Digital Tools for Community Building

Community Discovery Platforms

Meetup

• Purpose: Find and join interest-based local groups
• Best for: Activity-focused communities, special interest groups
• Features: Group search, event calendar, RSVP tracking, discussion boards
• Pro tip: Filter for groups with recent activity and upcoming events

Eventbrite

• Purpose: Discover local events and gatherings
• Best for: One-time events, workshops, cultural activities
• Features: Category search, location filtering, ticket management
• Pro tip: Follow organizers of events you enjoy to see future offerings

Facebook Groups

• Purpose: Join topic-based communities with discussion features
• Best for: Interest groups, local communities, support networks
• Features: Discussion threads, events, files sharing, member profiles
• Pro tip: Check group activity level and moderation style before joining

NextDoor

• Purpose: Connect with neighbors and local community
• Best for: Hyperlocal connections, neighborhood resources
• Features: Verified local membership, recommendations, classifieds
• Pro tip: Great for finding very local activities often missed by other platforms

Peanut

• Purpose: Connect women, particularly mothers
• Best for: Women seeking friendship and support
• Features: Interest matching, meetup organization, discussion forums
• Pro tip: Create a detailed profile to improve matching algorithms

Bumble BFF

• Purpose: Friendship-finding functionality of dating app
• Best for: One-on-one friendship connections
• Features: Profile matching, conversation starters, verification
• Pro tip: Be specific about activities you enjoy in your profile

Internations

• Purpose: Connect expatriates and internationally-minded locals
• Best for: International connections, cultural exchange
• Features: Events, interest groups, city guides, networking
• Pro tip: Attend the newcomers events to make initial connections

Coordination Tools

WhatsApp/Signal/Telegram

• Purpose: Group messaging for real-time coordination
• Best for: Ongoing communication between gatherings
• Features: Group chats, media sharing, event planning
• Pro tip: Create clear group guidelines to maintain focus

Doodle

• Purpose: Find optimal meeting times across multiple schedules
• Best for: Planning gatherings with many participants
• Features: Poll creation, calendar integration, participant tracking
• Pro tip: Limit options to realistic choices to simplify decision-making

Google Calendar

• Purpose: Schedule and share community events
• Best for: Regular gatherings, shared scheduling
• Features: Shared calendars, event details, reminders, RSVP tracking
• Pro tip: Create a dedicated community calendar that members can subscribe to

Slack

• Purpose: Organized communication in channels
• Best for: Communities with multiple topics or projects
• Features: Topic channels, direct messaging, file sharing, integrations
• Pro tip: Use channels strategically to prevent information overload

Discord

• Purpose: Voice, video and text communication
• Best for: Gaming communities, multi-modal interaction
• Features: Voice channels, text channels, roles, server organization
• Pro tip: Create different channels for different types of interaction

Connection Maintenance Tools

Shared Photo Albums

• Purpose: Document and share community experiences
• Best for: Creating visual history and connection between events
• Examples: Google Photos shared albums, Facebook shared albums
• Pro tip: Establish clear consent practices for photo sharing

Collaborative Documents

• Purpose: Shared planning and documentation
• Best for: Co-creating community resources and plans
• Examples: Google Docs, Notion, Coda
• Pro tip: Use comment features to maintain engagement in planning

Digital Archives

• Purpose: Preserve community history and resources
• Best for: Maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge
• Examples: Shared drives, wikis, digital scrapbooks
• Pro tip: Assign archiving responsibilities to prevent loss over time

Check-in Systems

• Purpose: Maintain connection between gatherings
• Best for: Communities with irregular in-person meetings
• Examples: Marco Polo video messages, scheduled check-in threads
• Pro tip: Keep check-ins lightweight to encourage participation

Hybrid Meeting Enablers

Video Conferencing

• Purpose: Allow remote participation in primarily in-person gatherings
• Best for: Including distant members or those unable to attend
• Examples: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
• Pro tip: Assign a specific person to manage the remote experience

Livestreaming

• Purpose: Broadcast physical events to those who can’t attend
• Best for: Larger events or presentations
• Examples: YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Instagram Live
• Pro tip: Monitor comments to include remote participants’ questions

Digital Feedback Tools

• Purpose: Gather input from both present and absent community members
• Best for: Inclusive decision-making and planning
• Examples: Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform
• Pro tip: Keep surveys brief and focused to increase response rates

Asynchronous Discussion Platforms

• Purpose: Continue in-person conversations in digital spaces
• Best for: Deepening discussions beyond time constraints
• Examples: Forum software, comment threads, voice message exchanges
• Pro tip: Reference specific in-person discussions to create continuity

Best Practices for Digital Tools

Selection Principles

• Choose tools that match your community’s technical comfort level
• Prioritize tools that reduce rather than increase coordination friction
• Select the minimum viable toolset rather than using too many platforms
• Consider privacy and data ownership in your choices

Implementation Tips

• Provide clear instructions for tool use, especially for less tech-savvy members
• Start with core functionality before exploring advanced features
• Designate tech support people who can help others navigate tools
• Regularly review and adjust your digital toolkit based on community needs

Digital-Physical Balance

• Use digital tools to enhance rather than replace in-person connection
• Create clear boundaries around digital communication (response times, etc.)
• Be mindful of digital fatigue and tool proliferation
• Remember that tools serve the community, not vice versa