Discussion

IPS is a forum software I have used in the past and I love just how far the software has come over the years to offer so much for community leaders. Whilst IPS offers many options to community leaders and builders, I often wonder if there is more they could offer that would be beneficial to those who use IPS. Are there any options you would like to see added to IPS that would help your community?

In any ecosystem, there is an equilibrium that is naturally achieved when left to it's own. The same applies to a community. When left by itself, what is the natural state of your community? Does the community tend to have too much of a certain kind of conversation? Does it have enough conversation and content to be self sustaining? Part of the role of a community manager is to nudge the community's equilibrium in the right direction, until the community can achieve its equilibrium on its own.

Community admins overestimate their community. Our members MUST love our community; all members are welcome to speak freely and openly and critically. Everyone has Invisioneer booked as their homepage, right? But the reality is often different. The majority of members are indifferent, and staff members or superusers may actually hold on to simmering concerns within the community. Given that our communities are digital and remote, how do we build more psychological safety for our members and tackle these perception gaps?

Is your community stuck in a rut and not engaging? Jono Bacon dives into 5 reasons why and the practical steps to fix them

The purpose of Invisioneer is to help communities of all sizes and shapes succeed, but there's a special place in my heart for small, independent communities. Usually these are started and fueled by the passion of the community owner. One of the biggest strengths of forums is passion. One of the biggest weaknesses is passion. Passion from an independent community owner means that you will be able to research, share, discuss with a fiery enthusiasm that can truly distinguish your forum from other forums. Passion means you will push yourself, care for all of the details. Passion also means you can quickly burn out. You can only self sustain an intense…

There are two different kinds of announcements: - Transactional announcements: these are the announcements for routine, maintenance, regular updates. Usually only the superusers and staff will care about this level of announcement, because it's operational and maintained the status quo. - Transformative announcements: these are the announcements where you've hit a major milestone, you're launching a new initiative, or the community / company has accomplished something big. This is something that even casual users might pause and read, because it changes the nature of the community. These two types of transactions are very different from each other in…

I've been given a sneak peek at Alpha for the last few days. 1. IPS has done a good job already talking about new features in the company blog. Some of the biggest changes that you can't help but notice are: Dark Mode, Card View, and the Vertical Menu. 2. The default theme feels fast. Like, super fast. The flyouts of the menus, switching between sections, everything feels zippy. 3. IPS is saving some juicy, juicy tidbits. The new editor. Page builder. None of us have been able to play with the new page builder, but if you've struggled with building a landing page of different designs, this should be a game changer. The new editor looks and f…

Hello everyone, I read about the guide made by @ASTRAPI on integrating BackBlaze + CloudFlare with IPS4. https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/topic/459262-community-guide-on-setting-up-backblaze-and-cloudflare/ I read through the guide and it seems there are some potential issues with attachments and downloads that might need workarounds. Since the IPS4 mod directory is phased out (I couldn't see the mod referred in the article), my question is: has anyone done this integration (BackBlaze + CloudFlare) and what types of workarounds are required to make it fully work with IPS4. And is there any plan for this integration to be su…

https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/topic/477045-when-can-we-expect-ic-5-to-be-released/?do=findComment&comment=2967912 Okay, I'm convinced at this point that IPS is either a master of hype or they're overflowing with features that they forgot! We've heard about widgets and the page builder. That's huge and exciting. We've heard about the new editor, which was a curveball and unexpected. But still huge and exciting. Any one of these is worth a delay and a focal point of a major point release, but IPS oh-so-happened to casually mention they were doing major development on Tagging. First time we've heard of this, and it's huge and exciting to…

When new users come to your community, they're attracted by different things and seeking different value propositions. I wanted to propose 3 archetypes for New Users: Seeker: These new users are the most mercenary. They seek their information in the fastest, most efficient manner. Once they obtain their information, their knowledge gap is fulfilled, and they have no more use for your community. Their values center around self-fulfillment, efficiency, and accuracy or speed of knowledge. This is usually the 90% of a public-facing community. Citizen: These new users are the quiet lurkers. They may initially seek knowledge, but are curious - and soon b…

Effective communication is at the core of successful online community management. However, excessive use of filler words can detract from the message's impact and credibility. Drawing insights from research by Quantified Communications, which emphasizes the need for concise and engaging communication, here's how you can enhance your communication skills in the context of managing online communities: 1. Minimize Filler Words: Research shows that the average speaker uses five filler words per minute, which can undermine their credibility. The optimal frequency for filler words is approximately one per minute. Reducing filler word usage in your communication can ke…

A thoughtful and inclusive onboarding welcome message sets the tone for a positive relationship and fosters a sense of belonging for you new community members. Below, I outline key tips for crafting an effective onboarding welcome message for your new users. Express Excitement: Starting with enthusiasm is crucial when welcoming new users. New users often experience nervousness and apprehension as they embark on their journey with your community. Demonstrating your excitement about their arrival and explaining how they can easily get accustomed to the community helps alleviate anxiety and establishes an immediate sense of acceptance and enthusiasm. Intr…

Most of our menus contain links to the app, such as forums or blogs or gallery. One of the interesting design choices highlighted in the new Invision Community 5 video were links to popular categories, blogs, gallery albums, or other nodes: not to the apps, but to categories and boards within the apps. Anyone can do this today with manual linking, but I'm curious if anyone is actively incorporating this design choice already?

Hello, In my forum today, I open a routine poll every morning. In this poll, I ask the community's opinion about the sports event of the day. This task includes: Open the topic and write all the post content. Configure the poll choices. Pin the topic. Edit the widget with this poll. When the event is over, I need to close the poll, re-pin the topic, and close the widget. very exhausting for me. I want to automate all of that, so all I need to do is fill out the topic contant, poll question and answer from the ACP. Some other configuration if necessary like start/end time of the event, and all of the above will happen automatically. Is i…

Good day folks, I hope I am in the correct place. I am a community admin, not a dev. And I am just now getting familiar with the new marketplace. I would like to know if a dev would be interested in creating an application or plugin to integrate H5P. I love this software, it's a learning application and the possibilities are endless it seems with new apps withing H5P coming out frequently. I'll provide the link to H5P so you can see what it is capable of, actually it's really addictive and user friendly to create learning content and very interactive apps. List of apps: https://h5p.org/content-types-and-applications Integration documentation: https://h…

Generative AI is on the brink of ushering in a groundbreaking era for online communities and forums, fundamentally transforming how users engage and interact within these digital realms. This technology promises a seismic shift toward hyper-personalization, where every aspect of the digital discourse caters precisely to the preferences and desires of community members. As these platforms adapt to mirror the individual user's journey, they must evolve to offer comprehensive solutions, even if it entails forging connections with external partners, broadening the scope of community offerings, and constructing a robust data and tech infrastructure that seamlessly integrates e…

Webinars are one of the fastest growing digital marketing trends. Here is a quick guide to launching your first webinar. Clarify your webinar's objectives and identify your target audience. Select a suitable webinar platform, such as Zoom, GoTo Webinar, or Google Meet. Create a comprehensive outline and design a presentation slide deck. Promote your webinar through various channels like email, social media, and your website. Set up registration pages, reminders, and follow-up emails for attendees. Test and prepare your audio, video, and technical setup to ensure a seamless webinar experience. Initiate the webinar, actively engag…

My forum crashes daily, and I need expert diagnostics on my Linux VM for the root cause. Can someone assist? I can pay immediately.

Questions are a powerful tool in the realm of communication. They serve various purposes, from spurring learning to fostering innovation and building rapport. In the context of online communities, where interactions are text-based and often asynchronous, asking questions becomes even more significant. Let's explore the art of questioning and its relevance in online community management. 1. Information Exchange and Impression Management In online communities, members engage in discussions for two primary reasons: information exchange and impression management. Asking questions can effectively serve both these goals. Research indicates that individuals who ask que…

Cross-cultural management plays a significant role in online community management, where diverse audiences interact. Drawing insights from INSEAD professor Erin Meyer's approach to understanding and adapting to different cultures, here's how you can bridge cultural gaps effectively in the realm of online community management: 1. Assess Cultural Differences: Recognize that online communities encompass a variety of cultural backgrounds. Assess cognitive, relational, and behavioral differences along dimensions relevant to virtual interactions. Meyer's Cultural Profile can serve as a valuable tool to gain insights into these variations. 2. Clear Communication: …

Hi all, I am looking for some ideas on how to take advantage of older posts. So I thought I would solicit some ideas from all of you! 🙂 Our site goes back to 2007. A lot has changed since then! With the exception of a few hundred posts we lost during a migration, I don't know how many years ago, we still have every post. We have been pretty good at moving older topics to an Archive section. The Archives section is made up of several forums. A couple of the forums are for specific topics (a specific event or a professional association) others are general topics, organized by year (2007, 2008, etc). The topics in these forums are locked, and new topics can n…

Cultivating a sense of collective ownership within online communities and forums is a common challenge for their moderators and administrators. This shared ownership is pivotal for sustaining active engagement and productive interactions. Drawing insights from a comprehensive study involving over 500 community leaders and members, we can discern three distinct leadership styles: the Facilitator, the Director, and the Balancer. Each of these styles exerts a unique influence on the dynamics of collective ownership. The Facilitator Facilitator-style leaders actively seek input and feedback from their community members across a wide range of topics and decisions. Th…

Overconfidence is where market leaders (or online communities!) become complacent and lose touch with customer needs, emerging trends, and competitive dynamics. This mindset can lead to poor decision-making, lack of innovation, and ultimately, a decline in market position. Many of us who have "successful" communities became successful because we were early adopters of forums. But how do we keep up with our success? Continuous Learning: Are we investing in learning and adapting, or are we resting on our laurels? Customer Feedback: How closely are we listening to our users? Is their feedback driving our innovation, or are we assuming we know best…

One of the major mistakes of some communities is that they offer great content, but not social connection. While most questions can be solved with either content or connection, it's important to recognize that communities solve questions differently than traditional content-driven approaches. To harness the full potential of your community, one must understand and leverage these unique strengths. Here are the six advantages that online communities provide: 1. Breadth Content can often offer a single perspective, originating from a solitary source. In stark contrast, communities unlock the vast reservoir of collective wisdom, often referred to as "the wisdo…