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The Community Roundtable

Empowering global community leaders with research-backed resources, training, and tools.

Five Can’t Miss Community Programming Ideas

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Our State of Community Management research makes it clear: thoughtful content and programs increase engagement and drive the long-term success of communities.

Content and programs are often seen as one collective entity, but they serve two different roles for communities: content connects people into the community, while programs create opportunities for members to connect with each other. Both have value and both are needed.

In this new ebook we share five programs that drive long-term engagement and increase the ways your members connect. You’ll learn about:

  • member spotlights
  • ask me anythings
  • work out louds
  • photo sharing contests
  • questions of the week

and how to implement them in your community. Pro-tip – it might be easy to launch a new program, but don’t expect overnight success. This is definitely a case of “slow and steady wins the [engagement] race.” Get your members used to these new, regular programs and engagement will follow. Do not be discouraged if it takes awhile – stick with it.

https://www.slideshare.net/rhappe/five-cant-miss-community-programming-ideas

Download the free ebook. 

TheCR Network 2016 Year in Review

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As we close in on the end of 2016 we are always excited to take a minute and look back at the year. It’s easy to forget about all the things you’ve accomplished when your days fly by (anyone who works in community can probably commiserate!)

In 2016 we saw membership in TheCR Network grow, we expanded our live events series and we got to work with new community professionals all over the world. We are incredibly lucky to collaborate with and learn from some of the brightest minds in the community space. Here’s a quick look back at our 2016 – we’d love to hear what made your top ten list for the year?

thecrnetwork_infographic_2016_final

 

TheCR Network Sneak Peek: June 2016

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By Hillary Boucher, Community Manager at The Community Roundtable

TheCR Network logoIt is officially Summer! And while our programming does slow down a little in the Summer months June was bustling with activity. We wrapped up another guided community management training course (free for all members), launched an exciting new group and saw tons of activity in our discussion threads.

Check what else has been going on inside TheCR Network this past month:

  • External Community Fundamentals (Training): Our second official community training class – External Community Fundamentals – just wrapped up and we are delighted with the results. 30 participants contributed to active discussions around the content and people were quick to share their “homework” worksheets with each other to extend the learning even further. Bundling training into our standard membership was one of the most exciting things we’ve done this year – I love providing more value to our members!

  • CommunityToolsandPlatforms_1Community Tools & Platforms Group (Content Group): TheCR Network is organized internally into groups – like mini-communities of practice. This month we launched another interest specific group – a Community Tools & Platforms Group. The Network is already a safe place for members to ask questions, share stories and get great advice. With this new group we’ve taken it a step further – no vendors allowed. While our members have always shared candid advice about their experiences with different vendors this is just a new way to gather that info in one place, and make finding an answer to the questions you have even easier. Our goal with this group is to help members assess and choose community platforms more strategically.

  • Ideation, Challenges & Community (Discussion Thread): Nothing makes my community management heart sing like members helping members. This month we had a lively discussion centered around “Ideation, Challenges & Community” – which resulted in some epic sharing on our members parts. This was a textbook example of community gone right – members sharing program details and lessons learned to help each other learn and grow. Can’t ask for much more than engagement like that!

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Want to access our exclusive community programming for the benefit of your community work? Looking for community peers to share with and learn form? Reach out and ask us about membership in TheCR Network

TheCR Network

Best Practices from TheCR Network: Hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA)

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By Shannon Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

Recently we’ve caught the AMA (Ask Me Anything) bug. Maybe you’ve seen our AMA webinars with community managers? Our members are realizing the value of the AMA format for real-time community engagement, and have been sharing best practices for AMAs within their communities. I wanted to share a few of the best practices that TheCR Network members swear by when planning and executing a successful AMA.

Think big but start small.

The gold standard for AMAs are those found on Reddit (the site that popularized the format) which can attract thousands of engaged participants. Don’t be discouraged if your first few AMAs only attract a small fraction of that audience – every new programming event can take some time to get up and running smoothly.

AMA Ask Me Anything

The always delightful Bill Murray takes part in a Reddit AMA.

Set expectations. 

You’re on board with the “think big, start small” idea so now make sure you set that expectation with stakeholders and guests. You may have to host regular AMAs for a while before you will really see engagement pick-up (a month or more). It takes people awhile to get comfortable with something new like an AMA where they are expected to actively participate. Setting expectations is important for your guest, too. If you’re bringing in someone from outside your network, or even working with a community member, make sure they are comfortable, too. But don’t give up!

Be prepared to guide the conversation. 

Sometimes a new format can force people back into their shells.  Don’t be afraid to seed people to ask questions — a great tactic here is to see if your expert has colleagues within the community who might be able to direct questions toward him or her. Because of that existing relationship, those questions will feel very natural and comfortable and (hopefully) create a model for others.

Do you host AMAs or other alternative community programs to get people engaged in your community? You can find more Reddit specific tips here.  We’d love to hear your tips for hosting a successful AMA series.