{"id":12440,"date":"2021-04-30T08:52:36","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T07:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aluminati.net\/?p=12440"},"modified":"2023-02-24T14:44:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T14:44:26","slug":"how-has-covid-19-affected-your-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aluminati.net\/how-has-covid-19-affected-your-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"How has COVID-19 affected your Community Engagement?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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An analysis of over 70,000 community members<\/h3>\n

Our April Creating Connection virtual Roundtable event brought together members of our Community Builders network to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Helio Flores, Data Analyst and Johana Canda-Fiserova, our Strategic Engagement Consultant here at Aluminati<\/a> recently undertook an analysis of over 70,000 community members across our Aluminate Community Builder<\/a> platforms to see what impact the global pandemic had had on user engagement levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is this significant?<\/b><\/h3>\n

As of April 2021, it has been just over a year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and at Aluminati we place great value in constantly evaluating our work especially at such a significant time.\u00a0 It is important to look at quantitative data to allow for an informed analysis of our communities behaviours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is a community?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Nadya Pohran, PhD is a cultural anthropologist, writer, educator and creative strategist.\u00a0 Her work is grounded in empathy and human-centred design principles.\u00a0 She helps individuals and communities to see the world from new perspectives, creating and implementing solutions to problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

In her recent series on community, Nadya noted that communities existed before the pandemic, and will be around long after.\u00a0 She argued that in many contexts, it\u2019s not what you know, but who you know.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the midst of this widespread focus on community across all sectors of life, it\u2019s important that we really understand (and are implementing!) what it means to be a community, rather than just paying lip-service to the concept.<\/p>\n

Firstly, a community is more than a group of people. You might be familiar with the age-old maxim \u201cthere\u2019s strength in numbers.\u201d This saying is often used to convey the power of a community. But anyone who has been in an over-crowded supermarket, or a maxed-out train carriage, knows without a doubt that strength doesn\u2019t come from sheer numbers alone; strength only comes when the individuals involved decide to intentionally work together towards a common goal. Strength comes from intention, connection, and active engagement. \u201c – Nadya Pohran, PhD.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For more information on what Community is and why it should matter to you, check out our series on Community from Nadya Pohran, PhD.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Good communities are built strategically so that individuals will want to actively participate within them.\u00a0 <\/span>For this to happen it is essential that the community structure is human-centric.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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Analysis Approach<\/b><\/h3>\n

With the UK and much of the world living under government-imposed Coronavirus restrictions in 2020\/21, the impact on traditional communication dynamics across all factors of life, work and education has been significant.\u00a0 Our data analysis contrasts the changing behaviours of users across our Aluminate Community Builder<\/a> platforms from April 2019 to February 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pre-Pandemic Trends<\/b><\/h3>\n

Helio noted that it is normal to observe a year on year decrease in registrations and consequently a reduction in additional engagement as a service matures.\u00a0 The reasons for this \u2018normal\u2019 trend can be:<\/span><\/p>\n