How do you foster online community collaboration and co-creation?

1 Define your purpose and audience

Before you start any online community project, you need to have a clear idea of why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. What is the problem you are trying to solve, the change you are trying to make, or the value you are trying to create? Who are the people you want to involve, reach, or serve? How do they relate to your purpose and each other? Having a clear purpose and audience will help you design your online platform, communication channels, and activities to suit their needs, interests, and preferences.

2 Choose your tools and platforms

There are many tools and platforms available for online community organizing, such as websites, blogs, social media, forums, wikis, podcasts, webinars, surveys, polls, and more. You don't need to use them all, but you need to choose the ones that best fit your purpose and audience. Consider the following factors when selecting your tools and platforms: accessibility, usability, functionality, security, cost, and compatibility. You also need to think about how you will integrate them and create a seamless user experience.

3 Establish your norms and rules

Online communities need norms and rules to function well and avoid conflicts, misunderstandings, and abuse. Norms are the informal expectations and behaviors that guide how members interact with each other and the community. Rules are the formal policies and procedures that regulate what members can and cannot do on the platform. You need to establish your norms and rules early on and communicate them clearly to your members. You also need to enforce them consistently and fairly, and revise them as needed.

4 Invite and welcome your members

Once you have your purpose, audience, tools, platforms, norms, and rules in place, you are ready to invite and welcome your members. You can use various methods to attract and recruit potential members, such as word-of-mouth, email, social media, events, campaigns, incentives, and referrals. You also need to make sure that your members feel welcome and valued when they join your community. You can do this by sending them a personalized message, introducing them to other members, offering them guidance and support, and inviting them to participate in your activities.

5 Encourage and facilitate participation

Participation is the key to online community collaboration and co-creation. You want your members to not only consume your content, but also contribute their ideas, opinions, feedback, skills, and resources. You can encourage and facilitate participation by providing various opportunities and formats for your members to engage with you and each other, such as discussions, comments, questions, polls, surveys, challenges, projects, contests, events, and more. You also need to provide recognition and rewards for your members' participation, such as badges, points, certificates, prizes, or shout-outs.

6 Nurture and sustain relationships

Online community collaboration and co-creation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires nurturing and sustaining relationships. You need to build trust, rapport, and loyalty among your members and between you and your members. You can do this by being responsive, transparent, respectful, and supportive. You also need to foster a sense of belonging, identity, and community among your members. You can do this by creating a shared vision, mission, and values; celebrating your achievements and milestones; highlighting your stories and testimonials; and organizing online or offline meetups.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?