The Blog
On community, commitment, and connection.
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What do community builders need? Insights from Our 2022 Survey of 200+
Let's dive into some of what we learned from our recent survey. It surprised our team - and wasn't what we were hoping for. But it revealed critical insights for the future of our work and the needs in front of us.
Should you leave your Facebook Group?
Is it time to ditch the Facebook Group you built and move on to a new community platform? This is a big question. Let’s break it down and then learn step-by-step how to migrate from Facebook Groups to a new platform.
What is the best community software?
To avoid sinking invaluable time and effort into the wrong platform, I created this resource to guide you through the best way to answer this question for yourself. Walk through these 3 questions to make a more intentional decision.
How to Increase Community Engagement by 740%
Perhaps you feel like you’ve failed to reach your community’s potential. Or you just feel stuck. And that’s okay. Because I’m going to tell you how Maggie got unstuck and increased engagement in her community from just 5% to 42% of her total membership.
The Community Builder’s Guide to Member Research Surveys
Survey research is fast, nearly free, and broadly accessible. But community builders need to know that survey research is only valuable to a point. Learn how to conduct the most effective possible quantitative survey research for your community.
How To Set Meaningful KPIs for Your Brand Community: A 2022 Guide
It doesn’t matter if you have been building community for days, months, or years. There is one topic that gives most community builders pause: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). A community KPI is a key performance indicator that helps you monitor your community’s contribution toward larger organizational outcomes.
The 6 Biggest Myths & Mistakes of Online Communities
A lot of people believe a lot of BS about online communities. It stops them from being successful. Learn how to recognize and counter these myths.
The Ultimate Quick-Start Guide to Meaningful Engagement
Tired of throwing spaghetti at the wall to engage your online community? Let’s get strategic. This guide and video will walk you through how to meaningfully engage your community and cut through the noise.
5 Reasons Your Organization Needs an Online Community Now
There’s never been a better time to invest strategically in your online community efforts. It’s expensive NOT to create your community now. And there’s more.
The Two Ways for Leaders to Emerge Online
There are - broadly speaking - two ways for leaders to emerge online. I'm here to tell you: Pick a lane. Neither is better or worse. Get clear what you're really after: a co-created, democratic community effort or a space in which you/your organization are the expert and organizer.
When Does Digital Connection Do Harm?
There is a popular modern saying you have probably heard many times: we are more connected today and yet more alone than ever before.
It's a catchy turn of phrase.
But is it really true?
The 80/20 Rule for Communities: In Practice
There is an economic principle called the 80/20 rule. The principle states that, in almost any area, 20% of your inputs will yield 80% of your results. This is also true in communities. Even if a handful of people do "the work" in your community, it is impossible to create meaningful outcomes without the entire group.
What Can Dolly Parton Teach Community Leaders?
In these times, we need grace, a good belly laugh, space to play, and music that crosses boundaries and cultures. We need Dolly Parton energy.
Witnessing Missed Opportunities for Connection
Through the eyes of a community builder, you can see how often and why connection opportunities get missed. It can be exhausting to be present to opportunities for connection in a world that highly values production, outcomes, and efficiency. Yet that is our work.
How To Design Your Community for Trustworthiness
Trust is the key to community-building. How many times have you heard someone say that? What we often don't know is how it gets built. Here is some of what I have learned about how trust gets built.