In this episode, we’re hearing from Community in a Conundrum. Our letter today deals with the question of where to host a new community. Specifically, as it relates to Slack and all-in-one platforms like Heartbeat.

To better help Community in a Conundrum, I invited Noele Flowers **as my guest expert. No one better to talk about whether or not to host your community on Slack than the Slack-slayer, herself, Noele Flowers. I thought of Noele specifically after reading a newsletter she sent out with the subject ‘Why are we still using Slack to run communities?”

We’ll go over all the different variables you should consider when selecting the best place to host your community. So, tune in for a fun and light episode that’s filled to the brim with really good community strategies.

In this episode:

(03:43) The joys of keeping an eye on the Nextdoor chaos

(06:09) The communitea: Community in a Conundrum’s letter

(08:08) The dilemma of wanting the benefits from both social networks and all-in-one community platforms

(09:46) Why we ARE still building community on Slack and Facebook

(17:06) The differences between Facebook, Slack, and all-in-one community platforms

(23:09) Intentional onboarding and engagement strategies for all-in-one community platforms

(30:25) The learning-to-connection ratio and what it means for your platform choice

(33:06) Going beyond connection

Expect: Community building best practices, marketing strategy, and practical advice around community strategy.

Resources Mentioned:

🎬 For examples of great Slack communities, watch these community dissections: When a Newsletter Becomes a Community: A Study of Lenny’s Community and A World-class Example of a Cohort-based Community: The Community Community hosted on Slack.

🤝 Check out Tightknit if you want to layer more community functionality over your Slack community.

📩 Subscribe to Noele’s Newsletter here.

❤️ Sign up for Heartbeat. Bri’s recommended all-in-one community platform.

💛 Join Ember. The place for go-getter community creators building community-powered businesses.

Noteworthy quotes:

“We need to take that approach to communities we build, where we actually know that I have to introduce them [users] to it. I have to prove the value of it. I have to teach them how to use it. I have to get them over all of these points of friction.“ - Noele Flowers

“I'll advise my clients frequently, build your community in the platform that was built to host it. And if your community is not a workplace community, Slack was not built for your community.“ - Bri Leever

Noele Flowers

Noele Flowers is a community strategy consultant based in New York's Hudson Valley. Noele worked for Teachable where she built an amazing foundation for her skills in online education. She’s also worked at Commsor where she continued to develop her skills in education within the context of community.

🖥️ Website

📱 Linkedin

Bri Leever

Bri got her start building a community and growing it to a multi-million dollar revenue stream for a social enterprise in Portland, OR. Now, she supports folks used to running their business on content, coaching, and consulting to create their community offer. She's a Community Strategist by day and a Campervan host by night on the Big Island of Hawaii and you'll usually find her on, in, or under the water.

🖥️ Website

📩 Newsletter

📹 Youtube

📱 Linkedin

And before you go…

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That helps the podcast more than you know and I deeply appreciate it. 🙏

Want your story to be next? Submit an anonymous letter about your community conundrum, fiasco, drama, or other dilemma here.

*Dear Bri is produced by Ideablossoms.