Post by High Priestess on Oct 17, 2015 2:45:35 GMT
Discussion about styles of discussing/posting on host community groups
I am beginning to write some "articles" or posts that I will post both here and on the new AIrbnb groups. Since AIrbnb has asked me to be part of the "Community Launch Pad HOsts" to help them get the new groups started, I am honored to help do that. So I am working simultaneously to build up two communities -- both this new Global Hosting FOrum, which is the new site for the NEw Hosts FOrum and several other AIrbnb groups, as well as the new AIrbnb groups which will not really be in any case a continuation of any pre-existing group, but will be new communities that develop. It is my hope that these two forums will complement each other and that hosts are free to participate in both, though I am a little worried that my mentioning the Global Hosting FOrum (and providing a link to it) in the new Airbnb groups will be viewed as "advertising" and not be allowed. HOwever, I believe we can still post links in the new groups and we should have the ability to go offsite and meet offsite, as that is so important not only for socializing and building community but particularly when we are working politically in local areas for good STR regulations, as we are doing in my area.
This will be shared on the new groups when they are rolled out in November:
One of the group members brought up an interesting topic, that of how people post on the groups . Since these are all new groups, and we are here exploring what they are going to be about and what each group description means, and what fits into such descriptions, I had raised the question of what types of questions/stories/comments are going to fit where. I gave an example of two types of ideas for threads that I might consider posting on for instance "General Hosting" or "New to Hosting" and wondered where these ideas would fit. I expressed that I hoped that group members would have the ability to still present their question/story/dilemma in the way that they felt comfortable doing that, which might be a bit meandering, and might actually not be a question at all, even though we were to understand that implicit in the "dilemma" presented, was somewhere a question . I pointed out that sometimes a host, particularly a new host, may not really know what their question is -- they just know that "Ohmigosh, this situation happened to my listing/my guest/between me and my guest, and --- what do I do?" So they may feel like the way they need to ask for help is tell their story and ask for feedback.
Another group member pointed out that some people go way off topic, say way too much, and that he prefers if people stick to the topic either of the group (eg what the group is supposed to be about) or the topic of the original thread.
I am curious what your views on this question are. How do you participate in community groups? How do you like others to participate in community groups? (Perhaps host community groups, perhaps other online groups that would be sufficiently similar) What specific host and/or community groups have you participated in and what were the communication styles there, and how did the threads tend to develop? How did you fit in your own posting style with that of others in these groups? What did you like best about how the threads developed, either in a way that went diligently on point, or perhaps a more tangential and anecdotal development of the subject matter? What would feel TO YOU like "going off topic" ? Eg, give an example of what to you feels like going annoyingly off topic versus talking about other interesting matters that are sufficiently related , or perhaps sufficiently interesting, that you dont' see them as meandering away, or you actually find you like the meandering away?
What communication and posting styles are you hoping for here? What groups seem like good examples to you in terms of things like cooperation among members, good moderation, good group setup/structure, and group norms or values?
I am beginning to write some "articles" or posts that I will post both here and on the new AIrbnb groups. Since AIrbnb has asked me to be part of the "Community Launch Pad HOsts" to help them get the new groups started, I am honored to help do that. So I am working simultaneously to build up two communities -- both this new Global Hosting FOrum, which is the new site for the NEw Hosts FOrum and several other AIrbnb groups, as well as the new AIrbnb groups which will not really be in any case a continuation of any pre-existing group, but will be new communities that develop. It is my hope that these two forums will complement each other and that hosts are free to participate in both, though I am a little worried that my mentioning the Global Hosting FOrum (and providing a link to it) in the new Airbnb groups will be viewed as "advertising" and not be allowed. HOwever, I believe we can still post links in the new groups and we should have the ability to go offsite and meet offsite, as that is so important not only for socializing and building community but particularly when we are working politically in local areas for good STR regulations, as we are doing in my area.
This will be shared on the new groups when they are rolled out in November:
One of the group members brought up an interesting topic, that of how people post on the groups . Since these are all new groups, and we are here exploring what they are going to be about and what each group description means, and what fits into such descriptions, I had raised the question of what types of questions/stories/comments are going to fit where. I gave an example of two types of ideas for threads that I might consider posting on for instance "General Hosting" or "New to Hosting" and wondered where these ideas would fit. I expressed that I hoped that group members would have the ability to still present their question/story/dilemma in the way that they felt comfortable doing that, which might be a bit meandering, and might actually not be a question at all, even though we were to understand that implicit in the "dilemma" presented, was somewhere a question . I pointed out that sometimes a host, particularly a new host, may not really know what their question is -- they just know that "Ohmigosh, this situation happened to my listing/my guest/between me and my guest, and --- what do I do?" So they may feel like the way they need to ask for help is tell their story and ask for feedback.
Another group member pointed out that some people go way off topic, say way too much, and that he prefers if people stick to the topic either of the group (eg what the group is supposed to be about) or the topic of the original thread.
I am curious what your views on this question are. How do you participate in community groups? How do you like others to participate in community groups? (Perhaps host community groups, perhaps other online groups that would be sufficiently similar) What specific host and/or community groups have you participated in and what were the communication styles there, and how did the threads tend to develop? How did you fit in your own posting style with that of others in these groups? What did you like best about how the threads developed, either in a way that went diligently on point, or perhaps a more tangential and anecdotal development of the subject matter? What would feel TO YOU like "going off topic" ? Eg, give an example of what to you feels like going annoyingly off topic versus talking about other interesting matters that are sufficiently related , or perhaps sufficiently interesting, that you dont' see them as meandering away, or you actually find you like the meandering away?
What communication and posting styles are you hoping for here? What groups seem like good examples to you in terms of things like cooperation among members, good moderation, good group setup/structure, and group norms or values?