How to Build an Engaging Online Community
“While we are postponing, life speeds by” - Seneca
This week we had another event in Codú!
Building a community has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
It has helped me to make friends, create a positive impact, and grow my career.
My in-person version of Codú has been running since 2019, and it wasn't until Covid that I tried to keep some of that momentum by doing online events and hosting an online community.
This has led to over a thousand developers in a Discord group, ten thousand subscribers, and a considerable amount of followers on different socials.
Before Covid, myself or Codú had pretty much zero online presence.
In an upcoming issue, I'll write about hosting real-world events but for today, let's talk about how to build an online community.
I've made plenty of fuck ups, and I've been trying recently to record what efforts have been running well while hosting online so that I can hopefully scale up.
So here are my thoughts on what I think is working:
Tips on building an online Community
Create Clear Goals and Objectives
Before building your community, it's essential to have clear goals and objectives in mind.
I'm trying to build a Coderdojo for adults since I know when I started coding, making friends and upskilling with like-minded folks was challenging to find.
What do you want the purpose of your community to be? Are you looking for people to discuss specific topics or products?
Do you want people to collaborate on projects?
Knowing your goals will help guide your online community's direction so that it is successful.
Engage With Your Community
Engage with its members regularly.
This could mean participating in conversations, responding to comments, answering questions, or even creating polls or surveys.
Doing this will show that you are invested in the community's success and allow members to feel heard.
Encourage Interaction
This is the most difficult and time-consuming part, but it is what will help you create strong relationships.
I've recently been trying a new format to get people talking, so here are some things I've been doing to make people feel heard.
Once a week, I usually try welcome new members with a direct message:
Great to have you in our Discord! Let me know if I can ever help with anything.
What made you join us?
Is there anything specific you want to get out of joining the community?
I'm researching to improve the server and ensure people get the most value from the community.
And then, to get some conversation flowing, I've started a Monday and Wednesday check-in.
Here's an example of my Monday check-in (or "standup" as I've been calling it thanks to a comment or the format in the Discord (cheers Dan!).
Good morning @everyone! It is the Monday morning standup time! 1. How was your weekend? 2. Share your pictures if you took any! 3. What's your plan for the week ahead?
So this might get a bit stale, and maybe you want something else?
Asking some direct random questions can often prompt some chatter. This can be hard to think up on the fly, so I have a backlog of questions I hope to get people talking.
Here are some examples that I have on my list that I will try out soon:
If you could have free meals for life at one fast food chain, which one would you choose?
If money were no object, what would you do?
Did you start coding for passion or money?
What is one hobby you would like to try?
What is your greatest new discovery? It can be an app, TV Show, book, or whatever.
Over time you will have your own members' prompt conversation, but it cannot be guaranteed, so the best advice I got was from Matt from Frontend Mentor (who has 178k people in his Slack group): to "be the member you want to have."
It's been the most solid advice ever because the more you behave in a manner you are hoping for the more you will get these types of interactions.
Building an engaging online community takes time and effort, but it has enormous potential for growth and success when done right!
By setting clear goals, engaging with members regularly, and encouraging interaction, you will have a thriving online space for your community.
With dedication and patience, anyone can create an amazing and unique online community!
App/Site of the week 🗓
Product Hunt – The best new products in tech. — www.producthunt.com Product Hunt is a curation of the best new products, every day. Discover the latest mobile apps, websites, and technology products that everyone's talking about.
What I've been reading 📖
5 Morning Habits That Will Make You Super Productive All Day
3 mins | By Marcel Schwantes
Would you like to get a jump start on your day and keep yourself in a high state of productivity all day, every day? Before you start your work routine at your normal earthly time, consider this: many of the world's most successful founders and CEOs (think Apple's Tim Cook) have an edge because they
How to disagree without making someone defensive
3 mins | By Stephanie Vozza
There are ways to have a productive conversation with someone you disagree with. 3 minute ReadAsking someone why they are getting so defensive during a disagreement rarely helps the situation. In fact, it often makes things worse.
A Better Approach to Networking
4 mins | By Christie Hunter Arscott
Do you shy away from talking to new people at networking events? Have you ever walked into the room and felt a tightness in your chest as you stood there, sweating, wondering what to say? Most of us can relate to some version of this experience.
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That’s all for this week, have a great week ahead, and I’ll chat with you next week! 👋
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