Community Media / Community Radio Software Platform
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Technology: Software
Industry Sector: Community Media Customer Segments
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Note: This opportunity came as a direct result of Randy's successful community-building work with Dr. Wayne Mackintosh and the Commonwealth of Learning's WikiEducator project: A 2x increase of the membership in 6 months - and attracting 18,000 educators from 120 countries - leading to a $40M valuation.
Under the leadership of Ian Pringle, the Commonwealth of Learning incubated and launched two additional projects:
Each of the projects were hosted on the WikiEducator software platform that used the powerful, but not very user-friendly Mediawiki software. However, users were not engaging with the software platform at the pace required, nor contributing materials as originally envisaged.
The challenge was to build and scale a community and culture of high-performing users and ambassadors: to recruit new people to the platform; to increase user participation, contribution and leadership behavior; to improve 'buy-in', engagement and traction of early and late adopters while continuing to engage innovators (i.e., the visionary leaders who were originally involved). Users in the US, Canada and internationally had varying levels of technology sophistication, motivation and interest. They included:
Results included a 63% increase in user engagement and traction; a thriving community; a repository of best practices and materials provided by users from around the world; and pioneering collaboration on innovative public health pilot projects between community media professionals in Africa and scientists from the International AIDS Society in Switzerland to deliver up-to-date HIV/AIDS treatment practices to remote communities in Africa.
- Community Radio / Community Media Community of Practice (openly sharing ideas, practices and resources for professionals interested in community media); and
- LearnShare Public Health HIV / AIDS Portal (strengthening treatment literacy information sharing among community media professionals).
Each of the projects were hosted on the WikiEducator software platform that used the powerful, but not very user-friendly Mediawiki software. However, users were not engaging with the software platform at the pace required, nor contributing materials as originally envisaged.
The challenge was to build and scale a community and culture of high-performing users and ambassadors: to recruit new people to the platform; to increase user participation, contribution and leadership behavior; to improve 'buy-in', engagement and traction of early and late adopters while continuing to engage innovators (i.e., the visionary leaders who were originally involved). Users in the US, Canada and internationally had varying levels of technology sophistication, motivation and interest. They included:
- End-Users
- Community Media Trainers
- Subject-Matter Experts
- Educational Institutions
- NGOs - interested in leadership development and capacity-building
- Funders
- support and engage new and current users
- encourage information and knowledge-sharing
- facilitate user readiness and sense of urgency for next steps
- address resistance to change and technology
- redesign marketing outreach, emails and course content
- recommend improvements and tweaks to motivate leadership behavior
- troubleshoot emerging problems
- identify noteworthy communications and activities among users
- seek opportunities to leverage users' expertise, influence and reputation in pilot projects
Results included a 63% increase in user engagement and traction; a thriving community; a repository of best practices and materials provided by users from around the world; and pioneering collaboration on innovative public health pilot projects between community media professionals in Africa and scientists from the International AIDS Society in Switzerland to deliver up-to-date HIV/AIDS treatment practices to remote communities in Africa.