Chats give you an opportunity to engage your community in new ways. They can spark new types of conversations, enable quick access to information, deepen relationships, and much more. Admins are using chats to enrich their communities in ways that add to, not take away from, their group.
Chats can be used for situations when fast communication is key. Fellow admins have leveraged chats for a range of topics beyond areas of the law. For example, in 2022, members from a group requested a chat for Hurricane Ian so that those impacted could stay in touch. Real-time chats allowed this community to come together to support each other, making the community stronger and more valuable.
Chats are a way to form close connections and feel part of a community. Aaron S. of Team soapstone, a comedy club that operates in the Metaverse, uses chats as a homebase for those who want to get involved. The group has three job-specific chats: one to perform, one to produce, and one to host. After members join whichever is of interest, veteran members train and connect them with opportunities.
“If somebody wants to be a host and host their own show in the soapstone, that chat is the window for them to engage, connect up with other hosts, and then find their opportunity.”
Aaron S., Team soapstone
Establish safe and welcoming spaces where new members feel comfortable asking basic questions - especially when things move fast. For a group like SneakerHeads®, whose community participates in sneaker drops and trades, real-time info is crucial. Members use chats to get quick information that affects decisions and deal-making. This also lessens the workload on admin Justin B., since the community jumps in to answer each other’s questions.
“A lot of times we’ll have members who will post something and be like “Hey, I’m standing in the store, what do you guys think of this pair of sneakers?” or “I have an offer on these, do you think it’s too high? Too low?” The chat is valuable in that you can get quick answers.”
Justin B., SneakerHeads®
Since chats can be smaller in size, they can make members who don’t usually post in a group feel more comfortable engaging in an informal way. This is especially true when it comes to asking questions. Justin B. has noticed significant activity in SneakerHeads® chats from those who tend to be quieter in the group.
“I think it's [chats] a great tool to give people confidence who might not have it. A lot of people are going to feel more comfortable asking the question when it's in a format that looks like a text message, rather than something that looks like an actual social media page.”
Justin B., SneakerHeads®
Bay Area Adventure Gals is a community of women who share a passion for adventure. Admin Olivia M. encourages group members to connect over shared interests and go on real life trips; location-based chats help make that possible.
“Our geographic chats bring a lot of passion as this is how many of our members are connecting and meeting others in their area in real life.”
Olivia M., Bay Area Adventure Gals
Whether it’s hiking, surfing or any other passion, fellow admins share the same sentiment. Organizing chats by location helps members to form closer connections (and ultimately meet up) with those in their immediate proximity.
Real-time chats offer a chance to engage in simultaneous interactions while watching a movie, TV show, or live event. Discussions related to televised trials have gained popularity among various online communities. For instance, a chat was organized to enable members to follow the televised trial and engage in conversations, as was the case with a recent trial.
Chats can assist in the planning and coordination of events. Witches of West Michigan, a group for those who identify as witches, holds large events every six weeks in addition to twice monthly meetups in Grand Rapids. A chat allows members to communicate quickly and handle any last-minute tasks.
“Especially the day before events, the day of events, it’s a really fast way to communicate between everybody. “Hey, are you going?” “Hey, can I grab a ride?” “What time are you gonna be there?””
Katrina P., Witches of West Michigan
When you create a group event, you can add a chat that will appear to all members on the event page. Learn more about using chats for events.
