Everything you need to build a community on Slack

Setting up Slack for Interest-based Communities

Hello, potential Slack users,

If you're like most people, you may be pondering the significance of the hubbub. After all, Slack is just a messaging app, right?

Well, wrong!

Slack is the perfect tool for building and managing communities of people who share interests.

How?

Let’s have a quick look:

1. Establish a Slack team for your community.
2. Pick a name for your team and include the necessary participants.
3. Create a unique domain for your team and add it to your Slack settings.
4. Upgrade the page for your team with a unique header and background picture.
5. Create a unique collection of emojis for your team.
6. Set the team's privacy preferences and add a welcome message.
7. Press the "start talking" button to begin developing your community!

Too much blah-blah?

Diving deep to make it easier for you.

Set up channels that spark discussions

You can create a closer connection with your customers and encourage them to share their thoughts and experiences.

Here are four ways to create Slack channels that spark debate and discussion:

1. Start a discussion forum. One great way to start a discussion is by setting up a forum on your Slack channel. This allows participants to share ideas, ask questions, and engage in a dialogue with their team.
2. Create a poll. Another great way to start a discussion is by creating a poll. This allows members to vote on a variety of topics, and it can also help you gather feedback about your products and services based on the area of interest.
3. Bring in, guest speakers. Having guest speakers on your channel is one approach to engaging your audience more. This offers users the chance to discover more about their interests.
4. Have Q&A sessions. Finally, a path to get community members involved is by having Q&A sessions. This allows them to ask questions about a plethora of things.

Setup community onboarding

With its easy-to-use features and frequent updates, Slack makes it easy for you to create a thriving community.

Here’s how to get started:

• Create a Slack team.

The first step is to create a Slack team. This is where you’ll create the channels and communities that your users will join. You can also use this team to manage user permissions and configure settings.

• Add channels.

Once your team is created, you can start adding channels. Channels are the heart of a Slack community, and they’re where all the action happens. Add channels that represent the topics your users are interested in, and make sure they’re easy to find.

• Add users.

Now that your channels are up and running, it’s time to add users. You can add users by joining the team and adding them to a channel, or by using the invite feature.

• Configure settings.

Since communities are powered by channels and users, it’s important to configure settings properly. You can configure settings for channels and users, including who can join, which channels they can join, and how messages are displayed.

• Keep your community thriving.

Keeping a community thriving is a challenge, but it’s one that’s well worth tackling. With the right tools and strategies, you can create a thriving community that your users will love.

Customizations for the community

What if you want to make your slack community more personalized and fun? There are a few customization options you can use to make your slack community more engaging.

First, you can add custom emojis to your messages. This is a great way to add personality to your slack community and make it more engaging for users. You can also add custom stickers to your messages to add even more fun and excitement.

Second, you can add features to your slack community that are tailored specifically for your users. This can include features like polls, streams, and even contests. This will make your slack community more engaging and exciting for your users, and it will also give you the opportunity to connect with more users.

Finally, you can make your slack community more dynamic by adding live chats and Q&A sessions. This will give your users the opportunity to ask questions and get help from the community. This will make your slack community more engaging and exciting, and it will also help you connect with more users.

How to write community guidelines?

When starting up a new community, it can be tempting to just jump in and start posting. However, there is a lot to consider before starting up a community.

One of the most important considerations is community guidelines. These guidelines help define what is and are not appropriate content for the community. They can be a valuable resource for both members and moderators and should be written down in advance.

1. Start by defining the community's purpose. What is the community intended to do? What topics are they interested in discussing?
2. Think about the types of content that are appropriate for the community. Is there content that is strictly forbidden, such as copyrighted material?
3. Consider the size and composition of the community. Is there a specific age range that the community is geared towards?
4. Consider the tone of the community. Is it meant to be humorous, serious, or somewhere in between?
5. Consider the tone of the posts. Are they written in a formal or informal tone?
6. Consider the appropriateness of the content. Is graphic content allowed? Is profanity allowed?
7. Consider the appropriateness of the topic. Is there any sensitive information that should be avoided?
8. Consider the appropriateness of the forum format. Will the content be posted in a public or private forum?
9. Think about how the content will be moderated. Will posts be deleted automatically? Will moderators need to approve them before they are posted?
10. Write down the community guidelines in advance and make sure they are available to members and moderators.

Community Etiquette

Let’s understand this with an example.

Say, at Magic, if we were to set basic community etiquettes- What will they be?

Instance- To help make sure everyone is following community etiquette, we have put together a list of dos and don’ts.

Do:

• Be respectful to other community members.
• Think before you post.
• Refrain from personal attacks.
• Keep your language clean.
• Be mindful of the time constraints imposed by Slack's messaging system.

Don't:

• Post anything that is illegal, obscene, or offensive.
• Post spam or tag people unnecessarily.
• Post links to your personal website or commercial products if they are against people’s interests.
• Post anything that could disrupt the community's harmony.

These are just a few hygiene elements to help make your experience on Magic a great one. We hope you take the time to read and follow them.

This is one way you can put forward your community etiquette.

Setting up Slack for Customer Support Communities

Customer support is a crucial part of any business, and it’s no different for online businesses. With customers using various devices and platforms to reach out, it’s important for businesses to have a system in place to help them communicate with each other.

So, let’s walk you through the steps required to set up a Slack customer support community for your business.

First, you’ll need to create a new account for your business. This can be done by going to slack.com and clicking on the “create an account” button.

Once you’ve created your account, create a new team. This is where you’ll specify the channels that your customers will be using to communicate with each other. You can have as many channels as you need, and each channel can be used by any customer who is registered in your community.

Next, add your customers to your team. This can be done by going to your team page and clicking on the “add customer” button.

You’ll then need to provide your customer’s email address, and you can also add a phone number if you want. Once your customer has been added to your team, they will be able to join any of the channels that you have set up.

Now that you have your team set up and your customers added, set up the channels. To do this, go to your team page and click on the “channels” button.

Add a channel for each type of communication that you want your customers to use. For example, you might add a channel for customer support tickets, a channel for discussion forums, and a channel for chat.

Once you’ve added the channels, add a Slackbot to each of them.

To add a Slackbot, go to the channel that you want to use the Slackbot for and click on the “add bot” button.

Provide your Slackbot’s name, description, and the tasks that you want it to perform. You can also specify whether you want the Slackbot to be available only to users in the channel or to all users on the platform.

Now that you have your channels set up and your Slackbots added, you’re ready to start using them! First, go to your team page and click on the “start using Slack” button.

This will open a dialogue box where you can enter your username and password. Then, you can start using the channels to communicate with your customers.

What is the difference between Interest-based and Customer-support Communities?

Do you feel interest-based and customer-support communities are different?

Yes, they are.

Let’s look at an example to understand:

Finding people who share your interests is a wonderful thing in interest-based communities. For instance, if you are a musician, you would wish to join a community of musicians with similar interests. You may make friends who share your interests here and get in touch with people who can further your musical career.

Communities for customer support are useful for obtaining assistance from other users. For instance, you may ask questions and obtain advice from other users in a customer-support group if you are new to programming and need assistance comprehending a programming course.

Too much blah-blah again?

Well, that’s what you’ll feel if you won’t implement what you learnt.

Come on, try it, it’s not rocket science! 👀

Create a dedicated announcement channel for product-related announcements

A dedicated channel for product-related announcements can be a great way to keep your users and customers up-to-date on the latest happenings with your product. By creating a dedicated channel, you can ensure that all announcements made about your product are delivered directly to your customers and users, cutting down on the time it takes to disseminate information and saving you time and resources in the process.

Creating a dedicated announcement channel can be a challenge, but it's one that can be easily overcome with a bit of planning and effort. Let’s see how it works:

• Decide the purpose of the announcement channel.

The first thing to decide is the purpose of the announcement channel. This could be anything from communicating upcoming changes to your product to issuing bug fixes and updates. Once you know the purpose of the channel, you can start to think about what kinds of announcements would be best suited for it.

• Draft a message for the announcement.

Next, you'll need to draft a message for the announcement channel. This message should be clear and concise, and it should highlight the latest news or updates related to your product. Make sure to include a link to the relevant page on your website or blog so that users can read more about the announcement.

• Publish the announcement.

Once you've drafted the message and published it, it's time to start spreading the word. You can promote the announcement through social media, email newsletters, and other means. Make sure to include a link to the announcement on all of your promotional materials.

By following these simple tips, you can create a dedicated announcement channel that will help you keep your users and customers informed about the latest happenings with your product.

Find your founding members

Finding the founding members of your community can be a daunting task. There are many different ways to go about it, and it can be a long and tedious process. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Consider your community's purpose.

The first thing you need to do is decide what your community's purpose is. This will help you figure out who you want to target as members. Are you looking for people who share your interests, or people who can help you out with your project? Once you know this, you can start looking for people who match that description.

• Go online.

One of the easiest ways to find community members is to go online. There are many different websites and forums that are dedicated to specific topics, and you can usually find a few people who share your interests there. You can also look for online communities that are related to your project.

• Ask around.

Another way to find community members is to ask around. If you know any friends or family members who are into the same things as you, ask if they know any other people who might be interested in your community. You can also go to meetups or conventions related to your project and look for people there.

• Look for social organizations.

Another way to find community members is to look for social organizations. These are groups of people who meet regularly to share their interests or to do something related to their project. If you can find a social organization related to your project, it can be a great place to start looking for members.

No matter which method you choose, be patient and thorough. It can take a while to find the right people, but it will be worth it in the end.

Level up your community experience from Day0

Community engagement and interest-based marketing have become popular ways to engage customers. However, in order to create a successful community engagement experience, businesses need to know how to level up their interest-based marketing.

• Be Authentic

When engaging with your community, be authentic. This means being transparent about who you are and what you stand for. It also means being willing to listen to and engage with your community members.

• Listen and Respond Quickly

When a community member communicates with you, be sure to listen and respond quickly. This means responding within 24 hours, if possible.

• Be Accountable

Be responsive and accountable to your community members. This means being willing to listen and learn from them. It also means being willing to take action based on the feedback you receive.

• Demonstrate Value

Demonstrate value to your community members by providing them with what they want and need. This means being willing to listen and learn from them. It also means providing them with valuable content and services.

Few tried and tested ways to keep your community engaged?

Weekly summaries

Send across a weekly summary to keep everyone on the same page.

Sample text: This week we've been hard at work on new content for XYZ, which we're really excited about. In addition to new XYZ updates, we've also been working on some new features for the game's Closed Beta. Keep an eye out for more information on that in the coming weeks!

In other news, we just released a new update to the game which includes fixes for some of the most common issues players are encountering. We've also released a new trailer for the game, which you can check out below.

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to us on the forums, on social media, or through our support system.

XYZ is always evolving, and we can't wait to share more with you soon!

Regular check-ins

If you’re feeling like you’re not getting the most out of your community, or you’re not sure how you can be more effective, regular check-ins can be a great way to start making changes.

Make sure your check-ins are:

• Relevant

When you check in with your community, make sure to be specific about what needs you’re addressing. This will help keep everyone on their toes and ensure that the conversations are relevant to their needs.

• Timely

Keep your check-ins timely by ensuring that you address the most important issues as soon as possible. This will help keep the conversations focused and help ensure that everyone is up-to-date on the most important changes.

• Constructive

Try to keep your check-ins constructive by avoiding personal attacks and arguments. Instead, focus on addressing the issues at hand and trying to come to a resolution.

• Interactive.

Encourage your community to participate in your check-ins by asking them questions and providing feedback. This will help you to better understand their needs and concerns.

Matchmaking

When it comes to online communities, matchmaking groups are a common way to ensure that newcomers feel welcome and engaged. Matchmaking groups can be used to connect people with similar interests or to help newcomers get to know the community better.

To create a matchmaking group in Slack, first, go to the Groups page and click on the Create a Group button. Next, enter a name for the group and select a category. Finally, select a team type, and click on the Create button.

Once the group has been created, members can join it by clicking on the Join Group button and entering the group's name and password. Alternatively, members can search for the group by using the search bar at the top of the Groups page.

Matchmaking groups are a great way for communities to connect and collaborate. They're easy to create and manage, and they're perfect for groups that need to find each other quickly.

Masterminds

Mastermind groups are groups of people who come together to share their expertise and knowledge for the benefit of their collective success. They are a great way for members of a community to connect with each other and share ideas and best practices.

To get the most out of a mastermind group, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Make sure the group is open to everyone.

A mastermind group is a great way to connect with like-minded people, but it’s not for everyone. If the group is too restrictive, it won’t be as productive. So, make sure the group is open to everyone and that everyone is able to contribute.

• Be ready to contribute.

While a mastermind group is great for sharing ideas, it’s also important to be willing to contribute. In a mastermind group, everyone has to be willing to share their ideas and opinions, and that can be tough. But, if you’re willing to put in the effort, a mastermind group can be a great way to share your ideas and connect with like-minded people.

• Make sure the group is set up the right way.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when setting up a mastermind group. First, make sure the group is set up with a clear leadership structure. This will ensure that the group is able to move forward and reach its goals.

Second, make sure the group is set up in a way that allows for real-time collaboration. If the group is set up in a way that requires participants to email or text each other, it won’t be as productive.

And finally, make sure the group is set up with a system for feedback. This will allow the group to continue to grow and improve.

Wrapping it up

Slack is a fantastic medium for creating communities, but it also demands work. There are many different community kinds that may be established, and they are immensely helpful for those who share hobbies or even for those who want to learn more.

If the methods above are carefully carried out, it will enable people from all over the world to come together and make the greatest use of the digital era.

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