Together
By Design
Af
Affinity
21 Online Community Platform
Online gathering places around shared interests. May be short-lived, ephemeral (e.g. around a video) or enduring, high-identity 'online third places'. Emphasis on both norms and moderation, whether from the platform or the group. Where membership lines are brighter, the member journey may be deliberate, including intentional onboarding, communication of rituals and traditions, use of appreciation & ostracism to govern behaviour.
Reddit
Facebook
Mighty Networks, and other community forum platforms
Slack
Peanut
YouTube
22 Member Club
A relatively small club, homed in a distinctive space and with stringent membership criteria. Emphasis on exclusivity (bright lines) and strong norms (traditions, magic circle, origin story) with the idea that this is based on personal qualities, background or accomplishment.
Garrick Club
Mandala Club
The House of KOKO
23 Thematic Salon
Gathering around a theme or interest. Can be a forum for 34 Story Sharing or 26 Collective Cultural Experience. This pattern creates permission for openness, affinity, vulnerability and curiosity. Generally fuzzy membership lines, as the intention is to conducively draw people together and foster interaction around the topic.
24 Professional Community of Practice
Similar to 25 Grassroots Community of Practice but with more definite membership criteria, may be paid-for or invitation-only, and expectation is that members will be matched for affinity of role, experience and background so that they can offer mutual support. A locus for sharing and mutual support. Mostly forum-based and asynchronous, but may offer events.
25 Grassroots Community of Practice
A community that forms around a shared role, career stage or identity. In contrast to 24 Professional Community of Practice, this pattern is self-organised, has fuzzy membership lines and is relatively lo-fi, with an emphasis on using existing community assets such as 17 Community Hub (for example, a co-working space) or 21 Online Community Platform (for example, Slack). Can be both event-based and forum-based.