Now ThePort clients can stimulate community interactivity with continuous updates on member actions via activity feeds and Twitter links

“Activity Stream” will give all community members, particularly active ones, a compelling new reason to visit the site more often and return more frequently. Checking updates in the stream will help users more actively explore their fellow members’ profiles and actions. The result? Members are more likely to discover content they may not have found on their own.

Activity updates will be displayed in individual user profiles and “Social Spaces” public profiles. Registered members and owners of Groups and Events can choose a public or private setting for the associated profiles as desired.

1. In a continuously refreshed stream, registered users will be able to see when new community conversations are started, when Events are created, when relevant Groups are formed, and much more.

Following is a growing list of community actions that will appear in profile-linked “Activity Streams:”

Update Profile            Update Profile Image            Add a Friend

Commenting (profiles, photos, videos, blog entries, events, and so on)

Join a Social Space (Group)                                     Create a Social Space

Add Video                   Add Blog Entry                       Add Photo

Add Event                    Attend Event                           Register in Community

In real-world use, ThePort client United Church of Christ is seeing a significant boost in community interactivity after the implementation of Activity Stream in their MyUCC social networking community. The continuous activity updates are especially popular with members of Social Spaces, such as Groups. Pictured is the Activity Stream associated with a member of “Adult Returning College Students.”

2. In addition, ThePort’s subscribing clients will now have the option to pull popular Twitter postings into their communities.

Twitter integration will allow members to automatically display their Twitter updates which are linked to their profiles. The Twitter posts generate additional fresh content within a community, offering more starting points for engagement and ongoing conversation among like-minded members.

For example, any registered member will have the capability of adding and displaying their Twitter account in their profile. As Twitter posts are entered, they will appear in chronological order in a special module in the profile area.

Every individual user will be able to choose whether he or she wishes to participate in Twitter updating. The Twitter stream will be available exclusively on an “opt-in” basis, so that members have the opportunity to grant or deny permission to the addition of the Twitter functionality.

Currently, ThePort’s “Activity Stream” is the only market-specific solution that aggregates online activity in a in a familiar, flexible way designed specifically to drive community engagement and interaction.

If you would like find out more about ThePort Network’s Activity Stream and Twitter integration, we encourage you to fill out this brief form.

5. Set up Revenue-Driving Study Groups
    Associations with an educational focus can intelligently leverage a socially-enabled community by creating purpose-driven Groups. After paying a reasonable fee for joining a private group, your members can have full access to study sessions which help prepare them for examinations and/or credentials certification. Gathering in a virtual classroom is a significant advantage as it saves enormous amounts of time and eliminates geographical barriers. Your members will recognize the value of these high-level community groupings available only to applicable registrants.

4. Designate Desirable Premium Areas Via Privacy Settings

3. Use Privacy Settings for Exclusive Communication Between Executives and/or the Officers of Chapters
    Facilitate a secure, productive collaboration among your organization’s key leadership with invitation-only admittance to a specified group. Make it easy for chapter heads, especially, to conduct business in your online community. With 24-hour, around-the-clock access to archives of organizational documents, decision-makers can keep transactions current, updating important elements as community needs dictate. This private work output ultimately benefits all members of the community.

2. Foster Member Advancement with Premium Teaching & Training
Having multiple tiers of educational content makes sense as your members seek professional growth and/or a richer, deeper relationship with your organization’s causes or missions. Along with a lineup of free, publicly-accessible educational topics, community administrators can furnish higher-level service. Establishing supplemental fees for private access will help fund the cost of expert tutors and coaches qualified to help your members achieve their goals. Private courses linked to conferences and seminars can be offered to bolster engagement and growth before and after major offline events.

1. Secure the Sharing of Sensitive Information within a Private Group
    The security of a privacy option for an executive committee, corporate task force or board of directors can set the stage for vital information exchange that is ongoing but completely sheltered. Critical intelligence concerning corporate investments, budgetary projections, personnel data and proposal requests are the types of information that demand confidentiality. Individually designated groups can view documentation and communicate privately within the convenience of the shared community. Details regarding financials, bi-laws/covenants, legal inquiries and regulatory-controlled information can be analyzed and discussed privately, responses shared and recorded.

If you have thoughts about appropriate situations for the use of privacy options in a social networking community, please  share your ideas by commenting here.