- [Instructor] What are some best practices
for building a community online?
The first step is getting really clear
on who your community is for.
What is your reason for building this community?
And remember, it's not going to be for everybody.
It's for specific individuals
that truly resonate with your message.
Gaining clarity on this
is important for the best practices to come.
Choose the right platform.
If you're thinking of using a social media platform
like Facebook or want the flexibility of an owned platform,
understand the fundamental differences between the two.
Choosing the right platform
will help you better manage your community
because it's easy for you to use it
and it's easy for your members to use it.
Some things to consider is a social media platform
allows you to leverage an existing audience.
An example is everybody in your group
likely is already on Facebook.
So getting them over to your Facebook group is a lot easier
but they aren't designed
with your specific community in mind.
An owned community is flexible and customizable
and it offers you more control over your brand
but it may cost money and take more setup time.
Tips for choosing the right platform
is to first keep your community private until you launch
and perfect the sign-up and sign-in process.
This process will ensure
it makes it as easy for members as possible
to sign up and join your community.
Next, set community rules and guidelines.
Guidelines and rules simply set expectations
for communication and behavior from your members
and having these boundaries is really important
for everyone to feel safe.
How to create your guidelines
is simply sitting down and writing out a document
of what your expectations are for your members.
Once you've completed this,
add this to your group's documentation.
Perhaps it's in the welcome message.
Maybe your members have to sign off and agree to it
and you can always ask all your members
to review your guidelines
just to make sure everyone's on the same page.
Know that as your community grows,
your guidelines might as well
so don't be afraid to review them
if your community is getting a little squirrely.
A great example of community guidelines is from Nextdoor.
Check on your community regularly.
There is no build it and they will come
and set it and forget it.
Make sure that you're checking in on a consistent basis
and when you do, come from an authentic place.
That means that you are geared towards listening
to your community.
Don't be defensive.
If they're trying to offer you criticism or solutions,
simply take it as valuable input and feedback
and always show appreciation.
People don't have to be a part of your community
so when they do, it is truly special.
Don't forget to welcome new members.
You'll see this a lot on Facebook groups
where the group leader will mention
all the members maybe on a Member Monday and tag them
so everyone can feel comfortable and included.
Consider hiring a community manager.
Basically, your community manager
is a single point of contact
and consistent voice for your community.
They're really important.
You might check Upwork for potential candidates
if you're looking to hire a dedicated role
or perhaps there's someone already within your community
acting like a moderator that you could perhaps bring in
as a community manager.
You could also dedicate this role
to someone within your organization.
You see this a lot with an administrative assistant.
They might also take on the community manager role.
Some of the following traits
as a general guideline when hiring
are they must be a great communicator
especially in written form.
It's really a nice to have
if they have strong social networking skills
and I always look for creativity.
That means that they're looking for new opportunities,
creating creative campaigns.
That's really important.
It's also a plus that they understand your business
or industry but if not, a willingness to learn
and a general curiosity goes really far
and the analytical side is always really helpful.
This means that they can sift
through the social data for insight.
They can see trends and patterns
within your online community.
These best practices will be the guiding principles
for building your community and keeping you on track.
Are there any best practices we went over
that you're missing?
If so, take action
and start adding them into your building efforts.