Five Tips for Building Your Digital Community
For the last ten years, I’ve cultivated the art of building worldwide digital communities on social media. Such communities without borders can exist -- and even thrive -- despite not having face-to-face time.
As a Millennial, digital communities have been and always will be a part of my social structure. I was born at the dawn of the online revolution and having meaningful friendships that exist 100% online is normal to me.
A key thing I’ve learned is online communities have the potential to serve as real-life support systems, regardless of proximity. They exist in hundreds of different forms, from Facebook Groups to Slack, to blogs and hashtags on Instagram, to live video chat.
With government leaders now insisting everyone maintain social distancing, it’s a great time to build a strong digital community with the people and things you care about: your neighborhood, your business, your favorite hobby or interest. There are probably others in the world who would benefit from the online community you want to create.
If you are thinking about building a digital community, here are my five key tips:
1) Don’t reinvent the wheel. Make sure the group you want to create doesn’t already exist.
Before you start a new Facebook Group or Slack workspace for your neighborhood, check to make sure it doesn’t already exist. If there is one or if it’s just beginning, the hard work is already done. You can jump right in and help it grow!
2) Figure out the best platform/digital space for your community and create it.
The most successful digital community I’ve created is Dirtbag Runners, which started out as a blog and Instagram account where we re-shared runner’s photos. It eventually spilled across other social media networks, growing into 40 different Facebook Groups and an Instagram channel with more than 175,000 tagged user-generated photos.
About 95% of our ambassador communication happens via Facebook Groups. This is where we thrive and do weekly check-ins, hold regular group discussions and post questions about training, running and life in general. We’re planning a group video chat soon where we’ll watch a movie together.
While Facebook worked for us, there are several other options available, like Slack, Reddit and LinkedIn Groups.
And since I mentioned Slack….
3) Create a Slack Channel for your work or team.
Slack will replace your lengthy e-mail threads, Google Hangouts and conversations by the watercooler. Tech companies that largely work remotely already use Slack but it is new to educational systems and most other businesses. It’s a robust platform available via phone app and desktop app.
You can use Slack for group discussions via their channels feature, individual group chats and to connect to Google Drive and other task management software. It offers different channels for various topics. Slack is perfect for work-related digital communities.
4) Help Cultivate Your Community
If you create a digital community, you need to cultivate it. Create a personal goal, like posting every Monday to check in with everyone. Ask them about their week. Ask them icebreaker questions. Share content that’s relative to the community you’ve created. Ask the group members to introduce themselves, share why they joined and what their hopes are for it. Or, if you’re in a hobby-based group, share your work in progress and encourage others to do the same.
5) Turn to Your Community For Support
In 2016 my grandmother, Pauline Wolfe, turned 100 years old while in hospice care. I turned to the Dirtbag Runners online community I had created and asked members to each send her a birthday card. The love I had poured into developing this digital community was returned to me tenfold. She ended up receiving almost 1,000 letters from runners around the world. The support helped me through one of the hardest periods of my life.
6) Establish Goals and Rules that Empower the Group to Have a Life of Its Own
A lesson I learned early on with Dirtbags Runners was how to both moderate it but also let the members literally run with it.
Successful digital communities have a life of their own. Establish clear goals and rules, and moderate the group only when necessary. Social Media Examiner is a great resource for Facebook Groups and how to moderate them.
Chances are if you’re reading this, you already have a desire to give back and help create something meaningful. Now, more than ever, it’s important for each of us to realize our potential of becoming leaders.