00:00

Hi Thirza, thank you so much for joining me in today's call.

00:04

We're going to be talking about driving engagement in your online community.

00:08

This call is going to be structured in three different sections.

00:12

We're going to be talking about building a successful community.

00:15

Then we'll talk about the launch.

00:17

And finally, we're going to be talking about the post-launch.

00:20

What happens then?

00:22

And you are there founder and the manager of WildHub, which is a community of

00:28

conservation professionals that come from over 80 countries and they frequently

00:33

interact with one another in 24 rooms.

00:36

Thirza, would you like to briefly introduce yourself?

00:40

Sure I do Georgina.

00:41

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

00:43

Well, um, so, so I started my professional career focusing

00:47

on the behavior of great apes.

00:50

Um, so mainly gorillas and also chimpanzees.

00:55

And then whilst I was doing, um, a master course on private conservation,

00:59

I gained some experience, um, with the capacity development side of things.

01:04

So looking at those who work in the fields, um, how training can actually

01:10

help them do their jobs even better.

01:13

Um, but also the social support that people need when, um, they work, for

01:18

example, in a very isolated circumstances.

01:21

So that sent me kind of on the path of, uh, looking at the people that

01:24

actually work in conservation more than, um, the great apes or other animals.

01:29

Um, and this was, it was a really fascinating path for me.

01:33

Um, and this is also why I chose the topic of, um, professional

01:37

learning within conservationists.

01:41

As a topic of my PhD research.

01:43

So next to WildHub, I'm still finishing that research and the

01:46

two go really well hand in hand.

01:48

So I'm also the WildHub, the manager, community manager,

01:51

of WildHub at the moment.

01:54

Yeah.

01:54

And it's amazing.

01:55

Just one look at the community and you can just tell so much work has been put

01:59

into it because it just flows on its own.

02:02

So one of the things that I just guess that people ask you

02:07

about is "how did you do it?"

02:08

And what I'm very curious to know, which relates to this question is why

02:14

did you structure the community in the way that you did before the launch?

02:20

Okay, it's a good question.

02:22

Well, so I have to give you a bit of the background origin of WildHub.

02:26

Um, because I was hired as a community manager by WildTeam UK

02:31

and WildTeam UK is, um, a charity.

02:36

Conservation charity that focuses on the capacity development of

02:39

those who work in conservation, but also those who would like to start

02:43

a career in wildlife conservation.

02:45

So, um, Adam and the team, they hired me in this position and

02:50

they had already done a survey among prospective members in 2019.

02:56

And so they asked people what they thought of, um, a prospective community

03:01

that they wanted to start, um, which topics they would like to talk about,

03:05

how to engage, how to interact.

03:07

And if we could get back in touch with them, basically, um, when

03:11

this would materialize a bit more.

03:13

And so when I started in January, 2020, um, I started my journey with the Zapnito

03:18

team and we kind of looked at those results as well as a way of structuring

03:24

the channels and also later the rooms.

03:27

So that was kind of the basis for, for how we structured the platform.

03:32

Um, additionally too, when, when I started, I also looked at other

03:36

providers, so we, we have some communities already in conservation

03:41

profession and I looked at how I can compliment, compliment their efforts.

03:45

So we don't reinvent the wheel.

03:48

Um, Yeah, that's kind of how we structured it.

03:52

Nice.

03:52

And also before the launch, had you set up newsletters so that when, you

03:58

know, people go into the community and they register, they have these

04:02

like emails that are sent out to them.

04:04

Where these newsletters created on the site?

04:08

So our stories may be a little bit, um, non-standard in that.

04:13

Although we started our journey, um, developing the platform or

04:17

tailoring the platform with the help of the Zapnito team, with you, and

04:21

then your colleagues in January.

04:24

We weren't actually, um, finished by the time we, we opened our fair chill door.

04:30

So when we opened registration and the reason for that was because of COVID-19.

04:36

So in March in the UK, the lock down happens.

04:40

And, uh, I noticed so many other platforms of social media, for example,

04:44

that my colleagues in the fields, they, they were asking each other

04:49

for help and advice on what to do.

04:52

Should they send their staff back home?

04:54

Should they, um, continue building donor relationships?

04:58

What, what were the donors be doing in this situation?

05:01

Can they continue to work?

05:03

And so, I felt it was really timely to provide a space for conservation

05:08

professionals to come together, to share information, but also

05:12

to socially support one another.

05:14

And this is very much in line with our goal or aims as, as a community.

05:19

So instead of waiting for perfection, um, to happen on our platform

05:25

we actually decided to open, um, open registration a bit earlier.

05:31

So that was kind of where we started.

05:33

And so when we started registration, the daily digest was already

05:39

available to people, so they could kind of cherry pick what they

05:42

wanted to be updated on via email.

05:44

Um, and then two weeks later we started the highlights.

05:48

Um, so I think the reason for that was that we were already gathering,

05:52

uh, soliciting contents, uh, leading up to opening the registration

05:57

and, um, and we just needed a few more weeks to prepare that.

06:01

So we had a few more pieces to publish in the weeks to come.

06:06

I see.

06:07

And you mentioned earlier that, you know, you were hired by WildTeams

06:11

to build a successful community.

06:14

Um, the more than 1000 conservation professionals that currently

06:18

interact with one another there, did they also come from WildTeams?

06:23

Did you know them or were these new people that registered on the community?

06:29

Well, I was really lucky in that.

06:31

Um, I could build on my professional networks.

06:34

So I felt, as a community manager, what is a better than to actually reach out

06:40

to those that already know me and I know them and there's already a relationship

06:44

in place because those people, you know, there's already a trust between us.

06:48

They know who I am, what I stand for, what my values are.

06:51

And so it's easier then to communicate what our vision is for WildHub, but also

06:55

to invite them to join this and discuss this vision and make it their own.

07:00

So become an advocate.

07:02

And so we started these weekly conversations with, um, a small

07:05

group of members initially.

07:07

Um, and we just discussed what they wanted to talk about, whether, you know, what

07:12

we got from the 2019 survey was actually in line with what they're thinking,

07:16

what their needs, where their needs lie.

07:19

And, um, but also how to interact and how to grow our community.

07:23

So how then to reach out to others that might be in need, um, the technical

07:27

and the social support that we want to provide as a, as a community.

07:31

Uh, and this happened before the launch, this meeting where you d scussed.

07:35

I guess, you know, our launch was not as official, um, in terms of

07:40

when we opened our virtual doors.

07:42

So when registration started in March, uh, we didn't quite, um, call it a launch yet.

07:49

So we were open to, uh, you know, those who knew us, who we reached

07:54

out to and we steadily grew that.

07:58

And, um, I think when we did.

08:02

Um, manage to have like one event that we kind of, we wanted to celebrate

08:06

our community, which was in June.

08:08

So that was our first festival, our WildHub festival, which

08:12

was completely member led.

08:14

And I think that's something that, you know, that was for us the time

08:17

to really celebrate our community, see how far we had come already.

08:21

By that time we had 500 members, so quite a few already.

08:25

Um, so yeah, that's kind of how we grew.

08:28

We grew quite organically, if you will.

08:32

And is there anything that community managers should do in preparation for

08:38

their launch that you found helpful?

08:44

Yes.

08:44

Um, there are few things I think, well, from our perspective, so we're a member

08:50

led, a global member led community.

08:53

For us, um, it's really important that the community members

08:57

feel, um, involved in there.

09:00

That they have a voice is basically in how we grow our community or we develop.

09:05

And so, um, so engaging members and prospective members from the, from the

09:11

first moment was really important to us, um, to become really truly member led.

09:17

And, um, and so think about, you know, I would say as advice, maybe

09:22

think about your community's name.

09:24

Um, does that actually connect with the professional identity of your

09:29

members or prospective members?

09:31

Is that, um, a name that, you know, that kind of inspires belonging?

09:37

If that makes sense.

09:38

So I think that's something I would like to share.

09:42

Um, I think also it's vital to listen to your members.

09:45

So, you know, both the positive and the negative feedback and, you know,

09:50

do they, can you make them feel heard?

09:52

So a big part of my job as a community manager of WildHub

09:55

is, um, to really listen to our members, listen to their challenges.

10:00

Um, How, you know, which technical support or social support

10:05

they could use at the moment?

10:06

Or maybe it's a combination of both.

10:09

And, um, we also received.

10:12

So based on our experience, some concerns on our initial name that we

10:15

suggested, and not everyone felt really strongly connected with that name.

10:20

And then we decided to act on those concerns by starting a brainstorm in our

10:24

community for alternative, um, uh, names.

10:28

And we ended up with a vote so WildHub is very much chosen by our members

10:34

that they feel it's representative.

10:36

They like to connect with such a name.

10:39

Um, and we also adjusted our brand colors based on the member feedback.

10:43

So that's one thing I think, you know, but that's coming from

10:47

the angle of being member led.

10:50

And other thing is that, um, you know, asking for feedback from a select group

10:55

of your members, or maybe when you start small, like we did, you could ask

10:58

them to test your platform and improve the user experience before you launch.

11:03

So this really helped us prepare better.

11:07

And I guess a third thing that I would recommend is to review, really take

11:11

some time to review your terms of use, your community policy, um, uh, privacy

11:18

policy or privacy policy, cookies policy.

11:21

All these documents, they're official looking documents.

11:24

Cause I noticed that, um, because we're a global or international

11:28

community and not everyone has English as their first language.

11:33

Same, like, I, I don't have English as a first language, is, are these

11:36

documents actually accessible to them?

11:39

So I know that in the UK, for example, we are very used to going through the terms

11:43

of use, privacy policies, all of those things, but that's not necessarily in

11:47

every country or for everyone the same.

11:50

So some people might feel a bit daunted by that by, you know, what's this

11:53

text and what does this actually mean?

11:55

So we had help with other community managers, one in particular

12:00

from the conservation community.

12:01

And we looked at their terms of use and also their community guidelines.

12:06

And we adopted some of their work with their permission and it really helped us

12:10

to become more accessible and to not scare people off when they, when they sign up.

12:15

So there's something I would like to give as a, as a piece of advice

12:19

that was really important for us.

12:22

Great.

12:22

So we've spoken about how you build a successful community, what

12:27

you can do in order to prepare.

12:29

Now, we're going to be talking about the actual launch and this question links

12:34

really well with what you just said, which is, is there anything that you do,

12:38

the moment a user registers, to welcome them to the community and to encourage

12:43

them to, as you said, to have a voice and participate and engage with others?

12:48

Yes, absolutely.

12:50

So, um, we use GoSquared and, um, so I see when the new, um, new members sign up.

12:57

Um, and, um, also if there are still certain settings that I need to

13:01

give them, some permissions before they can actually publish content.

13:06

And so, uh, this is part of our verification process.

13:09

That I reach out to them and, um, you know, I welcome them to the community,

13:16

let them know once the registration or the verification process has been

13:19

finished and also that they then can publish content and how to do that.

13:24

So basically, I give them one simple action that I invite them to do.

13:28

And this depends a little bit on the, on the member.

13:31

But in general, it would be, I would ask them to introduce themselves in

13:36

a room that we have set up, which we call "Let's welcome our new members".

13:40

And so it's something simple in a way that, you know, an

13:44

introduction is easily written.

13:47

Um, but it also allows them to try out our platform straight away.

13:51

So they get, they become familiar with how to publish content.

13:55

And then later on when they want to do that again, they've already set, they've

14:00

already, taken that first step, basically.

14:03

So that lowers the threshold a little bit in my experience.

14:08

Um, sometimes, I also ask people to, um, instead of writing an introduction

14:14

blog, to share lessons learned.

14:16

This depends a little bit on their background.

14:18

If I think, oh, if you know, they have a lot of work experience

14:21

in this topic on this topic.

14:23

And, um, that would actually be really beneficial for the rest of our community.

14:27

Then instead of an introduction block, they can still do that, but I would

14:30

then more, um, I would give them the action of maybe inviting them to, to do

14:36

a lessons learned contribution instead.

14:39

Um, and many of these messages I have, um, it's, you know, it's a personal

14:44

touch, but I have, uh, they go out via the automation settings in GoSquared.

14:49

Most of them do so, you know, it would be the invitation for the one action.

14:55

Then following up, making sure that they know how to do that.

14:59

So they get a link with the video in which I show them how

15:01

to publish content, for example.

15:04

Um, and, and I also offer them if they need more assistance in getting to know

15:09

our community and our platform that I can connect them to our WildHub coaches.

15:14

So that, so team of, of, uh, some of our core members who, um, can assist them.

15:21

And, um, publishing content for the first time, going through that process.

15:26

Um, and also making sure that their contributions are aligned

15:29

with our community guidelines.

15:31

This answer feeds so well into what I was going to say actually, is that I

15:37

saw the panel that you did with Charles and with Adam not too long ago, where

15:42

you spoke of converting people that are new to the community, into regulars.

15:47

And I assume the steps, these actions that you just described

15:51

would be really good for transforming visitors into registered users.

15:57

Is there anything else that a community managers should, you know, any other

16:01

things that you would like to add to that?

16:03

If not it's okay.

16:04

Yeah, I think, um, yeah, so for us it was, and this is actually from, um,

16:09

advice given by another community manager.

16:12

Um, so providing that space to welcome new members, I think is really nice.

16:17

And however you, you want to do that, we have a room for that.

16:20

Um, but also then when they post that introduction blog to make sure that you,

16:24

again, welcomed them, um, and build upon.

16:27

So they've taken that first action that you asked them to do, right?

16:31

And then, um, encourage, um, further engagement.

16:35

So, for example, I ask people in that introduction block to also share the

16:40

reasons why they'd want to join or where they decided to join WildHub.

16:44

And so if a member in their introduction block would say, well, I joined WildHub

16:48

because of the network opportunities, then I would connect them to our a monthly

16:52

activity, which is called WildHub FECA.

16:55

It's kind of an informal way for people, um, to meet.

16:59

On a monthly basis basis, they're paired up.

17:02

Uh, and then, you know, they have, um, a chance to, to meet each other

17:06

for 20 minutes or 30 minutes a month.

17:08

And that's, and that's kind of a different person every month.

17:11

So they get to know our community members and, um, so I would then give them a

17:17

welcome, but also another way to engage in our community based on what they shared,

17:23

uh, what their reasons are to, to join us.

17:25

Um, so yeah, that's another thing just to make people feel welcome

17:29

and also to give them the next step of how to continue to be engaged

17:33

And these like meetups that are organized by community managers, how

17:40

many community managers do you have?

17:42

Like, how does this work and are they sort of like trained to do this?

17:47

You mean our coaches?

17:49

Yeah.

17:50

Yeah.

17:50

So that's a new thing that we're, uh, we're starting, we have started already,

17:55

but we haven't actually announced it yet.

17:58

Um, as wildly, cause we're kind of in this stage where we're recruiting

18:04

and that's almost finished.

18:06

Um, but I think, uh, know the WildHub coach is basically I, uh, looked at

18:11

our members and I looked for people that, uh, have already contributed, so

18:17

have shared lessons learned and were really, um, they stood out in the ease

18:23

in which they, um, became familiar with our platform like using the technology

18:28

or the software, but also, you know, how they wrote their contributions.

18:33

That was really aligned with our community guidelines and

18:36

didn't need much moderation.

18:38

Um, uh, have one of our coaches that we already recruited at,

18:42

for example, uh, she also speaks Spanish, so that really is helpful.

18:46

So she can actually, we have some multiple languages now that people can, um,

18:51

so they can use the language of their preference basically to give, you know,

18:55

to get the assistance that they need.

18:57

Um, and she is also a community expert.

19:01

So that was like a, for me, a no brainer to invite her, to this new role.

19:06

Um, and we, yeah, we made sure that we have people from different continents,

19:12

um, that were really motivated.

19:14

They're already actively engaging in our community.

19:17

Um, and then yeah, tick some of these boxes of different languages.

19:21

Ease of, uh, communicating availability of course, as well.

19:26

So we started with a small group and then hopefully we can grow from there, but

19:30

it's all to increase the accessibility of our community, um, to our prospective

19:36

members and our current members, really.

19:39

And it sounds like a great way for these, like, users to now become sort

19:45

of like managers in the sense that they're encouraging other users to

19:50

contribute and engage with each other.

19:52

That's great.

19:53

Yeah.

19:53

One of the things that I noticed from WildHub, is the variety

19:57

and the quality of the content.

19:59

It really seems like everyone is just posting.

20:01

It's not just the community managers.

20:04

So I was just wondering how many posts are commissioned.

20:09

Versus how many are organic.

20:11

So those staff members themselves are posting.

20:14

Hmm.

20:16

That's a good question.

20:16

I only looked at this, uh, in more detail recently.

20:20

So we're still developing our, um, yeah.

20:24

Our indicators basically to see where we can, uh, gather our process or the,

20:29

uh, progress data from, and, um, I think, you know, like you say, most of

20:36

the content is published by members.

20:38

I would say that the majority of the content though is still initiated

20:43

by myself as a community manager.

20:45

So it would be me behind the scenes kind of reaching out to people, asking

20:50

if they'd like to contribute by sharing lessons learned about, you know, the

20:55

job that they're currently in or some work that they did in the past, um.

21:00

But I do see, there's been a change in that.

21:04

Um, in terms of posting opportunities, I think members have

21:08

taken the initiative themselves.

21:10

So that's gone, it's grown more organically in the

21:13

recent two months or so.

21:16

Um, but with the lessons learned, which is, they're a bit more work, right?

21:20

They really require some thought to be put in there.

21:23

The reflections that could actually be beneficial to the wider community.

21:27

So that is still much of it is, um, initiated by myself.

21:32

But I think that's because we haven't really reached that critical mass yet.

21:35

So although we're a thousand members, we haven't quite, um, we're not

21:40

there yet because we only opened our doors, like I said in March.

21:44

And so, although we are quite a few months in, that often takes a bit of

21:47

time to, to really get the ball rolling.

21:51

So I know that you're sort of encouraging your users to publish.

21:55

Is there any other like, um, how to say, action that you're taking

22:01

to encourage self publication?

22:03

Yes, I do.

22:04

I, um, I also circle back to our contributors.

22:07

So those who have already contributed and, um, I kind of encourage them to

22:12

publish the second round of content.

22:13

So it becomes a bit more of a habit for them to engage in our community.

22:18

And, um, I often build on content that they already shared elsewhere.

22:21

So sometimes people share some of their thoughts on, for example,

22:24

LinkedIn or Facebook, and that kind of connect with, uh, the topics

22:29

that we discuss in our community.

22:31

And then I ask them, I say, you know, it doesn't have to be, you don't have

22:34

to start from scratch, but maybe, could you elaborate a little bit on

22:37

these thoughts or these reflections, and would you be willing to share

22:39

them with our community as well?

22:42

And so it kind of, again, lowers, uh, the barrier to, to participate.

22:46

They don't have to start from scratch.

22:48

They already have a direction of how to contribute, which topic as well.

22:52

And often people respond really, um, positively on that, you know,

22:57

they would love to contribute again cause they know how, um.

23:01

And they love how our community is developing.

23:03

It's just, you know, it's sometimes just giving them that nudge of, oh,

23:06

this is actually really interesting what you just shared over there.

23:10

Would you like to share that a bit wider?

23:12

And, and because we have the numbers now in terms of, you know, it gives

23:15

them a bit more exposure as well that we say, you know, this could actually

23:19

be a value to our community, but we're also a thousand members now.

23:23

So, you know, it means some more exposure for you and your thoughts.

23:27

Exactly.

23:28

So it's a win-win.

23:29

Yeah.

23:31

So have you found that, um, specific types of content do better than others?

23:37

So for example, do you find that videos attract more people, more

23:41

engagement, as opposed to posts?

23:44

Um, well, I can't really back this with numbers just yet.

23:47

Cause like I said, we're still, um, looking into these indicators and how, um,

23:52

I have to make that overview, uh, in an adequate way that really helps us monitor.

23:57

Um, but I do think in general, videos can be attractive, um, more attractive

24:04

because I know that's something based on my experience with other platforms

24:08

like, um, Facebook, for example, that as soon as you have imagery, so

24:14

pictures, but also videos, it kind of is easer for people to engage with.

24:18

Um, but yeah, like I said, we still need to look at the indicators

24:22

to, to really back this up.

24:25

I do think that I love how we can do the conversations as a, in our rooms.

24:31

Um, in general, I do think, uh, also that posts can be really useful

24:36

because you can use the pictures in there or the images and, um, and it

24:40

just becomes a bit more attractive.

24:42

So that's why I opted for, um, the introductions to be.

24:46

Not fire conversations, but I encourage people to publish the post basically,

24:51

so they can use some photos and that's always really nice cause then you see

24:55

the person who's actually writing it in their natural habitat, you know,

24:59

in the field working with elephants or with that or something else altogether.

25:04

So, um, yeah, that kind of, um, let's see, that way you can

25:09

get to know the people, really.

25:12

Yeah.

25:12

And also it teaches them how to post so that they can do it again in the future.

25:17

Exactly.

25:17

Yeah.

25:18

Yes.

25:19

So Zapnito, as you know, offers a number of features that

25:22

can help drive engagement.

25:25

Of the following list, which I'm just about to read out to you, which have

25:29

you found to be most helpful to building and driving engagement in WildHub?

25:35

So the list is: channels rooms, the Q&A, directories, newsletters and GoSquared.

25:46

That's a good question.

25:47

Um, I guess, um, I received most feedback I received was, uh,

25:56

about newsletters, for example.

25:59

So, um, I think especially the highlights, people seem to enjoy that a lot.

26:05

And so, um, but equally, so actually the daily Digest, so it depends a

26:10

little bit, it depends on the, on the individual and on the member.

26:14

Some of them really love that daily Digest and they kind of, you know, something

26:18

every day, um, that inspires them.

26:22

It makes them feel connected.

26:24

Um, others, um, they opt for them, the biweekly highlights because it's, um,

26:32

you know, content chosen by myself.

26:35

And, um, yeah, it's a kind of, um, it's a bit less information,

26:40

but good quality as well.

26:42

Um, so we've got some really positive feedback on those and I think, um, the

26:48

directory is also something that people really love, um, like, um, for network

26:55

purposes, they just love how you can select the different countries and with

26:59

our custom fields we have also, um, but you have that as a general one and you

27:04

have the areas of expertise that's really useful for people as well, I've heard.

27:09

Um, and that is also in our rooms.

27:13

So having that directory in a room can be really useful, especially cause we

27:18

decided to also grow our numbers by inviting existing networks to WildHub.

27:24

So we have a few alumni groups on our, uh, within our community

27:29

that have their private room.

27:31

And so they have that individual directory, which is

27:33

really nice for them as well.

27:36

And then it's still connected to the wider community as well.

27:39

Um, and then I, so I would say thirdly, the GoSquared prompts and

27:43

automated messages are really useful.

27:45

Like I said, all the messages to new, um, new users are basically via GoSquared.

27:54

Um, and yeah, it's just really helpful I think to just have a popup

27:58

and, and welcome them instantly.

28:00

Um, and it doesn't matter which time it is.

28:03

So I don't have to be online for that and wherever they are in the world,

28:06

they will automatically be, be welcomed.

28:09

And it's a personal, it's a relatively personal message, right?

28:12

Yeah.

28:12

They have that.

28:14

The, you know, it's signed by me.

28:16

There's a little photo there, so it helps I think.

28:19

Yeah.

28:20

And earlier you mentioned room conversations.

28:23

Are these conversations that community managers initiate or are

28:29

they mostly initiated by members?

28:31

They're mostly initiated by members actually.

28:34

So we have, um, a few, quite a few of our rooms are also, um, open.

28:41

So this is more so for example, our let's welcome our new members room, but

28:46

mostly the rooms are based on the topic.

28:49

So for example, Marine conservation, uh, is one of them.

28:53

And, um, yeah.

28:54

And you just notice that people are asking, uh, for advice from one another,

28:59

by using this conversation tool and, I think that's really nice to see that.

29:05

Um, so I think it's also one of these features that can really help because

29:10

it's just, it's like you're emailing someone, but then actually you're

29:14

addressing the wider community and I've seen members having, you know,

29:18

active, uh, conversations in that way.

29:22

Great.

29:23

So we've spoken about building the successful community.

29:25

We've spoken about the launch.

29:27

Now we're going to talk about the post-launch, what happens now?

29:32

And I'm very interested to know how, what you're doing, what you and your

29:37

team are doing to continue to drive engagement now that users have registered.

29:45

We always are developing in that respect.

29:48

I think it's so dynamic this work environment, and that makes

29:51

my job so much fun as well.

29:53

Um, and because we are member led, it's very much up to

29:56

the members, how we do this.

29:58

So I had, like in one week, I had like two different members reaching

30:01

out to me with ideas of activities that they'd like to lead on.

30:05

Um, and that they want to organize for our community.

30:09

Um, and so one is more on that, on a certain topic that they

30:13

feel very passionate about.

30:15

Uh, the other member, um, said, you know, I really want to, to create this

30:19

space for people, for social, you know?

30:22

And, uh, and it's so nice.

30:24

So I think, um, those things are in the works right now.

30:28

So, so social, like, um, uh, social events basically that will be launched or

30:34

that we'll do at the end of this month, probably or early next and, um, uh, kind

30:39

of a webinar style, uh, expert panel.

30:44

Kind of discussion that is going to happen, uh, soonish as well.

30:48

Um, and I think for me, what I'm focusing on right now are the WildHub coaches.

30:54

So, to really get us set for that too.

30:57

Um, although we're already doing that, um, behind the scene, I want to really launch

31:03

this officially and also introduce the members to the coaches, um, and recognize

31:08

them for this, for taking up this role.

31:11

And that's another thing I guess.

31:13

Yeah, that I think is really important is to make sure that people feel

31:18

valued in our community and recognized for whatever they contribute.

31:21

However much time or little time, you know, everything is welcomed.

31:28

And is there something that you're doing on a regular basis, for example, podcasts,

31:33

or, um, maybe like a monthly meetup, something regular that's always happening

31:39

so that members know what to expect.

31:41

Is that something that you're organizing?

31:44

Yeah.

31:44

So we did in the beginning of, um, I guess starting to from March or

31:48

even February already, before we even registered or opened our registration,

31:53

we had our weekly catch ups.

31:54

So for our communities to add two times in the day on the Thursday, and I caught them

32:00

while took weekly and I was just there.

32:02

I was on the, on a video panel like we are now, and whoever wanted to

32:06

pop by and check in was welcome.

32:09

And then two different times a day I did because our members

32:12

are, you know, globally dispersed.

32:15

Um, and that was really useful to help shape our platform, uh, what you see

32:21

now, how we are now as much as my, um, a lot of it is as a result of those

32:26

discussions early on with members.

32:28

Um, at one point.

32:31

I decided, well, let's restructure this a little bit because as we grow as a

32:34

community, our needs change as well.

32:37

So now, like I said, the social, uh, that will happen at the

32:40

end of this month probably is something that will replace that.

32:43

And it will be, again, it will be a place where people can just check in with

32:47

one another whenever they feel like it.

32:49

Um, I think, um, what else.

32:55

Is there.

32:56

Oh yeah, of course our WildHub fika that I mentioned.

32:58

So that's our monthly activity basically, which is based on the fika,

33:02

the Swedish fika of having coffee and tea and some snacks together.

33:06

And I might not explain it as, as well.

33:09

I'm not Swedish, but I do really like that concept.

33:12

And somebody else in the conservation community, one of our members

33:15

actually, she started out elsewhere.

33:18

It was when it was still possible to meet face to face.

33:21

And I asked her if we could adopt that same principle and she,

33:25

and she helped me with this.

33:26

So we started the WildHub fika two months ago, and members have now had

33:31

two rounds in which they've been paired up with somebody in the community.

33:35

And then they're given the whole month to set a meeting and it's not really

33:39

a meeting, it's just a, um, a cath up.

33:42

Hopefully they'll have coffee and tea and some cake together.

33:45

It's probably virtual now.

33:46

Um, and so, and I just, you know, get to know each, uh, introduce

33:50

themselves, maybe, you know, share something about their work or, or

33:54

just, you know, just hang out together.

33:56

Um, and, uh, I've had some really nice feedback on that as well that people have

34:02

really loved to get to know new people.

34:04

It's good for the networking for possible job opportunities, opportunities

34:09

to collaborate as well, I've heard.

34:11

Um, and although we're still, yeah, we just started, I think

34:15

it's been really positive so far.

34:18

So that's a repeating activity.

34:21

And I was wondering now that you have this vibrant community of engaged

34:26

members, are there any tools that you're using to measure this engagement?

34:32

So, yes we do.

34:32

And I think, um, what Zapnito provides on the platform for statistics

34:37

or analytics is really useful.

34:39

And I really love that.

34:40

It's such a quick overview.

34:43

Um, so we basically have a spreadsheet in which I record all these, um, these

34:48

indicators every month and, uh, and also GoSquared can help with that.

34:52

So some other things that we gained from there and, um.

34:56

Yeah, and I think it's really a, it's been really useful.

34:59

So we've had definitely some of our events have pushed the growth

35:04

and engagement on the platform.

35:05

So I've seen a peak with, um, the first event that we organized, which

35:11

is part of a wider event, um, by, um, a Smithsonian institution in the US

35:18

and which is called, um, um, what is it?

35:22

Earth optimism.

35:24

So they have summits and I saw a massive peak when we participated

35:29

in that, when we organized their event within the wider event.

35:33

Um, but equally, so with our first festival, so we became many more

35:37

members and engagement, uh, as a result of that, which was like four

35:41

days, consecutive days, 10 events spread out over those four days.

35:46

And they were all led by our members.

35:48

Um, so I think it's really useful to keep an eye on your community.

35:52

And we did notice a little bit of a dip after that, but that's

35:55

only to be, um, expected right?

35:58

Because I think having those, those events kind of drives it, drives engagement up,

36:05

and then you have a little bit of a slow again, and then, you know, it will come

36:08

back upwards again, but it's just, it's important to, to keep an eye on things.

36:13

Yeah.

36:15

And these events, where are they happening on?

36:18

Uh, for example, Zapnito video panels or on rooms?

36:22

How, where did those happen?

36:25

Um, I guess with most of these events we used Zoom because there's also the

36:33

opportunity to do breakout rooms, but, um, I, we are really keen to, to start using

36:40

the Zapnito video panels more and more.

36:42

And so, for example, for our WildHub FECA, we have people that, you

36:45

know, meet up using, uh, the Zapnito video panels, basically on WildHub.

36:50

So I think that's, that's really nice.

36:52

Um, you know, for those events specifically, we needed the

36:56

numbers or we needed to be.

36:58

We had like a hundred participants for the first event and which I think a

37:03

few hundreds, um, during the festivals.

37:05

So, you know, it was more people in that respect.

37:10

Now the last question that I want to ask you, um, is what advice would you

37:15

give to someone who is looking to grow engagement in their existing community?

37:24

Mmm.

37:26

I think, you know, like with any community, I think it really depends on,

37:32

uh, on the relationship building aspect.

37:34

So next to having a proactive approach as a community member to build those

37:40

relationships with your members, um, I think it's also important that you allow

37:45

the space for the members themselves to, to interact and build those relationships.

37:51

Um, so it's very much providing the space and the opportunity.

37:57

So whether you, you maybe say, you know, we, we organize a social every now

38:01

and then, and people know that that's a regular, regularly occurring event

38:05

and they know where to go or uh, uh.

38:10

Yeah.

38:10

Or any other activity really.

38:12

So they can really connect with one another, although it's virtual, but

38:17

it's more like direct communication than via posts and comments.

38:21

Um, so that's one thing, another thing, I guess, um, It's kind of

38:26

building on what I shared already is to listen, really listen to people.

38:30

So if they bring up concerns, whether that's via public comments or it's

38:33

in an email yeah, really listening to people, making them feel heard

38:37

also, whenever they contribute, to make them feel valued and recognized.

38:41

So I think, um, yeah, those are kind of my values that I, I work from.

38:48

Thirza, thank you so much for doing this interview with me.

38:52

I really appreciate it.

38:53

And I've learned so much.

38:55

I really look forward to talking to you in another interview or

38:58

having our regular catch ups.

39:00

Thank you so much.

39:01

Thank you.

39:02

Thanks, Georgina.

39:03

And a big thank you to Zapnito's team as well.

39:06

We couldn't have done it without all of you.

39:08

Thank you.