Hybrid Communities Integrating online & offline experiences

What is a hybrid community?

...facilitates valuable online connections... ...strengthened by in-person interactions A hybrid community...

How can we connect online & offline spaces?

How can we connect online & offline spaces? Tweet-ups used to be a thing back in the noughties. Maybe something to think about post COVID E-sport viewing Joint online and offline events Advocacy to action Conferences, AGMs and customer forums - including research/focus groups Workshop Mentimeter for checking in on sentiment and other questions Mentoring Professional learning User groups Live brainstorming - google docs / miro Third screening Brainstorming session

Provide accessible platforms for collaboration and connection Tools Creating equity Create practical content to teach your community new skills Training Collaborate with your community to facilitate interactions Teamwork

What do you look for in platforms and tools?

Live interactions Asynchronous conversations Accessibility Localisation Multimedia Documentation Open-source licencing Platform considerations

What do in-person events look like for a hybrid community?

What do in-person events look like for a hybrid community? Live demos Play along Cook along Make along Coming together to celebrate milestones Small in-person groups as ‘breakouts’ from a larger online group, have to report back to online space Virtual breakouts and post session catch ups in a virtual setting Checking back in and linking members throughout the event Making sure it’s recorded Physical pack sent for live stream - “phygital”! Augmenting the pre- and post-event stages, introducing and connecting participants Ask-me-anything with a video-stream speaker and type-back questions as well as in-person questions Brainstorming session

...involve collaborative discussions... ...that flow from online interactions In-person events...

What about existing communities?

How can existing communities adopt a hybrid model? Open labs Lightning talks Build a community of practice among local event organisers Ambassador programs Gamify pre, during and post engagement Have a ‘local cmty mgr’ how-to pack for those hosting in-person events Brainstorming session

The Three S’s Provide an accessible space for your community to connect and interact Space Build rules and guidelines indicating how the community will function Structure Prompt your community to initiate discussions and make introductions Seeds

Use accessible tools to collaborate with your community, providing relevant training that meets their needs on a platform that enables authentic connections to inform in-person interactions. In summary... To grow an equitable, hybrid community, you must:

Further reading...

@hlashbrooke hugh.blog learn.wordpress.org automattic.com Hugh Lashbrooke