"Go! GovLoop for New Members"...& Old Pros!
Those who’ve been around for a while may have heard my story about coming up to speed on GovLoop and what I learned in the process (an early blog about it here). Seeking help, I reached out to Steve Ressler, who suggested doing a few basic things to get connected. Adriel Hampton, was also supportive. His advice: “you get back what you put in." Guess it worked, since I’m still here and a big fan. But I was lucky to have these guys to reach out to.
Where does this lead? Clay Shirkey wrote about the potential of social media in Here Comes Everybody. Great stuff, but I care as much about who goes and how to up the odds that those who do come will stay engaged. On GovLoop and other social networking sites, it’s in everyone’s interest to help new members connect and contribute. It's kind of selfish really. We get back what they put in too, by way of richer discussions, ideas and opportunities.
So, in the spirit of selfishness, have been working with Andy K., Steve R. and several other folks to launch a new group called Go! GovLoop for New Members. The idea is basically to create a springboard for newer members to get started and get connected more easily -- a kind of one-stop-shop. But more than that, a group that’s dynamic and real-time, where the community can field questions when people have them, fill in the blanks when static FAQ's fall short and help grow the base of information and tools that future new members can tap.
Not everyone needs a group like this, but we're hoping at least two kinds of people join...those newer to GovLoop, who want to settle in faster, and those that have some experience and advice to share ;-) It will be great to have more seasoned members help with Q&A and tips but don't expect a one-way convo. It'll be peer to peer. New members see GovLoop the way nobody else can - for the first time - and that's a key to continue improving the site. I could drone on but will just invite you to drop in and check out Go! GovLoop for New Members when you have time. Hope you'll help make it all it can be. Cheers, Josh
So, in the spirit of selfishness, have been working with Andy K., Steve R. and several other folks to launch a new group called Go! GovLoop for New Members. The idea is basically to create a springboard for newer members to get started and get connected more easily -- a kind of one-stop-shop. But more than that, a group that’s dynamic and real-time, where the community can field questions when people have them, fill in the blanks when static FAQ's fall short and help grow the base of information and tools that future new members can tap.
Not everyone needs a group like this, but we're hoping at least two kinds of people join...those newer to GovLoop, who want to settle in faster, and those that have some experience and advice to share ;-) It will be great to have more seasoned members help with Q&A and tips but don't expect a one-way convo. It'll be peer to peer. New members see GovLoop the way nobody else can - for the first time - and that's a key to continue improving the site. I could drone on but will just invite you to drop in and check out Go! GovLoop for New Members when you have time. Hope you'll help make it all it can be. Cheers, Josh
Views: 11
Tags: FAQ, career, communications, go govloop for new members, greenies, leadership, miscellaneous, new members, newbies, tech
Comment
-
Comment by Joshua joseph on March 2, 2010 at 5:29pm -
Lief, Jennifer, Melissa, Adriel, Andrea - thanks for the good wishes.
@Andrea - sounds like you're suggesting we need another way to search through the nearly 700 GL groups, other than just by keyword, and to be able to sort them some other way besides "most recent activity" or "number of people." Totally agree! There should be a category field to fill out when you create a group with about 6 options, the same as when you post a new discussion forum. Maybe a good question/suggestion for Andy or Steve to look into. Thanks for your comment. --JJ
-
Comment by Andrea Schneider on March 2, 2010 at 1:18pm -
Hi Josh,
Good idea. One thing which may make this even easier is to somehow group the groups in categories to make it easier for people to decide what and where they want to participate. Maybe asking each group leader to write 140 about their group and give us 4-6 categories as leaders to choose from.
Right now, on so many social networks this is a challenge and can feel overwhelming to even those of us who are experienced. I'm also concerned that as things grow, there is a greater chance for duplication and redundancy of effort.
Andrea
-
Comment by Leif Utne on March 2, 2010 at 1:10pm -
This is great, Josh. Thanks for getting it started. Off to check it out.
-
Comment by Jennifer Carignan on March 2, 2010 at 7:43am -
Congrats, Josh! This will be a great way for members to interact.
-
Comment by Melissa Merrell on March 1, 2010 at 1:33pm -
great idea - Thanks Joshua
-
Comment by Adriel Hampton on March 1, 2010 at 12:38pm -
Looking forward to participating and learning!
Sponsor Spotlight
Tools & Resources
© 2012 Created by GovLoop.
You need to be a member of GovLoop - Social Network for Government to add comments!
Join GovLoop - Social Network for Government