Goals:

• A place where people can gather and get to know one another between live events
• Privacy protecting
• Not extractive or data-exploiting
• Built to nurture connection rather than to share content
• Supports rotation of leadership, paths to leadership, distributed power
• Feels like a place to return to but isn’t attention-driven
• Easy to adopt
• Good onboarding for people adopting the product and for new members

Important aspects of group dynamics to accommodate:

• Onboarding
  • Establishing a threshold
  • Conveying norms
  • Showing how membership supports individual goals
• Nurturing connection
  • Small groups
  • Facilitating connection (phone lists, member lists, etc)
  • Buddies/Sponsons/Mentors
  • Live meetings
  • Conversation topics
• Coordinating meetings
  • Calendar
  • Link to virtual meeting or physical address
  • Add to individual calendar
  • RSVP
  • Find a time
• Sharing information
  • Documents or meeting formats/agendas
  • Timely information like announcements, classifieds, asks
• Decision-making
  • Feedback/input on ideas
  • Documenting decisions
  • Supports distributed leadership and stewardship
• Appreciations / recognition
  • Celebrating collective accomplishments
  • Calling out contributors
• Resourcing
  • Funds to pay for collectively-used resources
  • Raising funds for projects for the group