Group moderation and cultivating participation usually takes time.  Few groups will be immediately engaged and active.  Remember that the full value of a group is not usually apparent when it is first formed.  It is the events, the conversations, the collective focus, the relationships that help the potential value of the group to emerge.

Responsibilities

Group owners have additional privileges and responsibilities:

• Requests to Join - If the group is private, requests to join will come via email and a group owner will need to approve users to join the group.

• Group Administration –The group owner has an additional tab on the left hand menu.  The Group Administration tab allows for changing and updating content on the group home page.  This edit feature allows for creating a purpose statement for the group, adding photos or links, and creating welcoming and current content.  This space can be updated regularly to let group members know about events, new posts or link to content from other areas of the web. 

• Forum Moderation – Group owners insure that the content of forums and comments remain congruent with the site Terms of Use.  Only Group owners have the ability to delete posts and comments to the forum. If concerns come up, contact the Site Administrators.

Tips for Facilitation

Look for existing “energy” and interest in the field related to the topic.  Know if your group is oriented towards interest, action or practice. 

Clearly articulate the purpose/vision of the group. Successful groups work from the needs and interests of the members and it is helpful to work with core members to define this focus. A visible, clear and concise statement makes it apparent how new members who may join can contribute.  A statement on the group’s Home page is a good way to convey the group’s mission and purpose.  Over time this may be revisited to determine whether it still reflects the intent of the group or if it needs to be updated.

Identify key partners and ask them to contribute.  Part of facilitation involves cultivating contribution and leadership from within the group’s ranks.  You may consider asking a core member to facilitate a discussion, lead a webinar, or look for new members to contribute to the group’s mission. Identifying leaders will help keep the conversation going.

Obtain and build content that members want.  Group members gravitate toward content that gives them what they need to do their job better, to make their jobs easier, etc.  Existing content can be used to promote dialogue, discuss implementation, and create new content.

Have a plan to sustain ongoing interest and dialogue.  You may want to map out monthly and weekly activities to generate interest and foster engagement, including regularly occurring, synchronous events that can be used to add value and create an expectation among members of ongoing, consistent learning opportunities.

Celebrate member achievements.  Look for opportunities to highlight and celebrate achievements of members and/or member organizations.  Ask them to share what they are doing by writing a forum post or conducting a web conference.

Embrace and start conversations around issues that have not reached consensus.  Facilitators can add value to groups by identifying issues that are unresolved or complicated and then asking the group to contribute their thoughts. 

Document and celebrate group accomplishments.

For more information read this short publication Facilitating Online Communities of Practice from Education Northwest