Insights
Ideas for communities with real responsibilities.
Practical, principled writing for people choosing, designing and governing private digital community infrastructure.
Showing all 16 articles. Every article remains present in the initial HTML.
Technology
Digital community accessibility: designing participation for more people
Accessibility guidance for community portals across sign-in, navigation, content, discussion, events, notifications and support.
Guides
How to migrate an established community to a new platform
A staged migration plan covering community research, content decisions, governance, privacy, pilot groups, onboarding and responsible shutdown.
Governance
The role of moderation in private digital communities
Moderation is a system of people, policy, process and tools. Learn how to design it for fairness, privacy and accountable community care.
Product
Designing online communities without addictive engagement
How to design for useful participation, calm notifications and community outcomes instead of maximum time spent.
Data Ownership
Why data portability matters for communities
Portability is more than an export button. Learn what makes community data usable, responsible and ready for an orderly service exit.
Guides
What should organisations look for in community portal software?
A procurement checklist covering member tasks, governance, privacy, security, accessibility, integration, evidence and service exit.
Governance
A guide to online community governance
How to establish purpose, membership, roles, standards, moderation, decision rights and review for a private online community.
Property
Building a digital community for a residential building
How to plan a private resident community around announcements, documents, local connection, privacy, governance and useful building information.
Community
Community portals versus email lists
When email is enough, when a community portal adds value and how the two can work together without duplicating communication.
Community
Community portals versus Facebook Groups
A balanced comparison of organisation-owned community portals and Facebook Groups across reach, governance, privacy, knowledge and cost.
Government
How governments can build trusted digital communities
A practical framework for public-purpose digital communities covering scope, accessibility, governance, information management, privacy and trust.
Privacy
Privacy by design for digital communities
How to turn privacy from a policy statement into practical decisions about purpose, collection, identity, permissions, analytics and community change.
Data Ownership
Who owns the data in an online community?
A clear framework for thinking about member data, community content, provider processing, contracts, portability and stewardship.
Community
Why organisations are moving communities away from social media
The practical reasons organisations seek a direct, private community environment—and what they should preserve during a move.
Guides
Community portal software: a complete guide
How community portal software works, the capabilities to assess, governance questions to ask and a responsible process for choosing a platform.
Community
What is a community portal?
A practical definition of a community portal, what it brings together, how it differs from other channels and when an organisation needs one.
Start a conversation
Build the place behind the thinking.
Tell us who you need to bring together and what a trusted digital home should make possible.