The regular e-bulletin we used to send out was a useful tool for disseminating information that organisations sent to us. However, it was a passive, one-way method of communication that was highly dependent on information reaching us in a timely manner, and recipients had little control over the information they were receiving and how they could engage with it.
Feedback from the Year 2 Annual Review, where some members expressed frustration that BD_Collective was very ‘centralised’, prompted us to find a way to decentralise our communications, to foster deeper connections, and give all members of our community a voice. After researching different options, a sub-group of Collective members chose Discourse – a forum that allows all members to find, share, and post information. Moderators oversee the forum, facilitate the onboarding process, and answer users’ questions, but users have autonomy over what they post. Initially, some members were reluctant to sign up – it takes time for people to get used to a new tool and a new way of doing things – but, gradually, people have recognised the platform’s value, and the number of users has steadily grown. We now have 340 members signed up! We are also seeing much more valuable content now than we did in the beginning – it’s great to see the posts members are adding to the forum – but it would be nice if members were to engage a little more with the content posted. The more people who sign up and actively participate, the more effective the platform will be.
So, what are the barriers to people signing up, and what are the barriers to engagement? Is there reluctance to use yet another new platform? Do people feel they need to invest time in learning how to use it? I can help with that! I run regular training sessions and have also released a training video but, honestly, it’s a very simple platform to use – posting and engaging on Discourse isn’t really any different from posting and responding to posts on social media. So come on to the lurkers and those who have yet to sign up, join us in shaping the BD_Collective Discourse platform into a truly valuable resource for organic online discussion and collaboration.
Sarah
PS. I’d appreciate any feedback you have on the platform and am available to answer any questions you might have. I can also get you signed up. Just email me at sarah@admin
More reflections to come – and we’d love to hear from you!
We will be sharing short reflections on some of the key learning points over the coming weeks and months. If you also have something you would like to share then please email ruth@bdcollective.co.uk
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