Online Support Groups

Lesson 1: Components of an Effective Group

Membership Requirements Of The Group

There are several different levels of membership that are possible with most groups. We will discuss the following membership levels and their benefits as well as drawbacks:

• Open membership – anyone can join, no fees
• Paid open membership – anyone that pays the fee can join
• Restricted membership – the group owner or moderator approves all members
• Paid restricted membership – membership requires approval and payment of fees
• Closed membership – membership is by invitation only
• Paid closed membership – membership by invitation and payment of fees

The more restrictions that are placed on membership, the better the quality of members the group will have, but also the fewer members the group will have. This is one of those catch-22's, you can't have it both ways. If your main reason for creating a group is to bring in members, then by all means, have open membership without joining fees. If however, you want to create a group and attract members that are interested in participating in the group, then one of the other membership options might be better.

Open membership – Anyone can join the group, and there is no 'application' process for the member to go through. A drawback to having open membership is the same as the benefit, anyone can join. This includes those that will join just long enough to 'spam' your group, collect the email addresses of all the group members, or will just sit and take up space without contributing to the group in any manner. This type of membership option will require more work from the group owner or manager in the long run than a restricted or closed membership would.

Restricted membership – Anyone can apply to join the group, but the group owner or manager must approve the application. There does not necessarily need to be a formal application for membership. The application can be as simple as the pre-set join request, or it can be as complex as the owner deems necessary. In two of the groups that I have, I ask all applicants to answer three simple questions:

1. Their background on the group's topic (infertility)
2. How active they plan on being
3. How they want to receive messages from the group

By keeping the application simple, first, those that are most likely to spam the group are avoided, and those that truly want to join, receive and offer support are allowed full membership right away. The only drawback to this membership option is the possibility that you will miss potential members that do no want to 'go through' the application process.

Closed membership – This membership option will require extra work by the group owner and/or moderator. They will need to find potential members and invite them to the group. The group's present members can suggest potential members, but the owner and/or moderator would still have the job of inviting the potential member. The biggest benefit to this membership level is that you will not have any members you don't want in your group. The drawbacks are numerous though, as you will miss many potential members that would have offered a great benefit to your group.

Membership fees – All memberships would not be 'active' until the fees were paid. If asking for membership fees, the prospective member must be offered 'value' in exchange for the monies. This value can be exclusive content, discounts on products or services, or special admittance to events. Requiring membership fees could shoot your group in the foot before it even got off the ground.

All benefits and drawbacks of the different membership options should be weighed thoroughly before the group is started. It is possible to change the membership requirements after the group has been started, but it can take a lot of work and understanding by your current group members.

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