3 tips to organising your forums when you start a new online group
Navigating a new organisational environment or online community can be challenging, particularly when the structure is unclear. My initial experience when starting at a district council highlighted this.
A corridor with unmarked green doors presented a daily uncertainty. Behind one might be a bustling workspace, while another could lead to an empty room or a storage closet. As a new staff member, entering a busy room unannounced felt intrusive, and discovering an empty space raised questions about its purpose.
This experience mirrors a common pitfall in online forum design. Facilitators, aiming to foster broad engagement, sometimes create numerous categories and sub-categories, covering a wide range of potential topics.
However, this can inadvertently lead to confusion and intimidation, especially for newcomers encountering categories devoid of content – what might be termed as "dormant categories" due to their lack of substance or “donut categories” due to the shape of the zero questions.
Having an overabundance of categories can dilute activity. Vibrant discussions within a specific category may become less visible as new, inactive categories pushing them further down the page or even on to the second page, which are often overlooked by members leading to the decline of otherwise thriving conversations.
Here are three simple things you can try to make things better:
1. Don't build those "empty rooms": Start small with your categories. Maybe even begin with no categories at all and then add them slowly as people start talking about things that naturally fit together. Let the discussions guide you!
2. Go easy on the "seeding": When you're starting a new online group, it's tempting to fill the forums with your own posts to get the ball rolling. But sometimes, it can feel a bit like you're talking to yourself. If you do want to kick things off, try doing it a little at a time, or even better, ask some friendly members to post or ask questions. It feels more natural when it comes from them, and others are more likely to jump in! You can even be a little sneaky and ask questions you know people have the answers to - instant engagement!
3. Lead by example: As the person running the online group, the way you ask questions and respond to people really sets the behaviour. If you're positive and friendly, chances are, other people will be too! So, try to keep your interactions upbeat, and you'll see that behaviour flow through the discussions.
