Right now we’re excited about working with Relationships Australia Victoria on an ambitious online project that will assist people connect up with professional expertise and to support each other at any time of day or night.

• People supporting people, 24 hours a day.
• An online community of practitioners and clients.

This innovative online community will integrate the traditional mechanisms of teaching, training and counselling with innovative web and social networking technologies. In this way communities of clients can be supported and support one another at any time of the day or night.

How will it work?

Clients visit ‘Houses’ in an online environment. Click on the thumbnails below to see what this might look like.

Each House is a virtual space created for a special interest group e.g. the House of Separation and Divorce, the Men’s House or the House of Parenting. In any of these houses people can:

• access expertise provided by professionals from Relationships Australia Victoria and other Collaborating Agencies
• discuss issues of common interest and concern with others in similar situations to themselves in real time or in forums
• access a range of resources; text, podcasts, video
• attend ‘meetings’ on topics of interest, run by professionals and experts.

With learning and ongoing connections 24 hours a day, in a safe online environment, isolation will be reduced and mental health outcomes improved.

Both Relationships Australia Victoria and approved collaborating agencies will run Houses or Rooms on topics as diverse as relationship education and repartnering, mens’ issues, domestic violence or financial counselling. Other services will emerge depending on the interests of other agencies, whether it be CALD issues, quitting smoking or fear of flying.

New ‘Houses’ can also be rolled out rapidly in response to traumatic events like bushfire or cyclone as required.

Nancy White and Matt Moore emphasised the importance of this in their workshops – it will drive the design. Keep returning to it or risk losing your community. (More on online communities here at Nancy’s wikispaces.)

Some other useful ideas:

• There is no greenfield in online community
• It is best to find existing offline communities and start with them – they will already have a shared interest.
• ‘Build and they will come’ is probably a recipe for failure.
• People need rewards for changing their practice and building online community into their lives – they are too busy just to add it to their daily lives
• Start the technology where people currently are, be that email and sms, start small and take small steps
• The platform is not the community
• If you co-design the technology with the offline community, they will own the online version.

Nancy also emphasised the difference between network and community:

• Network – large numbers (150 upwards), members may be anonymous, join and depart without being noticed
• Community – probably <150 people, identity will be known, missing members will be noticed.

For people to change and take part in an online community:

• It must be worth the effort – what is the value?
• I must be able to do it – What skills do I need?

Providing relevant resources is a good way to engage people – especially video.