An idea for the setup of the New Airbnb Community Center
Feb 27, 2016 4:01:30 GMT
andrew, Dionne, and 1 more like this
Post by High Priestess on Feb 27, 2016 4:01:30 GMT
An idea for the structure of the Host Community Groups and Community Center
I had the idea for a 4-part Community Center, which has these four parts:
(1) Host educational Video tutorials and Quiz
(2) Airbnb Customer Service contact form
(3) Expert Host Staffed Help Desk (Expert Host Volunteers or Paid on a Stipend) perhaps called "Q&A with EXpert HOsts"
(4) Host Community Groups
and another element, possibly a 5th, which would be a "Help Tool" to help hosts decide which of these 4 places to go to, to get help with their question or issue.
(1) Video Tutorials and Quiz. Individuals who want to become hosts would be required to watch one or more video tutorials which teach them about the basics of hosting. (Ideally people would have to do this before they would be permitted to set up their first listing) Then they would either need to check off a box stating that they had viewed the video, or complete a quiz answering questions about the video. The video would cover such things as:
(a) How to use the Airbnb website
(b) How to set up a listing and manage the listing (all parts of manage listing)
(c) Basics on how to host – how to respond to inquiries and reservation requests, how to accept or decline a guest, how to answer guest questions, how to check in and check out a guest and manage the guest’s needs during the stay.
(d) After or during the process of the host viewing the video tutorials, they can click on options to ask questions of an Expert Host (a staff of hosts who volunteer to help with this or who are paid a stipend to answer questions) or an Airbnb staffperson, about the info they have viewed.
After the host has viewed the video tutorials and asked questions, and taken the quiz or checked off boxes stating that they had watched the tutorials, then and only then do they gain access to the other 3 parts of the Community Center. This would ensure that hosts do not come into the Community Center without having put in at least a basic effort to learn how to be a host.
(2) Once hosts come into the Community Center, they would be given a choice of 3 places to go. One would be to ask a question of Airbnb Customer Service. Many questions are being asked on the Community Center which can’t be answered by hosts – and are more appropriately directed to Airbnb Customer service, but many hosts don’t know how to contact Airbnb Customer Service. I understand that Airbnb Customer Service does not want to be overwhelmed with many trivial questions that come from a lack of basic awareness on how to use the site, hence I suggest the video tutorial process being required as the first step of hosting. The Community Center would provide descriptions to hosts of the types of questions which are more appropriately directed to Airbnb Customer Service, and those which are best directed to Expert Hosts or to the Host Community.
(3) Also, hosts would have the option of asking questions of fellow hosts (Expert Hosts) at an Expert Host Staffed Help Desk, who are paid a stipend to help other hosts, and this could take the strain of Customer Service who are more suited for questions that involve technical problems with accounts or payment issues, problems with guests or other things that fellow hosts can’t help with. Again, there would be a description on the Community Center of the Types of questions that are most appropriately directed to Expert Hosts, versus those more suited for Airbnb Customer Service or the Host Community. Questions best suited for Expert Hosts would be those that do not involve particular transactions on the hosts’ account, or technical issues, but rather questions on how to use the website, how to respond to guests, how to check in and check out guests – items covered on the video tutorials, but which the host may have forgotten or have other questions about.
Expert hosts would be those who self-identify as such, no qualifications needed -- they just feel confident in knowing enough about the site and all aspects of hosting to answer most host questions.
(4) Finally, hosts could choose to go to the Host Community either to ask questions, or to participate in community, sharing news and stories. Again, the Community Center would have a description of the best types of questions to bring to the Host Community. These would not be technical questions (how do I do a preapproval, how do I change my minimum to 3 nights) but rather questions involving decisions or judgement, fears or anxieties, such as: my guest didn’t arrive yesterday – and hasn’t responded to my calls, what should I do? Or – my guest was problematic and did this and this, what should I say in the review? Or – can you give me advice on my listing? Or – do you think I should accept families with children if I have steep steps?
I think it’s important that the host community be led by host moderators, perhaps with the oversight of Airbnb staff. I don’t’ think hosts will feel that a community run by independent contractors to Airbnb or Airbnb staff, is really a host community. I believe that the “Core” regular hosts on New Hosts Forum and some of the other Host Community groups, such as the hosts on Launch Pad Hosts, have built up a culture of the Host Community, and we feel this culture is important to hosts and valuable to Airbnb as it can help shape hosts to become good hosts, hosts with good judgement and skills, who can make guests feel welcome and respected while also expecting guests to be respectful – and who can host with a professional attitude and good communication skills. We hosts of New Hosts Forum and the Launch Pad hosts have been educating hosts in these skills for some time, and these are not things that are as appropriate for hosts to learn by calling Airbnb Customer service, or by asking narrow questions at a Volunteer Staffed help desk.
So my vision of the 4th part of the Community Center, the host Community, would be that we have one or more Host Groups which are moderated by some of the present leaders in the Host Community, such as the Launch Pad hosts. Several hosts would moderate each group (perhaps there would only be one group) – even up to 10 or 20 host leaders could all moderate together. Host leader moderators could be more or less active at times, and others would cover for them. When one host moderator tired of participating, they could go, and perhaps come back later after a sabbatical. New hosts who had been “through the ropes” and come up in the community by participating and showing that they understood some of the issues that were being discussed, and valued the culture that was being passed on, could also come on board as new moderators. Having several moderators would help ensure there was always someone to address any problems. Host moderators would have the ability to hide posts that they felt were inappropriate, but not delete them.
Oversight to the host moderators would be provided by Independent Contractors hired by Airbnb or Airbnb staff. These staffpersons would have as their first priority any safety issues on the forum – removing posts by criminals or scammers, or editing out phone numbers and email addresses posted in the posts. They may also help remove advertising or property listings inappropriately posted. They would not hide or delete other possibly inappropriate posts but leave those decisions to the host moderators.
Hosts like the scroll-down Facebook style of the current groups, where they can scroll at their leisure and read posts that have interesting people/images/phrases. But hosts also want to be able to find old posts, which can’t be done on the current groups. I suggest setting up a Host Community which has a main section that looks much like the style of existing groups – with posts you scroll down to see. Then there would also be a page you can flip to, to see the titles of all the threads, in chronological order of date posted and/or latest reply. So hosts could both scroll down, or search thru thread titles, whichever method they wanted to use. Subreplies or nested replies should be available, as on the current groups .
Hosts don’t want guests or the general public reading their posts, so I suggest that the Host Community not be made available to the general public to see. People would have to first become a host to access The Host Community groups. This would involve first watching the video tutorial and checking box or doing quiz, then having a listing, and having at least 3 reservations before they could access the Host Community Groups.
I would suggest having a few Host Community Groups based on some of the successful existing groups.
(1) Stories/Adventures in Hosting (for stories ) -- much like the current Anecdotes and Stories group www.airbnb.com/groups/429
(2) Host Community Hub (general hosting issues, stories, dilemmas) --- much like the Current New Hosts Forum group. www.airbnb.com/groups/41
(3) Tips and Tricks or Better Hosting – for Suggested Practices--- much like what Elle currently does on the Bedder Hosting Group www.airbnb.com/groups/197
I had the idea for a 4-part Community Center, which has these four parts:
(1) Host educational Video tutorials and Quiz
(2) Airbnb Customer Service contact form
(3) Expert Host Staffed Help Desk (Expert Host Volunteers or Paid on a Stipend) perhaps called "Q&A with EXpert HOsts"
(4) Host Community Groups
and another element, possibly a 5th, which would be a "Help Tool" to help hosts decide which of these 4 places to go to, to get help with their question or issue.
(1) Video Tutorials and Quiz. Individuals who want to become hosts would be required to watch one or more video tutorials which teach them about the basics of hosting. (Ideally people would have to do this before they would be permitted to set up their first listing) Then they would either need to check off a box stating that they had viewed the video, or complete a quiz answering questions about the video. The video would cover such things as:
(a) How to use the Airbnb website
(b) How to set up a listing and manage the listing (all parts of manage listing)
(c) Basics on how to host – how to respond to inquiries and reservation requests, how to accept or decline a guest, how to answer guest questions, how to check in and check out a guest and manage the guest’s needs during the stay.
(d) After or during the process of the host viewing the video tutorials, they can click on options to ask questions of an Expert Host (a staff of hosts who volunteer to help with this or who are paid a stipend to answer questions) or an Airbnb staffperson, about the info they have viewed.
After the host has viewed the video tutorials and asked questions, and taken the quiz or checked off boxes stating that they had watched the tutorials, then and only then do they gain access to the other 3 parts of the Community Center. This would ensure that hosts do not come into the Community Center without having put in at least a basic effort to learn how to be a host.
(2) Once hosts come into the Community Center, they would be given a choice of 3 places to go. One would be to ask a question of Airbnb Customer Service. Many questions are being asked on the Community Center which can’t be answered by hosts – and are more appropriately directed to Airbnb Customer service, but many hosts don’t know how to contact Airbnb Customer Service. I understand that Airbnb Customer Service does not want to be overwhelmed with many trivial questions that come from a lack of basic awareness on how to use the site, hence I suggest the video tutorial process being required as the first step of hosting. The Community Center would provide descriptions to hosts of the types of questions which are more appropriately directed to Airbnb Customer Service, and those which are best directed to Expert Hosts or to the Host Community.
(3) Also, hosts would have the option of asking questions of fellow hosts (Expert Hosts) at an Expert Host Staffed Help Desk, who are paid a stipend to help other hosts, and this could take the strain of Customer Service who are more suited for questions that involve technical problems with accounts or payment issues, problems with guests or other things that fellow hosts can’t help with. Again, there would be a description on the Community Center of the Types of questions that are most appropriately directed to Expert Hosts, versus those more suited for Airbnb Customer Service or the Host Community. Questions best suited for Expert Hosts would be those that do not involve particular transactions on the hosts’ account, or technical issues, but rather questions on how to use the website, how to respond to guests, how to check in and check out guests – items covered on the video tutorials, but which the host may have forgotten or have other questions about.
Expert hosts would be those who self-identify as such, no qualifications needed -- they just feel confident in knowing enough about the site and all aspects of hosting to answer most host questions.
(4) Finally, hosts could choose to go to the Host Community either to ask questions, or to participate in community, sharing news and stories. Again, the Community Center would have a description of the best types of questions to bring to the Host Community. These would not be technical questions (how do I do a preapproval, how do I change my minimum to 3 nights) but rather questions involving decisions or judgement, fears or anxieties, such as: my guest didn’t arrive yesterday – and hasn’t responded to my calls, what should I do? Or – my guest was problematic and did this and this, what should I say in the review? Or – can you give me advice on my listing? Or – do you think I should accept families with children if I have steep steps?
I think it’s important that the host community be led by host moderators, perhaps with the oversight of Airbnb staff. I don’t’ think hosts will feel that a community run by independent contractors to Airbnb or Airbnb staff, is really a host community. I believe that the “Core” regular hosts on New Hosts Forum and some of the other Host Community groups, such as the hosts on Launch Pad Hosts, have built up a culture of the Host Community, and we feel this culture is important to hosts and valuable to Airbnb as it can help shape hosts to become good hosts, hosts with good judgement and skills, who can make guests feel welcome and respected while also expecting guests to be respectful – and who can host with a professional attitude and good communication skills. We hosts of New Hosts Forum and the Launch Pad hosts have been educating hosts in these skills for some time, and these are not things that are as appropriate for hosts to learn by calling Airbnb Customer service, or by asking narrow questions at a Volunteer Staffed help desk.
So my vision of the 4th part of the Community Center, the host Community, would be that we have one or more Host Groups which are moderated by some of the present leaders in the Host Community, such as the Launch Pad hosts. Several hosts would moderate each group (perhaps there would only be one group) – even up to 10 or 20 host leaders could all moderate together. Host leader moderators could be more or less active at times, and others would cover for them. When one host moderator tired of participating, they could go, and perhaps come back later after a sabbatical. New hosts who had been “through the ropes” and come up in the community by participating and showing that they understood some of the issues that were being discussed, and valued the culture that was being passed on, could also come on board as new moderators. Having several moderators would help ensure there was always someone to address any problems. Host moderators would have the ability to hide posts that they felt were inappropriate, but not delete them.
Oversight to the host moderators would be provided by Independent Contractors hired by Airbnb or Airbnb staff. These staffpersons would have as their first priority any safety issues on the forum – removing posts by criminals or scammers, or editing out phone numbers and email addresses posted in the posts. They may also help remove advertising or property listings inappropriately posted. They would not hide or delete other possibly inappropriate posts but leave those decisions to the host moderators.
Hosts like the scroll-down Facebook style of the current groups, where they can scroll at their leisure and read posts that have interesting people/images/phrases. But hosts also want to be able to find old posts, which can’t be done on the current groups. I suggest setting up a Host Community which has a main section that looks much like the style of existing groups – with posts you scroll down to see. Then there would also be a page you can flip to, to see the titles of all the threads, in chronological order of date posted and/or latest reply. So hosts could both scroll down, or search thru thread titles, whichever method they wanted to use. Subreplies or nested replies should be available, as on the current groups .
Hosts don’t want guests or the general public reading their posts, so I suggest that the Host Community not be made available to the general public to see. People would have to first become a host to access The Host Community groups. This would involve first watching the video tutorial and checking box or doing quiz, then having a listing, and having at least 3 reservations before they could access the Host Community Groups.
I would suggest having a few Host Community Groups based on some of the successful existing groups.
(1) Stories/Adventures in Hosting (for stories ) -- much like the current Anecdotes and Stories group www.airbnb.com/groups/429
(2) Host Community Hub (general hosting issues, stories, dilemmas) --- much like the Current New Hosts Forum group. www.airbnb.com/groups/41
(3) Tips and Tricks or Better Hosting – for Suggested Practices--- much like what Elle currently does on the Bedder Hosting Group www.airbnb.com/groups/197
