A Community Space
During the first network event we gathered a large group of people to introduce them to the community and provide some training on different open-source DEM codes and that event was well received. However, both during the event itself and afterwards in the event feedback, the idea of a community space where people could interact outside of physical events was suggested several times.
When asked about “how likely are you to use a community-specific forum”, the response was largely positive so we’ve been working on putting such a resource in place for the community.
What type of community space to choose?
There were many aspects to consider to select the most suitable community space. The most important consideration was that whatever is selected, it needs to be a means for people to communicate with each other and not simply be a means of receiving information.
For this reason, we ruled out the possibility of a community mailing list, mainly because it is a one-way form of communication, but also because it can easily overload people’s inboxes with additional emails.
The next major decision was between synchronous (think instant messaging) and asynchronous (think message board or forum) communication.
Selected option
We have gone with an asynchronous online forum for several reasons:
- Long lasting unlike chats
- It allows discussion to be ordered by topics
- Provides a logical hierarchy on where to post a question/comment/post
- Makes finding information easier
- Can have posts with rich content and detailed information
We feel that these features will provide a better community experience. We will be using the Discourse platform which is used by many communities and we hope it will be a good fit for our community. Another nice little bonus with the Discourse platform is that it has an inbuilt chat tool as well, providing the best of both worlds.
We have pre-populated the forum with various categories and sub-categories which should be a good starting point.
Where can I sign up?
If you have been paying close attention to the website, you will have seen a small “chat bubble” icon appear - this takes you to the new community forum at parasols.discourse.group/.
You can also just scan the following QR code on any device to get taken to the registration and login page.
Once your sign-up has been approved, you can start to browse and post to the forum. We hope to see you all there!!
Reminder: Join the Community
Also, don’t forget to join the CCC-ParaSolS community if you have not already done so!
