinage, even though the phenomenon it

refers to is age-old.

“Communities of practice are groups of

people who share a concern or a passion for

something they do and learn how to do it

better as they interact regularly”.

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Virtual Communities

Howard Rheingold was part of one of the very first online

communities known as The WELL, established in 1985.

“Virtual communities are cultural

aggregations that emerge when enough

people bump into each other often enough in

cyberspace. A virtual community is a group

of people who may or may not meet one

another face-to-face, and who exchange

words and ideas through the mediation of

computer bulletin boards and networks”.

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Hippies

@cdhenderson: The origins of

community management? Hippies, it

would seem. #peaceout #vircomm13 <

not surprising when you think about it.

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Definition

So what exactly is an online

community? Well frankly there

is no single definition that has

been widely accepted.

But they all have similar

characteristics

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• puts you in touch with like-minded colleagues and peers

• allows you to share your experiences and learn from

others

• allows you to collaborate and achieve common

outcomes

• accelerates your learning

• validates and builds on existing knowledge and good

practice

• provides the opportunity to innovate and create new

ideas

Characteristics

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What are the benefits?

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Benefits

1. saving time

2. keeping up to date with the most current thinking

3. progressing innovations

4. sharing good practice and avoiding duplication of work

5. connecting local and central government

6. reducing carbon footprint

7. rapid induction to new roles and staff development

8. building relationships and transcending organisational

boundaries

idea.gov.uk research project on communities of practice 2008-10

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Different types of communities

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Communities of action typically have activity throughout the day

Communities of interest typically busiest in the evening and at weekends

Communities of practice typically busiest during the working day (professionals tend to switch

off completely in the evenings)

Communities of

circumstance vary depending upon whether it’s those dealing with a health issues that

restricts the participants ability to work.

Communities of location usually busiest in the evening and weekend – especially the weekend.

Feverbee.com

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Helping communities

provide a forum for community members to help

each other with everyday work needs.

Innovation communities

create breakthrough ideas, new knowledge and

new practices.

Best practice communities

develop and disseminate best practice,

guidelines, and procedures for their members’

use.

Knowledge stewarding

communities

organise, manage and steward a body of

knowledge from which community members can

draw upon.

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Managing expectations

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The myth

Most organisations

expect three things

when starting

communities

Get members

Active group

Self sustaining

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The planning

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Get

members ? Active

group ? Self

sustaining

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Don’t they run themselves?

The State of Community Management Report shows that community

managers dramatically increase engagement levels.

Legend Lurker Contributor Creator

1-9-90

Wikipedia 2006

10-20-70

Socious 2011

15-30-55

SOCM Average 2013

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Key ingredients

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Ingredients

Purpose

Facilitation

Activities

Active

membership

Promotion

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Technology

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Action plan

Events • Hotseats, conferences, teleconference, launch events,

demonstrations and webinars.

Communications:

• Newsletters, blog postings, uploading of fresh content (seeding),

continual promotion of the group, on-going communications,

invitations, forums and marketing.

Day to day activities:

• Accepting and rejecting members, training and support, FAQs,

moderation, weeding and surveys

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Your plan involves

From stranger

to passer by

From lurker

to participant

From participant

to regular

From passer by

to lurker

.

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Trough of sorrow

Launch of enthusiasm

Novelty wearing off

Trough of sorrow

The promised land!

Wiggle of false hope

Crash of hopelessness

Growth Hacking by Mattan Griffel

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Facilitator tactics

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Community Facilitation is a set

of tactics and best practices for

creating an active group

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Discussions Events / Activities

Content

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Bonding

• Members will increasingly disclosure information about themselves and gradually trust, and be trusted, by other members.

Status-jockeying

• people interact to defend or increase their status.

Conveying Information

• People interact to exchange information with one another

Dis

cu

ss

ion

s

Richard Millington www.feverbee.com

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Simple bonding / status questions

• What advice would you give to for someone who….?

• Can anyone recommend…..?

• What …… do you use?

• Does anyone know how to ………….. ?

• Has anyone tried…………….. ?

• Is it ever ok to ……. ?

• What should every newcomer know about ….?

If you want an answer, ask a question and use a mix of open

and closed questions.

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Regular activities

Annual Monthly Weekly

(Several hours) (2-3 hours each) (1 hour each)

Launch event Webinar Themed discussion

White paper Newsletter Announcement

Conference Presentation Group message

Product launch Hotseat

Competition Interview

Member achievements Challenges

Workshop Member orientation

Group purpose

Based on the work of Richard Millington www.feverbee.com

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“people come for content but stay for the community”

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Content

Institutional Content (IC)

User Generated Content (UGC)

Community Narrative Content (CNC)

created by

institutions,

organisations or

SMEs

content

generated by

community

members

content that tells

the story of the

community and

its members

Guidance, Toolkits, Research, Features,

news, and White papers

Templates, Stories, Presentations, case studies, How to and

Reviews

Newsletters, Interviews, Member achievements, Community statements, Top 10’s and Stats and

Facts

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3 month plan

Activity type Month 1 Month 2 Month 3

Events and

activities

• Creation of themed discussion topics

• Initiate a fun Friday / Welcome and

introduction discussion

• Creation of themed discussion topics

• Initiate a fun Friday / Welcome and

introduction discussion

• Creation of hotseat / webinar or

training.

• Creation of themed discussion topics

• Initiate a fun Friday / Welcome and

introduction discussion

• Creation of hotseat / webinar or

training.

• Interview with a member

Communications

• Add weekly announcement

signposting members to discussions

and content

• Prompt key members to participate in

discussions.

• Add weekly announcement

signposting members to discussions

and content

• Prompt key members to participate in

discussions.

• Add newsletter featuring most

popular discussions of the month

• Add weekly announcement

signposting members to discussions

and content

• Prompt key members to participate in

discussions.

• Add newsletter featuring most popular

discussions of the month

• Share summary of key activates in

group e.g. Hotseat, Interview etc.

Day-to-day

activities

• Directly invite a small number of

people

• Accept or decline members and

welcome / introduce them to the

community

• Populate group with interesting

documents, discussions and

upcoming events.

• Directly invite a small number of

people

• Accept or decline members and

welcome / introduce them to the

community

• Populate group with interesting

documents, discussions and

upcoming events.

• Engage in a personal interaction

with a new member

• Accept or decline members and

welcome / introduce them to the

community

• Populate group with interesting

documents, discussions and upcoming

events.

• Engage in a personal interaction with

a new member

• Reach out to key members about

being more involved in running the

community

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Active and vibrant groups

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10 minutes a day

Daily

Monday – Upload some interesting content you have collected from last

week to prompt a discussion.

Tuesday – Respond to membership requests and craft individual

responses based on the members’ reasons to join.

Wednesday – Update your announcement to highlight content and events.

(You can recycle content.)

Thursday – Respond to discussions and encourage other members to

respond.

Friday – Check your collected content to see what interesting blogs,

reports and discussions could be added to your group next week.

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Questions

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Top tips

Free E-Book

10 top tips to create an active

and vibrant online group

http://tinyurl.com/paocs2b