Last Updated: May 15, 2024

Online community management software or conventional social media? Which one is best for building and engaging your member community? Why pay for online communities when we have free social sites?

Member-based organizations often encounter these confusions when building communities. This is because private community platforms are often mixed up with conventional social apps.

Conventional social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are made for connecting with the general public. These are designed to promote the value of your organization and help you reach your potential members. By contrast, social communities are designed exclusively for your members. Their goal is to engage your existing members and help them foster long-lasting relationships with like-minded individuals.

Furthermore, online community platforms offer several unique features to make your membership an enjoyable experience.

This article will explore how online communities, Glue Up, in particular, is different from conventional social media and can help your organization engage its community more effectively.

Let’s get started.

Key Takeaways

• Online community platforms like Glue Up are designed exclusively for members, fostering long-lasting relationships among like-minded individuals, while conventional social media is made for connecting with the general public.
• Glue Up offers a true sense of community by providing a tailor-made, private social media platform with limited access to people who share the same missions or goals.
• Privacy concerns are addressed better in private online communities like Glue Up, where only users with logins can access information and participate in conversations, unlike conventional social media.
• Glue Up provides additional features for better community engagement, such as digital business cards, rich texts, and emojis for more humane interactions, advanced settings for administrative control, speed networking, file, and document sharing, time-saving notification filters, and weekly email digests.
• The true value of a platform lies in its ability to facilitate genuine connections between people, and Glue Up is designed to drive maximum member engagement by creating a true sense of community and involvement, which strengthens member loyalty.

True Sense of Community

The biggest difference between social networks and online communities is their accessibility. Conventional social media offers a limited sense of community since anyone can access a group or page with a false identity. On the other hand, private online communities offer limited access to people who share the same missions or goals.

Glue Up is a tailor-made private social media platform that creates a true sense of community. It is a custom hub that is designed exclusively for people who share a common interest or ground. Thus, they can freely share their ideas, discuss relevant topics, and connect with like-minded individuals.

The platform comes with an app that allows your members to stay connected on the go. They can engage, network, and receive important information no matter where they are.

Your members can also discover, register, and pay for events and access all current, past, and future information about clients' events and activities.

All these features offer the most authentic community experience and ensure your community grows naturally.

Enhanced Privacy

Privacy concerns have spiked among social media users in recent years. In the wake of recent data breaches, many users are reexamining their relationship with social media and their personal information security.

In a study conducted by the Pew Trust, 80 percent of social media users expressed concern about businesses and advertisers accessing their accounts. Thus, more people are moving to private online communities for a more secure online experience.

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Glue Up community platform is a private digital space where your members can express themselves and connect without fear of their data being leaked or sold. Only users with logins can see information and participate in conversations. These details are communicated via invitations or preloaded into the membership database of the community platform.

Thus, closed online communities like Glue Up offer more privacy than conventional social media platforms for several reasons:

• Limited Access: These communities act like gated spaces. Only approved users can enter, restricting public search engines and AI tools that crawl the open web from accessing the information shared within. Your posts and profile are shielded from random internet scans. This ensures that your personal information and conversations remain within the confines of the community.
• Moderation and Control: Closed communities often have moderators who oversee content and user activity. This can help prevent unwanted scraping of data by automated tools. Additionally, some communities allow users more control over who sees their profile and information. This level of control is not typically available on conventional social media platforms, where your profile and posts are often visible to a much wider audience.
• Increased Trust: Knowing that everyone has gone through a registration and verification process can foster a sense of trust among members. This can lead to more open and honest conversations, as people feel less worried about their information being misused outside the community. In contrast, conventional social media platforms often have a mix of real and fake accounts, which can erode trust and limit the depth of engagement.

However, it's important to remember that no system is foolproof, and there are still some potential privacy concerns with closed online communities:

• Internal Leaks: While access is limited, there's always a chance that information can be leaked by members of the community itself. It's important for users to be mindful of what they share, even within a closed community.
• Community Management: The privacy practices of the closed community itself are important. Users need to trust that the operators are upholding strong data security measures and not misusing or selling user data.
• Monetization: Some closed communities may be monetized, and user data could be used for targeted advertising within the platform, even if it's not shared publicly. It's important for users to understand how their data may be used within the community.

Despite these potential concerns, closed online communities like Glue Up can provide a more private and secure space for engagement compared to conventional social media platforms.
The enhanced privacy features can foster deeper, more authentic conversations and connections among members.

Glue Up Community Platform: Additional Features for Better Community Engagement

Digital Business Cards for Professional Network

Glue Up is a platform for professional communities that allow your members to share their digital business cards with other community members. These digital cards are dynamic and can be edited any time they change work, title, or contact info.

Each person also has a member profile from where they can access the community platform and update profile information individually or with LinkedIn account integration. They can also access a searchable Event Community Directory and develop relationships with other community members.

Humane Interactions with Rich Texts and Emojis

Unlike conventional social media apps, the Glue Up community offers more human interactions with rich texts and emoji keyboards. The different text styles (bold, italic, strikethrough), font weights (normal, subheader, header), and emojis make your interactions more natural.

The posts and groups have hovering options, from where your users can find more information about other people, share business cards with them or start a new chat. They can also use @ to tag people in their posts.

Advanced Settings for More Administrative Control

One of the problems with the conventional media is the limited control over administrative roles. However, with the Glue Up community, you can define your own rules of engagement.

In addition to creating and managing groups, you can manage access rights for your team and group participants. Additionally, you can offer greater functionalities to selected membership tiers.

Speed Networking to Build Relationships

Glue Up Speed Networking solution allows professional associations, chambers of commerce, and other professional communities to host smart speed networking events virtually.

The smart technology pairs attendees for a short-intimate one-on-one call. They can also share virtual business cards, take meeting notes on each participant they network with, and schedule a meeting after the event.

This advanced integration feature not only increases community engagement, but it also connects your audience with only those they truly want to meet and gain value.

Furthermore, you can generate detailed reports on how attendees were matched, ROI analysis, and performance improvement data.

File and Document Sharing for Effective Collaboration

There are some limited social media apps that offer you file-sharing options. But with Glue Up, you can share files using the easy drag-and-drop option. Your users can also find all the shared documents in the Files sections of the platform. They can view, download or share files by copying their URL.

You can also share photos and videos on the platform to elicit conversations and let your members express themselves.

Time-saving Notification Filters

Your members might not have enough time to go through each notification. Therefore, Glue Up community software offers advanced notification features such as events, business cards, events, and memberships.

By using these features, your members can stay on top of what's important to them without being bothered by excessive alerts.

Weekly Email Digest to Stay in the Loop

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Glue Up sends a weekly email digest to your members to keep them informed about what’s happening in the community. The email consists of all the engagement details including post interactions, events published, and files uploaded. This feature ensures that your members never miss an update and stay connected.

A platform's true value lies in its ability to facilitate genuine connections between people. Glue Up is a private online community designed to drive maximum member engagement. It creates a true sense of community and involvement which in turn, strengthens member loyalty. Get a demo and take your membership community to the next level.

FAQs

1. How can an online community platform help increase member retention rates?

An online community platform like Glue Up can help increase member retention rates by providing a dedicated space for members to engage, network, and build meaningful relationships. It fosters a sense of belonging and offers valuable resources so that your members are more likely to remain active and committed to the organization.

2. What are the benefits of using a mobile app for community engagement?

A mobile app for community engagement, such as the one offered by Glue Up, allows members to stay connected and engaged on the go. Members can access important information, register for events, and interact with fellow members from anywhere, at any time. This convenience can lead to increased participation and a more vibrant community.

3. Can an online community platform integrate with other tools and software?

Yes, many online community platforms, including Glue Up, offer integrations with other tools and software to streamline processes and enhance functionality. For example, Glue Up can integrate with LinkedIn for easy profile updates, and it may also integrate with email marketing tools, CRM software, or event management platforms to create a seamless user experience.

4. How does an online community platform help organizations gather valuable insights about their members?

An online community platform can provide organizations with valuable data and insights about their members' interests, engagement levels, and behavior patterns. By analyzing metrics such as post interactions, event registrations, and file downloads, organizations can better understand their members' needs and preferences, allowing them to tailor their content and offerings accordingly.

5. What should organizations consider when choosing an online community platform?

When choosing an online community platform, organizations should consider factors such as the platform's features and functionality, ease of use, customization options, and scalability. It's also essential to evaluate the platform's privacy and security measures, as well as its ability to integrate with existing tools and software. Additionally, organizations should look for a platform that aligns with their specific goals and can effectively engage their target audience.