Online Communities: What are they, how to build them, and what are the benefits?

In the area of digital transformation, it is becoming increasingly important for learned societies to take advantage of the opportunities provided by online communities. These virtual spaces offer a host of benefits and advantages, including gaining new sponsorships, increased sales to events, the opportunity to connect with like-minded people, share ideas, and gain knowledge in ways not previously possible.

What are online communities?

They are spaces where users can connect with each other and engage in meaningful conversations on topics that are relevant to their interests, they are found on social networking platforms but there are also websites or forums dedicated to a specific topic. Among the most popular are Facebook groups, WhatsApp , online communities on platforms such as Twitter Instagram , among the most popular forums we find:

• Reddit: It is one of the largest and most active online communities, with millions of users sharing content every day.

• Quora : This question and answer forum allows users to ask questions and get answers from experts in various fields.

• Stack Exchange : This network of sites provides a platform for users to ask questions and get answers from other knowledgeable members.

• 4chan: This image forum site is known for its controversial content, but it also has many active discussion forums.

Goal of building online communities

Provide a space for like-minded people to connect with each other

What offers the possibility of sharing ideas, experiences and knowledge generating among its members a feeling of belonging and support.

Create a feeling of community

This sense of community is beneficial both to individual members and to society as a whole. A strong sense of community can help foster the cohesion of societal goals.

encourage collaboration

Collaboration allows members to pool their resources and knowledge to achieve common goals which helps build trust and relationships among members.

provide support

This support can take forms such as practical or financial support. Professionals who belong to online communities can, for example, propose some research, and request economic or professional support for its execution.

The benefits of participating in online communities

There are numerous benefits to participating in online communities, such as increased visibility for your organization and its members, access to new ideas and perspectives from around the world, the opportunity to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and advancements in your profession and field of work, and further.

In these spaces, members discuss the challenges of their profession or industry, and in turn about the solutions that can be implemented to address them. This type of collaboration helps foster a sense of ownership among scientists while promoting innovation and collective work.

Scientific societies that participate in online communities can benefit in multiple ways. For example, a recent study found that organizations that participate in online communities get an average of 25% more exposure and 14% more sales growth compared to those that don't.

In addition to this exercise, societies can gain valuable insights into their members by tracking conversations and feedback from their community.

How to build communities online?

Define your goal

Once you're clear about your goal, you can start to identify the type of community you want to build and the people who will be most interested in joining it.

find a platform

There are several platforms that can be used for online communities, the most common being, as mentioned above, social media, forums, and chat rooms. It is important to choose a platform that allows you to achieve your purpose and reach your target audience. Other platforms that you can use, different from the ones we already mentioned are:

• Mighty Networks: It is one of the most popular online community platforms. It offers a comprehensive set of features that make it easy to create and manage an online community. It also has an app store where you can add new features to your community.

• Vanilla Forums: Has a number of features that make it easy to build and manage a vibrant online forum or discussion board.

• Hivebrite: Platform to create an attractive online community. It offers advanced customization options and allows you to embed content from other websites into your own.

• Tribe: Customizable platform that allows you to create your own unique online communities. It has an app store where you can add new features to your site, as well as the ability to embed content from other websites into yours.

Build quality relationships with members of your community

Once you have a platform for your community, you need to start building relationships with members. This can be done by engaging in conversation, providing valuable content, and offering support. As you build relationships with members, they will feel more involved in the community and more likely to participate actively.

Promotes participation and interaction

The last step is to promote continued participation within the community. This can be done by organizing virtual events, initiating debates on a specific topic or research that is being carried out; You can also do it by offering incentives for participation such as discounts to events, free licenses, recognition and anything you think can work as a show of gratitude to your community and encourage them to stay actively within it. By encouraging participation, you will keep your community active and engaged.

Suggestions and activities that your society can carry out to build online communities:

Maintain constant communication with your members: You can do it through forums, creating profiles and groups on social networks in which you maintain a constant flow of communications and interactions.

Provide a platform where your members can discuss and collaborate: You can create a website with one of the tools we suggested above, where your members can find each other through video conferencing, share their work and studies, and discuss or give their opinion on various topics of interest.

Keep your members informed about the latest advances in your field of study : Share information of high value and that may be useful to the members of your society, for this you must worry about instructing enough and keeping the new studies out of the loop. each of its members through the use of different resources.

Encourage your members to participate in forums and discussion groups online: It is important that you express to your members the importance of generating valuable communications and that there is a feedback process among the professional members of your society. This will also allow them the opportunity to network with other scientists.

Have a presence on different digital platforms: Both social networks, such as web pages, forums and emails, will be your great allies to build online communities, but it is important that you do not underestimate the other tools that you have available, for example, you can implement within of its activities some virtual events of high interest, for its realization we recommend some platforms:

• Eventbrite: It is a popular event planning and ticketing platform that also offers a virtual event option. With Eventbrite, you can create a live or pre-recorded virtual event. You can also use the platform to sell tickets and promote your event.

• Meetup: Social networking platform that helps people with similar interests connect and meet in person. Meetup also offers a virtual events option, which allows you to create and host a wide variety of events online, such as webinars, panel discussions, and workshops.

• Zoom: Video conferencing platform that can be used for virtual events. With Zoom you can host live or pre-recorded events, as well as webinars and video conferences. You can also use the platform to sell tickets and promote your event.

• Google Meet: Video conferencing platform that can be used for virtual events such as conferences, webinars, and meetings. The platform offers various features such as high-definition video and audio, screen sharing, and group chat. Google Meet can be used for free or with a paid subscription.

• Skype: The platform offers various features such as high-definition video and audio, screen sharing, and group chat. Skype can be used for free or with a paid subscription.

In conclusion, participating in online communities is essential for any scientific society seeking to remain relevant and grow its network. By taking advantage of these virtual spaces, organizations have the unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals from around the world while increasing their visibility and gaining insight into potential solutions that could benefit their organization's mission.

In online communities, members have the opportunity to find mentors or guidance and societies the opportunity to obtain greater commitment from their members, better reach, significant increase in sales and also allows them to provide better customer service. customer.

Ultimately, online communities provide an invaluable platform for scientists to collaborate on ideas that could lead to improvements in health or scientific breakthroughs that could shape the future.