University of Reddit : Online Communities 101

Online Communities 101

This course is now complete - Please go to the following page to find the past course session recordings and recaps: http://playthismedia.com/class/

This course will highlight online communities from both the Community Manager and Community Architect perspectives. We will initially touch on the basics such as what the different roles are in an online community, how each type of member plays a vital role in the ecosystem, and the different methods and procedures a community manager can utilize to act as a proper role model. After the basics we will go into communication theory, specifically three computer-mediated theories that frequently apply to all members in the ecosystem, and a psychological theory that will assist in your understanding of what motivates an online community. Finally we will wrap things up with identifying how and when an individual, organization, etc. should create an online community, how to identify the right tools for the job, and digging into the self-sustaining online community ecosystem model that acts as a foundation for Community Architects.

Lectures

no lectures added

Prerequisites

Have the will to not only manage an online community, but converge your communication patterns to that of your members.

Syllabus

There are 7 sessions to this course (all live classes will be at 9 pm EST/ 7 pm PST): Some sessions may include guest speakers. Session 1 – Thursday, Jan. 5. Introduction to online communities Session 2 – Thursday, Jan. 12** Navigating communities and Identifying tools Session 3 – Thursday, Jan. 19. Community best practices and policy building Session 4 – Thursday, Jan. 26** Insights from a Community Manager [Guest Speaker TBA] Session 5 – Thursday, Feb. 2. Monitoring, Tracking, and Analytics Session 6 – Thursday, Feb. 9. Communication Theory Session 7 – Thursday, Feb. 16* What Motivates an Online Community?

**Marks sessions that may change dates, and may be set for different times to adjust to the guest speakers schedule. *Marks a longer course that discusses everything from when and why you would create a new community, dealing with those who want to create one even if there is no need for it, and looking at the Online Community Self-Sustaining Ecosystem model.

Additional information

Class Structure Classes will run once per week, and each class will run for approximately 30 minutes with up to another 30 minutes for questions and answers. Depending upon the topic for that day it may run under the time limit, and leave room for an extended question and answer period. There may also be an occasional guest speaker brought in as they may be able to provide further insight on our topics.

Register for classes using Eventbrite
To attend the class session go here: http://www.livestream.com/thejournalizer1 Please note that because LiveStream is free the occasional annoying ad will appear, sorry about that.
Class recaps will be posted on www.play-this.org at most 48 hours after the session

Teacher qualifications

Bachelors Degree in Journalism and a Masters Degree in Communications.

My published masters' thesis "Identifying online communities as self-sustaining ecosystems for fulfilling members’ needs" discusses online communities, managing, and building them.

I currently manage an online community of 32,000 + members.

I have also been quoted in a few Mashable articles, am a writer for social media today, and frequently highlight the latest changes in the digital world on Play This Magazine.