An Online Discussion is an asynchronous conversation between community members that takes place in written form, on your community’s online platform.
Online Discussions can be a valuable collaboration option when it is challenging to bring everyone together at a single time and place.
When planning your next online discussion, make sure they have a clear purpose, and think about what you need to do before, during, and after the discussion.
What is an Online Discussion?
An Online Discussion - aka “e-discussion” - is an asynchronous conversation between community members that takes place in written form on a virtual platform such as an online forum or a mailing list.
Organizing and facilitating a meaningful and effective Online Discussion takes time, effort, and careful planning. It is easier to get members to attend an event than to have them engage in an Online Discussion. Why? Because an event is concrete, specific, happens at a given time, and happens synchronously in real time. For an Online Discussion, one has to make time, and unlike in-person discussions, there might be a significant delay between questions and responses. Also, participants may not be comfortable leaving written records of their thoughts and opinions.
Why are Online Discussions important to a Community of Practice?
If you can successfully initiate and sustain discussions, you will have higher levels of participation, greater quantity and quality of information being shared, and improved relationships and trust. Deeper relationships and increased trust increase social capital between members.
Online Discussions can be a valuable collaboration option when it is challenging to bring everyone together at a single time and place. Online Discussions are also a great way to continue the conversations after events, in-person and virtual ones, especially after in-person events when everyone has “gone home.”
How do you initiate and sustain effective and engaging Online Discussions?
Successful Online Discussions are those which have a purpose, such as to gather feedback on a report, crowdsource ideas or good practices, identify challenges, reflect and learn, etc. Think about these basic questions as you are considering whether to launch an Online Discussion:
What do your Community's members need?
What’s your purpose in having this Online Discussion?
How do the answers to the questions above align?
Understanding your Community's members is even more crucial when deciding to hold Online Discussions. It’s not a matter of simply choosing a technology and posting a question.
When planning your next Online Discussion, you need to think about what you need to do before, during, and after the discussion. This may seem basic, yet, many underestimate the “before” part and frequently neglect the “after” part.
Below is a list of actions to take before, during, and after the discussion.
Before:
Define success by coming up with simple indicators (for example, # of contributors, # of unique contributions, depth of conversation and / or sense of community)
Brainstorm with your Core Team how to structure the Online Discussion
Link to an existing event and identify a time period during which the discussion will be open and accessible
Announce the discussion in advance so that participants have time to prepare
Blog » Increasing Member Engagement through Online Discussions
Increasing Member Engagement through Online Discussions
Summary:
What is an Online Discussion?
An Online Discussion - aka “e-discussion” - is an asynchronous conversation between community members that takes place in written form on a virtual platform such as an online forum or a mailing list.
Organizing and facilitating a meaningful and effective Online Discussion takes time, effort, and careful planning. It is easier to get members to attend an event than to have them engage in an Online Discussion. Why? Because an event is concrete, specific, happens at a given time, and happens synchronously in real time. For an Online Discussion, one has to make time, and unlike in-person discussions, there might be a significant delay between questions and responses. Also, participants may not be comfortable leaving written records of their thoughts and opinions.
Why are Online Discussions important to a Community of Practice?
If you can successfully initiate and sustain discussions, you will have higher levels of participation, greater quantity and quality of information being shared, and improved relationships and trust. Deeper relationships and increased trust increase social capital between members.
Online Discussions can be a valuable collaboration option when it is challenging to bring everyone together at a single time and place. Online Discussions are also a great way to continue the conversations after events, in-person and virtual ones, especially after in-person events when everyone has “gone home.”
How do you initiate and sustain effective and engaging Online Discussions?
Successful Online Discussions are those which have a purpose, such as to gather feedback on a report, crowdsource ideas or good practices, identify challenges, reflect and learn, etc. Think about these basic questions as you are considering whether to launch an Online Discussion:
Understanding your Community's members is even more crucial when deciding to hold Online Discussions. It’s not a matter of simply choosing a technology and posting a question.
When planning your next Online Discussion, you need to think about what you need to do before, during, and after the discussion. This may seem basic, yet, many underestimate the “before” part and frequently neglect the “after” part.
Below is a list of actions to take before, during, and after the discussion.
Before:
During:
After:
Tips and guidelines to craft a solid opening message
Here are some tips and guidelines specifically for the message that opens the Online Discussion:
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