Hard to believe that August is here and soon my son Jack will be heading back to school. One of the daily school rituals I enjoy with Jack is asking him “What did you learn today?’ After sharing an interesting fact, he usually asks me, “What did you learn, Dad?”
In the spirit of that question, here are the Top 10 things that I have learned about Groupsite users and groups over the past year:
1. Most Users are “Newbies.” Most Groupsite users are not techno junkies who spend hours on end online. Most are active participants in their communities and groups and were invited into their first Groupsite as an extension of the activities they pursue in the real world.
2. Pictures Make a Difference. The most active groups also have the highest percentage of members who upload their profile photos.
3. Not Just for Kids. The average age of a Groupsite user is 38.5 years old! At present, there are more users over the age of 60 using Groupsites than between 18-21 (the prime college / Facebook years).
4. Good Things Come In Small Packages. Some of our smaller groups (25 and less members) are getting the most done.
5. Bet You Can’t Eat Just One. A large percentage of our most active users wind up joining another (or creating their own additional) Groupsite after 90 days of being on the platform. That’s exciting for a lot of reasons – including because you can explore entirely new possibilities for collaboration, with specific Groupsite functions, when you’re a member of multiple groups.
6. Forgetting Passwords is Universal. We have Groupsites in over 100 countries. Every one of them has at least one user that has contacted Support saying, “I forgot my password.”
7. Reminders Help. We always have a spike in new memberships on Mondays. A lot of this is due to pending members receiving weekly updates (which mail earlier Monday mornings) reminding them of what they are missing.
8. Civility Rules. We receive a surprisingly low percentage of complaints from users who feel they are not respected within their group. The large majority of discussions are viewed as being on topic and valuable.
9. Champions Rock. The members of our users’ group champions.collectivex.com keep us grounded. They also come up with the best ideas for making things happen and keeping it simple.
10. Users Talk. The vast majority of our growth has come from word of mouth and viral growth from users inviting others. Thanks, everyone!