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Where do you host your virtual communities?

WenlinT'sWenlin·Feb 10, 2022
Posted in:Community ManagersFavors

I am considering other virtual community platforms for a new program. I would love to hear from Elphas who have tried any of the following on the pros, cons, and what you recommend.

  1. Mighty networks
  2. Circle.so
  3. Discord
  4. Slack
  5. Any other community-centric platforms that allows for interaction, posts, livestreams, on-demand video, audio & document uploads for members to access.

All the requirements in #5 are important to me.

Thanks in advance!

dipishapatel'sdipishapatel·Feb 10, 2022
Zoom?
WenlinT'sWenlin·Feb 10, 2022
Zoom only has the livestream, on-demand option but no community aspect (forum, posts, allowing members to message each other)
ChelseaLowry'sChelseaLowry·Feb 10, 2022
I have tried Mighty Networks for a prior business, and while they offer a great community design program, the actual UX of the app did not work well for me. It looks very exciting, but I kept getting feedback that my users didn't know what to do or where to post. There isn't as much flexibility to customize the navigation and menu, so users can get "lost" within the app. But Mighty Networks did have a few key features I really wanted so I wish it had worked out: - "See members near me" (updates when your location changes) -- let me know if you find other tools that have this!- Super easy to set up and customize templated initial articles, onboarding posts, "who we are" type articles, and a simple landing page.- App includes push notifications...however, the actual process to share and download the app was clunky and lacks the visual reminder of a branded icon to use it (it is Mighty Networks branded, not branded to your business). I think to upgrade to a fully branded app was like $30K per year at the time, so a big jump from their monthly packages.However, if you are centrally driving the majority of the posting, conversation, prompts, and content (and your users are simply there to receive it and react to it), then it could be a great choice. But if you are hoping your members will be initiating and driving a lot of conversations or splintering into interest groups, the UX really isn't that intuitive for those behaviors to take off with new users.I am currently looking at Circle.so for my current business due to the simple and customizable navigation, and I am very eager to learn from others who have successfully built on the Circle.so platform (or who want to collaborate as we build/learn/grow together).Thank you for posting. I am interested to see other people's experiences as well!
galloliz'sgalloliz·Feb 14, 2022
I have a quiet community in Slack. I’ve struggle to keep them talking. Check out Dream See Do it is a platform that is designed with users in mind and can be scaleable to include many different things.
WenlinT'sWenlin·Feb 17, 2022
Sharing an update: I've recently discovered https://tribe.so/ and are trialing them for an upcoming cohort-based program. Seems great so far (extremely similar to Circle.so with lower costs, no built-in livestream feature yet (which circle has) but they're rapidly growing and seem very proactive and eager to serve). Will update this post in coming weeks with further observations
mellie'smellie·Feb 28, 2022
Have a look at Panion.https://panion.com
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