Eve Critchley, Mind Charity online engagement conference www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Elefriends – how we built our online community
Eve Critchley @EveGwendo

3. Where it all began...

4. The Ele’s early success
• More than 4,000 friends within a year
• A truly peer-led, 24-hour community
• ‘Elefriends’ becoming ‘real life’ friends and meeting offline

5. The Ele in action...

6. But…
• At the mercy of Facebook – “We don’t like the timeline”
• What if I don’t want to use my real name?
• No control over content/data
• Moderation = reading every post
• Facebook doesn’t look like ‘us’
So, we asked the Elefriends…

7. The theory…

8. How we did it…

9. Don’t neglect online…

10. Pulling it all together…
• Identify user stories – “Don’t make me read lots of dos and don’ts”, “Don’t
define me by my diagnosis”
• Prioritise – what does the community need to exist at all?
• User personas – unaware to passionate

11. Laura Ward
36 years old, from Chelmsford, Essex
“I used to go to a drop in at my local Mind and recently set up a Facebook group for
people like me who struggle with bipolar. Although I still have bad days, I’m beginning to
feel more confident and hopeful about the future”
Engagement level – Regular
•Occupation - Works three days a week at her local Citizen’s Advice Bureau
•Education - GCSEs, and A levels. Planning to study part time for a degree in psychology
•Tech usage - Laptop and smart phone
•Motivation - Wants to use her experience to help others and build her volunteering experience. Also still struggles
some days, and finds it difficult to ask for help now she’s ‘recovered’.
•Goals - For Laura to make elefriends an everyday part of her busy online routine and become a passionate advocate
for it to her networks

14. I feel very lucky to know Ele. I was there when he was
born, watched him take his first few steps in the world
of Facebook and now I get to see him move out of
home and into his new little palace.

15. What does your
community look like?

16. Exercise
• Choose an engagement level – unaware, interested, first timer, regular, passionate
• Personal statement – ambitions, passions, outlook on life
• Motivation – why do they want to use this? What problem will it solve?
• Goals – what will they do? What will success look like?
• Bonus question – how can you engage them in designing your community?

17. Any questions?
Elefriends.org.uk
Follow the Ele on Twitter – @The_Elephant_
Stay in touch – e.critchley@mind.org.uk / @EveGwendo