Moving Into a New Platform: Community Change Principles

I had an AI trained on my book (Hacking Communities) answer a question from Joshua Selesnick :

What advice do you have for moving an existing community to a new platform and helping them flourish in a new online work space?

But first, quick context:

I recently shared publicly about this: I created a GPT based on my book (Hacking Communities), via Open AI. Here’s how it introduces itself: “I am "Community Guide," an AI dedicated to offering insights and advice on community building, drawing from a diverse range of expert opinions and the principles found in "Hacking Communities" by Lais de Oliveira.”

I offered to share it privately ("anyone with the link can access" permission), and collect feedback - and several people jumped on it, I was curious to hear back from them, and keep optimizing Community Guide.

But I have gotten the feedback that the day they rolled out personal GPTs, too many people started using it as business and their servers stopped the sharing ability; I am still to figure out if I can hack it somehow. I will try making it public. And it sucks that they give me a sharing link that doesn't work; so, I told Joshua:

"If you want, ask me anything, I will ask, take a screenshot and copy and paste the text for you; Just for fun"

And he said: "I've got one!"

So, I went on to ask Community Guide for its advice on moving existing communities into new platforms. And I'll be honest: I was skeptical, since my book is more principles-driven, and not focused on discussing tools and platforms. I don't like listicles, step-by-step, or "do this" type of writing because I thing it is narrow-minded and closes people to multiple perspectives they could have.

And ultimately, I wrote my book this way because I trust readers to solve problems, if given solid principles that serve as direction.

So I said, "Let’s see." And actually it impressively took from what I say in the book and gave an answer not too far from what I’d craft if given the same question 🤯

Guess that's the magic of writing principles that are deep enough, that if taken into interpretation holistically can help solve a wide range of practical problems.

So, if you have a question you'd like to ask the GPT "Community Guide", please DM me - and I'll ask it for you, while it can't be shared publicly (hopefully soon!)

To The Point: Community Guide Advice on Moving Platforms

Copied and pasted, no edits. It links to citations in the book

Moving an existing community to a new platform and helping them flourish involves several key steps and considerations. Based on insights from "Hacking Communities," here are some strategies:

1. Engagement and Relationship Building: Continuously engage with your community. Never take their commitment for granted. Maintain the relationship by starting conversations, getting to know each other better, and creating encounters that reinforce why you stay together [oai_citation:1,Error](data:text/plain;charset=utf-8,Unable%20to%20find%20metadata).

2. Creating Reasons to Return: Regularly create opportunities for members to come back and interact. This can be done by sharing an events calendar and inviting past guests to future events. Such practices help maintain and build the community's vibrancy [oai_citation:2,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

3. Engineering Serendipity: Enhance the chance of successful encounters by increasing the rate of interactions or 'collisions' between people. This approach is based on the idea of collision theory applied to human interactions. It's about creating opportunities for members to connect in meaningful ways [oai_citation:3,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR) [oai_citation:4,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

4. Consistency and Frequency: Establish a regular cadence for community activities. Relationship building in communities relies on consistent encounters. Regular interactions help build trust over time and accelerate the sense of belonging among members [oai_citation:5,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

5. Optimizing Space for Interactions: Whether in a physical or virtual space, design the environment to facilitate interactions. The setup should encourage multi-directional conversations and optimize for serendipitous encounters [oai_citation:6,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

6. Utilizing Catalysts for Connection: Use catalysts to spark spontaneous connections. This could be through shared interests, common backgrounds, or relevant experiences that create a perceived trust and relevance among members [oai_citation:7,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

7. Balancing the Focus: Avoid focusing only on the core or most active members, as this might turn the community into an exclusive group, deterring wider participation. Similarly, focusing solely on new or less engaged members might lead to missing out on the depth and change drivers provided by more dedicated members [oai_citation:8,Hacking-Communities_Lais-Oliveira_print-version_main.pdf](file-service://file-y5p4OiIsSqYP0N6Tu7qJ5GAR).

Remember, the key to a successful transition to a new platform is to maintain the essence of what makes your community unique, while leveraging the new platform's features to enhance interaction and engagement.

That's all for now, folks!

Again: if you have a question you'd like to ask the GPT "Community Guide", please DM me - and I'll ask it for you, while it can't be shared publicly (hopefully soon, cc OpenAI ).