Creating Communities - PodCamp Toronto 2016
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Communities are supportive networks of people that can be built around anything. You can tap into the power of community to meet new people, create relationships, collaborate on projects, raise awareness for a cause, improve your business, support your customers, and above all else, make a real impact on the lives of others. Consider this session a fun kick-off into the world of community creation. We’ll start with some high-level theory, slowly descend into some examples of successful communities, and then gently touch down with practical resources for starting your own community initiatives.
Andy McIlwainFollow
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Creating Communities - PodCamp Toronto 2016
- 1. Creating Communities Andy McIlwain @ PodCamp Toronto 2016
- 2. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Hi! I’m Andy. I’m a caffeine-addicted web geek who loves marketing, design, code, and building communities of all kinds.
- 3. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 But first, some context. I’ve been at this for a while.
- 4. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Late 90’s: ezBoard Rocking social media before social media was a thing.
- 5. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 2000’s: GTAForums The world’s largest Grand Theft Auto community.
- 6. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 2010-Present: WPToronto & WordCamp Toronto All WordPress, all the time!
- 7. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Around 2010, I learned something important: Creating communities can be more than a hobby.
- 9. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 What am I doing now? ● Community at GoDaddy Pro ● Organizing WPToronto & WordCamp Toronto ● Content & Community at Agency Chat ● Supporting Lab T.O. Co-working Note: This presentation is 100% me, Andy McIlwain, and is not associated with any of the organizations on this slide!
- 10. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Hopefully that gives you some context! Now let’s get into it, shall we?
- 11. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Three things we’ll look at today: 1. Community Theory The “thinking” behind everything. 2. Community Planning Things you can do to launch your own community. 3. Community Examples For reference and inspiration.
- 12. Community Theory The “thinking” behind everything.
- 13. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 What is a Community? “A persistent, extended network of supportive people spanning multiple events, online hubs, geographies, organizations, etc.”
- 14. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Why create a Community? Different question: What problems are you solving by bringing people together? ...there’s your answer.
- 15. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Sense of Community 1. Membership. Knowing who is and isn’t a member. 2. Influencing the group and being influenced by it. 3. Fulfillment. Getting what you need. 4. Emotional Connection. Feeling like you belong.
- 16. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Types of Community 1. Interest. Sharing a passion or hobby. 2. Action. Bringing about change. 3. Place. Geographic boundaries. 4. Practice. Same profession or activities. 5. Circumstance. External events/situations.
- 17. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Community Growth Stages 1. Hierarchy. One-to-many. Think “audience”. 2. Emergent. Responding to external triggers. 3. Community. Participate and create. 4. Networked. Tied into everything you do.
- 18. Community Roundtable’s Community Maturity Model is the basis of the “Growth Stages” on the previous slide.
- 20. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Incentivizing Participation 1. Status: Recognition and reputation. 2. Access: Information, people, resources. 3. Power: Control and capabilities. 4. Stuff: Discounts, freebies, giveaways.
- 21. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Community Member Types 1. Competitors. Winning and challenging others. 2. Achievers. Accomplishing goals. 3. Socialites. Making connections & friends. 4. Explorers. Discovering the unknown.
- 22. Community Planning Things you can do to launch your own community.
- 23. Community Planning Model Who Why How What Where When Your community members. The vision and goals for your community. Community values, principles, guidelines. Activities to encourage member participation. Places where your community will be present. Timelines and phases for building your community.
- 24. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The People Who are your community members? Business: Customers, Employees Podcast: Audience, Paid Subscribers, Guests
- 25. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The Vision Why does your community exist? Speak with your stakeholder groups, internal (company/team) and external (members).
- 26. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Stakeholder Questions ● What are your overall goals? ● How can community support your goals? ● How do we measure goal progress?
- 27. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The Principles How will you create a supportive environment? Determine the values of your community.
- 28. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Protect Your Principles ● Content Guidelines for different groups. ● Code of Conduct for expected behaviour. ● Voice and Tone guide for overall “vibe”.
- 29. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The Location Where will your community gather?
- 30. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Presence with BOPs ● Base is your home (primary activity). ● Outposts are online (active, engaged). ● Passports are passive (low engagement). Kudos to Chris Brogan for developing this framework!
- 31. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The Activities What will you do to encourage participation and contribution?
- 32. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Ideas for Activities ● Q&A Discussions (e.g. AMAs) ● Curated Content / Sharing (Reddit style) ● Member Stories (Case studies, interviews) ● In-Person Events (e.g. Meetups) ● Live Conversations (e.g. Google Hangouts, Blab) ● Games & Competitions (e.g. contests, challenges)
- 33. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 The Timeline When will all of this be done?
- 34. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Working in Phases 1. Planning. Answer the questions. 2. Foundation. Build, recruit, participate. 3. Early growth. Recognize members and team up.
- 35. Community Planning Model Who Why How What Where When Your community members. The vision and goals for your community. Community values, principles, guidelines. Activities to encourage member participation. Places where your community will be present. Timelines and phases for building your community.
- 36. Community Examples Communities in the wild, for inspiration & reference.
- 37. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Wistia Community of practice.
- 38. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Bodybuilding.com Community of interest.
- 39. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Hawthorne Villager Community of place.
- 40. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 WordPress.org Community of action.
- 41. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 #PCTO16 Community of circumstance.
- 42. Recap & Resources What did we learn, and what comes next?
- 43. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Creating Communities: In A NutshellSense of Community: Membership, Influence, Fulfillment of Needs, Emotional Connection Five Community Types: Interest, Action, Place, Practice, Circumstance Community Growth Stages: Hierarchy, Emergent, Community, Networked Incentivizing Participation: Status, Access, Power, and Stuff Types of Community Members: Competitors, Achievers, Socialites, Explorers Planning a community? Answer the following: ● Who are your community members? ● Why does your community exist? ● How will you create a supportive community? ● Where will your community gather? ● What activities will trigger participation? ● When will all of the work be done? Looking for more information? Check out: ● CMX Hub ● FeverBee ● Community Roundtable ● Coral Project ● Community series on Wikipedia ● Ant’s Eye View on SlideShare
- 44. @andymciCreating Communities @ PodCamp Toronto 2016 Some final words... Communities take time. They’re an investment, a long-term play*. *Kudos to Dev Basu for the metaphor! Communities evolve. Embrace change and new opportunities. Communities are complicated. Prepare yourself for challenges. They’re half the fun!
- 45. Thank You! Find me (and these slides) @ andymci.com
Editor's Notes
- Sense of Community There are four elements that make up a “sense of community”. Membership: Boundaries, emotional safety, identification/belonging, investment, symbols. Influence: Members influence the group, and are influenced by the group. Integration / Fulfillment of Needs: Rewarded for participation. Emotional Connection: Shared history and shared participation. Source: http://www.wright-house.com/psychology/sense-of-community.html
- Types of Communities And there are five types of communities: Interest: People who share the same interest or passion. Action: People trying to bring about change. Place: People brought together by geographic boundaries. Practice: People in the same profession or undertake the same activities. Circumstance. People brought together by external events/situations.
- Community Growth There are four stages of community maturity, especially when we’re talking about branded/customer communities. (Note that different sources will provide slightly different takes on community growth or evolution; this is the first one that really “clicked” for me, so I use it.) Hierarchy: “One-to-many” approach. Less about community and more about audience. Emergent: “Respond” approach. Begin light participation, but still mostly one-to-many. Community: “Engage and produce” approach. Community team works with others. Networked: “Part of the DNA” approach. There’s a community aspect to everything. Source: Community Maturity Model (Community Roundtable)
- Feverbee’s model looks at the community in a vacuum, rather than as part of a larger organization.
- Rewarding / Incentivizing Participation For this we’re going to tap into a gamification model called SAPS, or “Status Access Power Stuff”. These are the motivational levers that encourage people to participate in a game, or in our case, in a community. Status. Recognition and reputation. Access. Information, people, or other resources. Power. are abilities, things that a member can do. Stuff. Physical items as a reward for participation. Worth noting that “stuff” is the most expensive and least effective. Discounts and freebies only motivate people for a short period of time.
- Types of Community Members Sticking with the gamification references here: Bartle’s player types align nicely to the type of members you’ll find in a community: the competitors (killers), the achievers, the socializers, and the explorers. Competitors: Focused on winning and competition. Motivated by leaderboards and ranks. Achievers: Focused on status and accomplishing goals. Motivated by achievements. Socialites: Focused on making friends and contacts. Motivated by friendslists and chat. Explorers: Focused on discovering the unknown. Motivated by obscure achievements. Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6474/personality_and_play_styles_a_.php?print=1
- Illustration of the Community Planning ecosystem.
- Think about all of the different groups that will be present in your community. For a business that may be customers, employees, partners, vendors, and the general public. For a podcast, it may be your audience, paid subscribers, sponsors, guests, hosts, and production team.
- This is the grand vision for your community, the mission or goals that you’re trying to achieve. To determine what your goals are, speak to your stakeholders. If you’re working within an organization, the stakeholders may be the people who control your budget, or whose approval is required for the work to be done. Some questions to ask: What are the overall goals for what you’re working on? In what ways do you think community could support those goals? How do we measure progress towards those goals?
- This is the grand vision for your community, the mission or goals that you’re trying to achieve. To determine what your goals are, speak to your stakeholders. If you’re working within an organization, the stakeholders may be the people who control your budget, or whose approval is required for the work to be done. Some questions to ask: What are the overall goals for what you’re working on? In what ways do you think community could support those goals? How do we measure progress towards those goals?
- How will your community achieve this vision? This gets into determining the guidelines / values / principles of the community. Content guidelines for various groups (e.g. members, employees, moderators). Code of conduct establishing rules for expected behaviour and related penalties. Voice and tone setting the overall “vibe” for what your community stands for.
- How will your community achieve this vision? This gets into determining the guidelines / values / principles of the community. Content guidelines for various groups (e.g. members, employees, moderators). Code of conduct establishing rules for expected behaviour and related penalties. Voice and tone setting the overall “vibe” for what your community stands for.
- Where will the community gather? Alright! So thus far we know who your community members are, why the community exists, and how you will engage with community members. This should provide some decent information to help guide your choice in where your community should have a presence. There’s a model for this called BOPs, coined by Chris Brogan. It stands for Bases, Outposts, and Passports. Bases are controlled by you and where you’re primarily present, like a community forum or blog. Outposts are where you’re present and actively engaged, e.g. Facebook or Twitter. Passports are where you’re present, but not actively engaged, e.g. Google Plus.
- Where will the community gather? Alright! So thus far we know who your community members are, why the community exists, and how you will engage with community members. This should provide some decent information to help guide your choice in where your community should have a presence. There’s a model for this called BOPs, coined by Chris Brogan. It stands for Bases, Outposts, and Passports. Bases are controlled by you and where you’re primarily present, like a community forum or blog. Outposts are where you’re present and actively engaged, e.g. Facebook or Twitter. Passports are where you’re present, but not actively engaged, e.g. Google Plus.
- What specific activities will your community have? These are the specific activities that you will facilitate through the community. Another way to look at it is to think of an activity plan or content calendar. Some content types to think about: Q&A Discussions (e.g. AMAs) Curated Content / Sharing (pulling from other sources) Member Stories (case studies, interviews, showcasing projects) In-Person Events (meetups, socials, conferences) Live Conversations (e.g. via Hangouts, Blab, Skype, or elsewhere) Games & Competitions (answer the question, “this or that”, caption contests, etc.) Over time more organic activities will pop up as members begin taking the initiative to start things on their own. At the outset, though, it’s up to you -- the community builder -- to facilitate these activities.
- What specific activities will your community have? These are the specific activities that you will facilitate through the community. Another way to look at it is to think of an activity plan or content calendar. Some content types to think about: Q&A Discussions (e.g. AMAs) Curated Content / Sharing (pulling from other sources) Member Stories (case studies, interviews, showcasing projects) In-Person Events (meetups, socials, conferences) Live Conversations (e.g. via Hangouts, Blab, Skype, or elsewhere) Games & Competitions (answer the question, “this or that”, caption contests, etc.) Over time more organic activities will pop up as members begin taking the initiative to start things on their own. At the outset, though, it’s up to you -- the community builder -- to facilitate these activities.
- When will all of this be done? This is your community’s timeline. You’ll go through multiple phases: Planning: Essentially what we’re talking about here, putting all the pieces in place, answering all of the questions above through 1:1 conversations with stakeholders and potential members. Foundation-Laying: Start setting up your BOPs, producing content, identifying earlybird community members, and making connections. Related: Be a tummeler. Early-Stage Growth: Recognizing community contributors and setting up mutually-beneficial partnerships with other groups. This helps give your group more exposure.
- When will all of this be done? This is your community’s timeline. You’ll go through multiple phases: Planning: Essentially what we’re talking about here, putting all the pieces in place, answering all of the questions above through 1:1 conversations with stakeholders and potential members. Foundation-Laying: Start setting up your BOPs, producing content, identifying earlybird community members, and making connections. Related: Be a tummeler. Early-Stage Growth: Recognizing community contributors and setting up mutually-beneficial partnerships with other groups. This helps give your group more exposure. From that point on you’re balancing a mix of iterative improvement (listening to member feedback, looking at reports, and making tweaks as necessary)
- Illustration of the Community Planning ecosystem.