Lesson 2: Building the Group
Membership
– Required or Not?
In Lesson 1 we took a long look at the different
membership levels and the benefits that each level offered. Now
it is time to make the choice – what kind of membership should
your group have?
Lets start by revisiting the different possible
membership levels:
- Open membership – anyone can join, no fees
- Paid open membership – anyone that pays the fee can join
- Restricted membership – the group owner or moderator approves
all members
- Paid restricted membership – membership requires approval
and payment of fees
- Closed membership – membership is by invitation only
- Paid closed membership – membership by invitation and payment
of fees
Before we go any further, we must look at the feasibility
of membership fees. You should start by asking yourself this "Would
I pay a membership fee to join my own group? Why or why not?"
For all of you that answered "No" you now have your answer
about the feasibility of charging prospective members. If you answered
"Yes" or "Maybe", are you sure that you are
being honest with yourself? What are you going to offer to your
paying members that other 'free' groups are not offering? If you
have something that no other group has, and you think someone will
pay you for it, then feel free to charge a membership fee.
When charging fees for membership, make it plain
to all visitors that membership is not free! Post your personal
contact information along with accepted payment methods where all
group visitors can see. When someone requests membership to your
group, an email outlining the group's membership fees along with
payment information should be sent to the applicant immediately.
Remember, when making the choice of what kind of
membership restrictions to have, consider what you would want. How
much privacy do you need for your topic? If you had to 'ask' to
join your group, would you? Will your group be better with more
members or fewer members? Revisit Lesson 1 to look at the details
of each membership type.
Once you have made the membership level choice,
don't be afraid to go back later and change it. If you find that
an open membership is causing you to spend more time deleting spam
posts and offensive content than you are spending communicating
in your group, then a restricted or closed membership might be the
better choice.
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