How to pick the BEST online community platform in 2024?

Choosing an online community platform is HARD...but in this video I break it down into 2 simple steps...helping you decide between Discord, Discourse, Slack, Mighty Networks, Khoros, and many other platforms too.

In this comprehensive tutorial, I delve into the crucial process of selecting the ideal online community platform tailored to your audience's needs.

Whether you are a community manager, developer relations (DevRel) professional, or simply looking to build a vibrant online community, this video offers a simple, straightforward, step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision.

The video begins by categorizing the various online community platforms into three primary types: forums, chat channels, and all-in-one solutions.

Understanding your audience is critical, and we break down potential users into six categories: executives, developers, consumers, gamers, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. Each of these groups has unique preferences and needs, which we align with the most suitable community platforms.

For executives, real-time chat channels like Slack and Telegram are ideal due to their preference for quick, high-value discussions. Developers tend to favor platforms like Discord for real-time interaction, but they also appreciate high-quality forums such as Discourse. Consumers generally seek familiar experiences, making Facebook Groups and comprehensive solutions like Mighty Networks a good fit. Gamers thrive on platforms like Discord, where they can engage in real-time with fellow gamers. Hobbyists benefit from all-in-one platforms like Buddy Boss and Mighty Networks, which offer a range of features for sharing content and hosting events. Enthusiasts, who may have diverse and niche interests, prefer dynamic and interactive communities.

The video also provides detailed recommendations for specific platforms within each category. For forums, Discourse stands out for its feature-rich, open-source nature, while Vanilla Forums offers high customization, and Khoros is suitable for enterprise solutions. In the chat platform category, Slack is excellent for team collaboration but can be costly, whereas Discord is more affordable and packed with community-building features. Telegram offers security and versatility, and Mattermost provides an open-source, self-hosted option. Among all-in-one platforms, Mighty Networks and Buddy Boss are highlighted for their comprehensive and innovative features, while Facebook Groups remain a free and familiar choice for many users.

Throughout the tutorial, real-world examples are used to illustrate the importance of matching the right audience with the appropriate platform. The video concludes with valuable tips on maintaining an active and engaged community, emphasizing practical application and encouraging viewers to share their audience and platform choices in the comments. By following this guide, you will be well-equipped to select the best online community platform for your specific audience, ensuring a thriving and engaging community.

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Deliver consistent community/devrel growth and engagement results every quarter.

We provide hands-on coaching, training, and accountability...all tailored to your company...that helps you to deliver clear, consistent results every quarter with less stress and frustration.

Our members include Dagger, ARM, Linux Foundation, Zeplin, Adobe, Unison Cloud, JourneyApps, Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Dragonfly, World Health Organization, and many others.

What our members say:

** “CLC has become a core part of our company strategy. I completely recommend it for anyone who takes their community seriously.” – Adam Christian, CEO at Stateful

** “CLC has been immensely valuable, providing an excellent framework for engaging with my community right from the outset.” – Revital Barletz, Head of Community at Monada

** “CLC has led to numerous innovative initiatives.” – Taylor Dolezal, Head of Ecosystem at Cloud Native Computing Foundation

** “CLC has been instrumental in helping us get results, not just with our community, but also with content, events, messaging, on-boarding, and more. Highly recommended.” - Kunal Nawale, Founder and CEO at SigScalr

** “CLC has given us the tools to prioritize our objectives and the support to execute on them.” - Phillip van der Merwe, VP Business Development at JourneyApps

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[ig]

What do you recommend for raw vegan/fasting community? They're naturalist and I feel like most would be disconnected enough to get overwhelmed if I send them do Discord or something similar. Would Facebook then be the best option?

[devonrd]

Community of high schoolers 13-17 interested in learning and study methods. I believe the high-speed tendency of this age group would fit a chat function better.

[glennblack]

I'd like to create a community for divorced and divorcing men. Of your categories, I would likely put them in consumers. Any feedback on that would be welcomed.

[SurveyorsUK]

surveyors in the uk and students - not sure which category

[edgarlangwald]

"Just need to get out more" LMAO😂😂

[danstahlberg]

My community are people interested in local history. They like archives and books, and think that sending an email is rocket science. They can spend hours discussing were the old mill was, and if a place should be spelled "Ressbyn" or "Resbyn". I need to get them to start talking about the wiki we are creating together. It was quite a job to get them comfortable with contributing to the wiki in the first place.

[chriswesley]

4:27 - DON'T SKIP THIS. "why is this important? well, it's so you commit to action" - yeah, kinda it's so you get engagement. Hahahaha. Congratulations on the straight face though.

[saraswatishaktimayi]

I am trying to find a suitable platform for "crazy people", but it seems to not exist. It is all linear and grid-like or social media-like looking. I wish there was something more fun, less exhausting for the mind, more creative, more fluent, more beautiful and inviting.

[katerynatsvilodub]

We unite tea masters and tea lovers - and I don’t really know what platform we should use

[dhandhayogi]

Executives+hobbyists -> first choice - chat; second choice - forums

[oscari-j]

Community interested in music composition and production and AI I think the forum would be the best fit.

[Goodforthegame]

Sports Betting Community - Forum although all in one might work better

[johnlewman]

Forum for toymakers specializing in making wood toys of all types

[assu]

entrepreneur and small business owners

[godfreecanada]

Discord unvetted, trolls, recruiters