I think most of us in this networked world are part of one WhatsApp group or another and I bet all of us crib most of the time being the part of those groups.
Few years’ back I had written an article on LinkedIn titled “7 To-Do List for Creating Meaningful WhatsApp group”. Idea to write that article originated from my disenchantment with a WhatsApp group of my old colleagues from one organization we worked.
You can find that article here:7 To Do list for creating Meaningful WhatsApp Group
As a quick recap, I am listing out the points which I had mentioned in the article:
1)Don’t create a group when your objective is not clear
2)Don’t assume; ask
3)Group must have some degree of homogeneity
4)Don’t create a group which you can’t control and lead
5)Consider the limitation of the platform while creating the group
6)Do lots of research to be admin of the group and earn respect
7)Have the ability to break the monotony and generate interest
Now, along with above mentioned points, I have few more to add which I learnt from more groups I have been part of after that either created by me or someone else.
1)What is there for me: No one will do anything without the sight of tangible or intangible outcome and benefit. No result will come without a preceding corresponding action and when there is an action, it is bound to bring out the result; positive or negative and that’s the rule. If you have added someone in the group and asking him/her for something, even to read what you have written, you must show and prove that he/she has something to gain from it. No one works for free. Even charity is done for supposed better afterlife, whether it exists or not can be debated. So, if your group members have nothing to gain from your group, then either they will sit dull or they will exit.
2)Don’t involve monetary transactions if you haven’t built a team of evangelists of your cause: If any of your message/post ideates about monetary transaction, then the first point will come very strongly in force. People will start asking multiple questions to justify the value of money they are being asked to spend. Many more dimensions will come to complicate the matter even more. So, don’t bring out any proposal which involves money without being sure of loyalty and devotion of group members.
3)Agree to MVP: If you are looking for 100% participation in your proposal, then you are looking at and lurking around impossible, which will not happen. So, agree with Minimum Value Proposition of your proposal and Minimum Viable Participation to make your proposal successful.
I will keep repurposing these points as the time progresses to make it more meaningful to the readers. In the meantime, you can interact with me for personal branding services and inbound marketing at mukul.bhartiya@reviewboard.in .