phpFox Blog: Social network and online community building insights

Today we’re eager to bring you MetaFox Beta, an update for you to test and develop. Now is the time to install and try the MetaFox Beta version and explore all the exciting new features before the official release!   Why Should You Try MetaFox Beta? The earlier you try MetaFox Beta, the better you'll get the best out of new features for your production site in the future. Also, you will get an understanding of our all-new framework and the technology we applied in order to start your preparations before the official release. Ready to try MetaFox Beta? Follow the instructions below!   Installing the Beta version of MetaFox To install MetaFox Beta, kindly contact our Support team via Client Area to request for a Beta Installation on your test site. Note: Installation for the Beta is still free once A free cloud server until the official release Beta is still not the official version, so it is suggested NOT to use it for the production site ✨Also, we will have a public demo site for public testing, you can click here to try it first!   What’s next? Firstly, a big thank you for all your great feedback about MetaFox! We’re excited to make MetaFox, even more, resourceful in the official release. So please stay tuned and visit our blogs for the latest MetaFox updates from us! Try MetaFox Beta for yourself now and let us know what you think!   🔑 Have any questions? Contact us via Client Area or email us at hello[AT]phpfox.com  

It’s that time of year again — time to score some excellent Black Friday deals! 👀 From November 23 to 28, we're offering MetaFox deals at a real bargain so take your time to get MetaFox alpha before the official release!  When you get the best Black Friday deals, there’s no point in waiting. Snag these awesome deals for MetaFox before they’re gone! Get Promo Code below: SHOP METAFOX NOW 🎁Special Combo Offer 25% OFF Pro License + ChatPlus Ultimate License + ChatPLus Promo Code: BFCM25 | Nov 23rd to Nov 28th 🎁Standard Offer 20% OFF Pro License Ultimate License Promo Code: BFCM20 | Nov 23rd to Nov 28th ⭐Bonus: Free Installation for all purchased orders!   Additionally, 3rd-party experts also offer special discounts for all their plugins YouNetCo: 25% Off for all Purchases | Promo Code: YNCBFCM22 | Nov 23rd to Nov 28th Shop on store Cespiritual: 60% Off for all Apps, Themes, and Packages | Promo Code: cesblackfriday | Nov 23rd to Nov 30th Shop on store 🔑For more information, Contact us via Client Area or email hello@phpfox.com  

It's been a while and we're back to announce the official release of phpFox web version 4.8.11. This version not only resolves minor issues but also adds some significant updates that you can't miss out on. Let's find out what they are and upgrade your phpFox version to experience them!   New Features & Improvements In this version, we have developed a few features and updates that will totally improve your overall experience. Support multi-language for Page Title One of the most significant of this update: Now you can add many other languages for the Page Title. Increase quality when uploading large photos This is also a big improvement in this version since your large-size photos will be of higher quality than before when uploaded to the activity feed.   Other improvements A few other improvements in the 4.8.11 web version include: Send notifications to users when getting promoted to a new user group Update the language of users to the default language when their current language is deleted Improve API response handling from phpFox Store in AdminCP In the Recently Active page: Allow the admin can set the number of people who will be displayed on this block Support showing the friend suggestions when users use the mention feature (@) on the feed or comment In the Photo Album listing page: Support “Feature album” action in the mass actions   Bugs Fixed Fail to connect to the phpFox Store in AdminCP > Apps > Installed Users cannot view others' Profile & Info tab unless having permission to view that user's activities The text "Recently Active" appears on the Browse Users page after searching for members When adding a new phrase, the max length of text input is limited When clicking on the Gender field on a user Profile Info page, it redirects to the page where the filter search on Gender is "Any" The tagged users don't get notifications when someone likes the post The deleted sticker is still showing on the home page And more in our Release Notes here   Upgrade to phpFox 4.8.11 The package of phpFox 4.8.11 is available for you to download in our Client Area. To upgrade your phpFox site to version 4.8.11, you have to run the full upgrade routine following our Upgrade Instructions. We highly recommend you back up your site and database before proceeding with the upgrade. And, don’t forget to check with 3rd-party experts about the compatibility of all the apps/templates you are using. ❗ Note: If your phpFox site is using 3rd-party apps or has customizations, please see our recommendations. 🔑For the new phpFox installation, the following articles will be helpful to you: Download Installation Guide 👉Find more details in phpFox web version 4.8.11 Release Notes and the Changelog. Don’t hesitate to submit tickets or report immediately to our GitHub Tracker or Client Area for any issue. We appreciate any feedback and idea to make phpFox better!    

Welcome back! We know many of you have been waiting for the next sneak peek of MetaFox, so here it is! This time, we're introducing to you the upgraded Photos App and Videos App that will create an interactive and smooth user experience for your community. Get a tour of all the exciting new features in Photos and Videos now! See more on the last MetaFox sneak peeks: MetaFox Sneak Peek: Take a First Look! MetaFox Sneak Peek #2: Feeds, Friends and Profile! Photos App In the Photos app, you can view popular photos and all photos posted by your friends and community members. Our update for photos app will arrange your photos in a more eye-catching layout. This means more spotlight for your photos!    Create Album of Photos and Videos We made it easy for you to upload a mixed album of photos and videos altogether. Needless to say, our clients who are using MetaFox are loving these amazing improvements! Watch the demo below to see how quick and easy it is to create a new album!   Furthermore, you can also modify album details: Name your album Add album description Edit album privacy Select album categories Add more photos/videos to the album   Tagging friends Another notable update! You can also tag your friends in photos to better interact and involve people in your activities! Tagging other users is an essential feature that increases engagement and can help build connections. Tagging notifies your friends about a post, which helps increase the interactions inside your community.   Videos app  As for the Videos app, MetaFox also made updates to enhance the video experience on your community site. You can upload new videos, and share video URLs in just a few clicks! Upload new videos MetaFox's capabilities can go even further with the quick uploading of videos! The process is quite similar to uploading photos. You can also edit a few settings such as video title, video thumbnail, categories, and privacy. Then just upload and it's done!     Share video URLs Share your favorite videos with the world with just a link! Easily add a video URL (e.g. Youtube link), and modify the video description to share on your feed right away. Your video link will also appear in the Videos app like other videos.   Order MetaFox Now MetaFox is now available to order with the latest technology stack, modern UI, and tons of ground-breaking new features. MetaFox has received countless positive feedback from other community owners who have got to try it. So get on board with MetaFox now to take your online community to the next level! Why you should order MetaFox now? Early access to the MetaFox alpha version with new features and UX/UI updates Your license renewal & upgrading period will only be counted when the official version is released   ORDER METAFOX NOW   🙌That's the end of Photos and Videos sneak peeks. We can’t wait to bring you more wonderful things on MetaFox. Stay tuned until our next sneak peeks for new MetaFox updates. See you next time! 🔑 Any questions? Contact us via Client Area or email us at hello[AT]phpfox.com

MetaFox Early Bird Pre-Order is about to end! And today, we're excited to show you Sneak Peek #2 for MetaFox: A new style for Feeds, Friends, and Profile. Get ready to dive in and explore shiny new features with superb UX! ⚡Quick reminder: MetaFox Early Bird will end on October 27, 2022 (PDT) so there's not much time left to get it at the best price. Pre-Order here to experience MetaFox and scale up your community! PRE-ORDER NOW Interactive Activity Feeds In MetaFox, we put our focus on the redesigned interface so you can expect tons of new features to brighten up your activity feed! Create a post with photos, and videos, tag friends, and check-in Do your community members enjoy sharing photos and videos on their activity feeds? Amazing! MetaFox will posts look more eye-catching by enabling uploading various photos and videos simultaneously! Even better, you can also tag friends in posts, check-in, and add emojis to express your feelings better. Here is how the feed works! Choose background When composing a status, you can also select a background to input your caption. This is another fantastic update to communicate with your audience and boost engagement in your online community! Reactions and Comments Friends in the community can freely interact with posts on feeds by using reactions or commenting. Especially, users can easily chat with each other through nested comments and stickers/photos. Intuitive All Friends Page As the name suggests, the Friends page will display all of your friends. Furthermore, it'll have a new look with some incredible updates to better manage and keep track of your community. Friend Requests This new tab will allow you to see all friend requests and their profiles quickly in one place. This is the awesome update that makes it super easy to view profiles before accepting requests! When users click on the Friend Requests tab, they can preview people’s profiles instantly without having to leave the current page.     Custom Friend List Many people have hundreds of friends with various hobbies, interests, and similarities. Use custom friend lists to post and share feeds to specific lists (close friends, family, coworkers, etc.) It's easy and quick to add a new friend list. Name the list and begin typing the names of friends you want to add to the list. You can add friends to more than one list or remove friends from a list.   Inspiring Profile Page Simple yet classy Profile Page design. A user profile page has a great impact on your community. It creates a more personalized space for self-expression and may boost your engagement effectively. MetaFox makes it easy to be creative in styling and building one's own profile page! A profile page is where freedom takes off. We want you and your community members to rock your own space by adding a personal touch!    Last Call: Join MetaFox Pre-Order! Only a few days left to pre-order MetaFox Pre-Order with special pricing from only $499 (😍Full-featured web version & ChatPlus for free). Even better, you'll receive Free Installation, 1-on-1 support, and a free cloud server until the official release! You can head over to Our Store to pre-order MetaFox. After Oct. 27th, 2022 (PDT), you won’t be able to purchase the MetaFox license anymore until the official release (Dec. 2022). So please hurry up! PRE-ORDER NOW 🙌Thanks again to everyone who has continued engaging with us on this journey. Stay tuned for more as we get closer to the official launch! 🔑 Any questions? Contact us via Client Area or email us at hello[AT]phpfox.com RELATED: MetaFox Sneak Peek: Take a First Look!

A community manager is a key role in any social media team and is responsible for building the relationship between the brand and its audience. Learn everything you need to know about the role of a community manager.   RELATED: 12 Proven Community Engagement Tactics You Can Steal   Who is a Community Manager? It has been discovered that 76% of internet users participate in an online community. Data cannot lie. People love being part of a community where everyone shares similar passions. (And that community could be yours too!). But managing communities is not child’s play. That’s where a community manager comes in. Community managers are the middle person who is responsible for building strong relationships between a brand and its customers, both online and offline. They are the voice of the brand and moderate and grow the community by supporting, and engaging with customers. Eventually, their goal is to turn customers into loyal fans by offering them immense value, and an inclusive space to foster relationships.   What Does a Community Manager Do? The role of a community manager is to act as the bridge between a brand and the community it is aiming to create (i.e. a group of core consumers or audience with the same interests). They should be the brand’s ambassadors, engaging with potential customers and building relationships with existing ones. They are also focused on gauging sentiment around the brand, using social listening tools in order to monitor feedback and engagement.   Key Responsibilities of a Community Manager While there could be a bit of variance in the roles and responsibilities of a community manager depending on the industry—here’s what it generally covers: Ideate, and implement community-focused campaigns and strategies Create snackable and engaging content like daily/weekly product updates, short videos, group discussion topics, or other types of content as required Respond to customers and be valuable, all in friendly and a timely manner Monitor and track metrics and report them on feedback and online reviews Boost brand awareness by organizing and managing events and webinars Liaise and coordinate with other departments like marketing teams, communications teams, customer support teams, sales teams, development teams, and content teams Build relationships with industry experts and invite them to collaborate Stay up-to-date with digital technology trends and explore innovative ways to engage the community Lays down strict community guidelines to promote an inclusive and safe space Plans and executes community-engaging like giveaways or contests   Community Manager vs. Social Media Manager You might be wondering: Isn’t it exactly the same as what a social media manager does? Well, of course not. While there are some similarities, there is a clear difference. Indeed, several duties overlap between a “Social Media Manager” and a “Community Manager”. But the role of a community manager doesn’t revolve around acting as the brand and promoting its products on social media. It is much broader because their specialty lies in understanding the community as a whole. A social media manager is the person who creates a social media strategy for all channels. They post directly from the brand’s account and are responsible for organizing and managing budgets, plans, and the brand’s voice and tone for replying and engaging with the audience. The community manager is the person who actually implements those plans. They take the directions set by the social manager and then manage the communications and interactions afterward. Community managers often post from their own accounts, not the brand’s, which allows them some more freedom to choose how they interact with followers and gives some leeway on the type of content they create. It means that community managers are often seen as advocates rather than just strategists for the brand’s social media content.   Qualities of a Good Community Manager  Building strong relationships lies at the helm of community building. In order to successfully take on this role, one needs to focus on various skills and qualities. These are a few of those skills that a qualified community manager should be capable of:   Passionate and dedicated. First, community managers need to have an inherent passion for communities. Their role is to create a lively space where the members can foster genuine relationships, and interact in a hassle-free manner. Passion for people is requisite because only then you can make sure that each person involved has a positive experience with your brand. Be the go-to person for the community members. Gone are the days when 1:1 communication between brands and their customers was a rarity. Today that happens every day. A community manager needs to establish a rapport of being the go-to person for queries, or any help in general. That can be built by offering value. Great communication skills. Community managers are a brand’s ambassadors. Anything they say directly affects the brand's reputation. So strong communication skill is required. More importantly, they should be able to empathize with the audience. They must be good at delivering information, creating engaging content, and having the know-how to deal with any conflict or crisis that may occur. Data-driven decision-making. Undoubtedly, a community-center brand still needs to boost revenue, and a community manager needs to possess make decisive actions. Adaptability. There's an obvious fact about social media: It changes almost every day. Thus, businesses have to catch up with the latest news and trends quickly. Anyone working in a role in social media needs to be able to adapt to changes both with the brand directly and with general cultural and societal changes.   🙌Pro Tip: Being a community manager is more than just being the face of the brand. You need to spend time interacting and posting thoughtful replies to proper topics. You should also try to share informative articles or useful tools with your community when you come across them.   A community manager is essential to growing communities! A community manager is a key role in building long-lasting relationships between the community and the brand. Also, a community manager needs to be highly skilled in communication, necessary tools, and relationship building. When a community manager excels in their job, your brand will have a better online reputation, more brand mentions, and more engagement. That will lead to more chances for sales, for sure!   💎Looking to build a social network site to engage with your audience? Build one with phpFox! Currently, we're opening Pre-Order for MetaFox - our most anticipated release of 2022. If you're interested in phpFox social network software, you can pre-order our next version MetaFox to get exclusive pricing for Early Birds. The program will end after Oct 27, 2022, so don't sleep on this chance!  Need advice on how to start with phpFox? Contact us now and we will be happy to assist you!

New version, fresh look! As you may have known, we are opening the Pre-Order for MetaFox (the new version of phpFox), with tons of benefits for Early Birds. From now to October 27, pre-order MetaFox to get the best pricing ever! But first, let's enjoy some first sneak peeks at our most anticipated release of 2022! PRE-ORDER NOW   RELATED: MetaFox Sneak Peek #2: Feeds, Friends and Profile! The Activity Feed is redesigned! Curious about what UI changes we were talking about? The redesigned activity feed will give your social network site a sleek and cleaner look. The new design has a less cluttered look and brighter icons. We know you anticipated this change a lot so we would like to spoil it first! The redesigned feed will look something like this:   Insert Emoji in your posts 🥳 Emojis can help you express your unique self on social. Now you and your community members can add flair to posts with the new emoji section! 😍 We have integrated all the common emojis that everyone loves to use on social media daily. Start using the perfect emoji to share your feelings, stand out in a busy feed, and connect with your audience on a personal level. Dark mode vs Light Mode Welcome to the Dark side! This exciting new option will allow you to change the colors of your site instantaneously to a darker preset theme. Many people prefer using dark mode in applications because they feel it’s easier on their eyes. So we’re excited to finally implement this feature for you in this release! 👀What's Next? Well, that's some spoilers for MetaFox but remember that the final release will be absolutely better since we are still improving! We know you're counting the days to try it so hurry and join Early Bird now! Stay tuned for more exciting sneak peeks from us!  Join MetaFox Pre-Order MetaFox Pre-Order is now available with pricing from only $499 (😍Full-featured web version & ChatPlus for free). Even better, you'll receive Free Installation and 1:1 support from our experts! You can head over to Our Store to pre-order MetaFox. After Oct. 27th, 2022, you won’t be able to purchase the MetaFox license anymore until the official release (Dec. 2022). So please hurry up! PRE-ORDER NOW 🎯 Note that all pre-orders will have early access to MetaFox web before the official release day. After Pre-Order, you can open a Support ticket in the Client Area for us to install your MetaFox site from Oct. 17th, 2022.   🔑 Have any questions? Contact us via Client Area or email us at hello[AT]phpfox.com    

MetaFox (Fox V5) is now available for Pre-Order from Sept. 27th,2022 to Oct. 27th, 2022 (PDT) With the exclusive early bird pricing from $499. PRE-ORDER NOW Why you should join MetaFox Pre-Order today? You’ll become one of the first to experience a brand-new product, called MetaFox with various UX/UI updates to level up your community site! 1 on 1 support from our dedicated specialists to help you set up quickly Have the best deal with exclusive Early-bird pricing Obtain MetaFox ChatPlus solution for Free on the MetaFox Preorder     How to pre-order MetaFox Early Bird? You can contact us or submit tickets in the Client Area to request the MetaFox purchase. Kindly keep in mind that after Oct. 27th, 2022 (PDT), you won’t be able to purchase the MetaFox license at the Early Bird pricing anymore. So please hurry up! PRE-ORDER NOW 🎯 Please note that all pre-orders will have early access to MetaFox web (Alpha version) before the official release day. Upon pre-order purchase, you can open a Support ticket in the Client Area for us to install your MetaFox site from Oct. 17th, 2022 (PDT).   🔑 Have any questions? Contact us via Client Area or email us at hello[AT]phpfox.com

Yes, it's that time again! After many months of development and careful testing, we proudly announce the release of phpFox Mobile version 1.8.2 with new features and improvements. Plus, some improvements for ChatPlus will also make you more than happy!   Mobile Core Improved User Experience First and foremost, phpFox Mobile version 1.8.2 comes in with various improvements for a smoother and faster app experience.   Improve photo compress before uploading – ShareExtension. This feature is the ultimate image optimizer to make users' images smaller before uploading them to their mobile feed   Apply the ‘Display Limit’ setting for the mobile application's feed. This gives you more versatility when choosing how to display your mobile feed   Video player: pause playing video when opening action sheets on a video. Greatly improve the user experience when performing actions on the mobile app   Music: The user should be able to drag and drop the soundbar to the area to remove all music playing in the list. Another cool feature to make users feel more enjoyable and convenient on the mobile app   Other Highlighted New Features / Improvements Music: Music Album: Add a line below tabs “Information” and “Songs” Support Admob Advertising ID for Android 13 The app will be forced to restart after an update code push Support native Admob (for custom work) Add a description to describe the conditions when setting “Use a strong password” is enabled Music – Display album info in the detail song Photo/Video detail page – should have the page/group name if they belong to the page/group   ChatPlus Updates   phpFox Mobile 1.8.2 brings remarkable updates to ChatPlus solution. Your community members can now enjoy chatting, and video calling with their groups, specifically:   Conversation: add the option “Hide conversation” into the actions of the conversation Support “Call again” feature in the group chat Hide the “Audio & Video Call” icon once the group chat has only 1 member   To see the full detailed updates for this version, Click Here: phpFox Mobile 1.8.2 Release Notes.   How to Upgrade to phpFox Mobile 1.8.2?   👉 Open a Mobile Build ticket in our Client Area to request us to upgrade your mobile apps.   Upgrade now and get all these new features and improvements added to your social networks!    ❓ Don’t hesitate to submit tickets or report immediately to our Client Area for any issue. We’re constantly working to improve your phpFox experience. We always appreciate any feedback to make phpFox better, hence please feel free to share with us your ideas. 

Generally speaking, online communities bring together networks of customers, experts and partners to connect, share expertise and create conversation and collaboration, in an owned online space. If you want to learn more about the many types of virtual communities and which ones are right for your business, you’ve come to the right place. One size does not fit all. Working with an innovative community provider allows you to tailor an online community to your brand. Here are the most important community formats you can consider to grow your business.   RELATED: Tips to Build a Great Online Community   In This Article: Different Types of Online Communities Top 7 Types of Online Communities Are you looking to build your online communities? Different types of online communities Most online communities are centered on bringing people together around a common interest, cause, or goal. Members connect, engage, and share their knowledge with each other. The difference is in the central focus of the community. The many types of online communities you can find online are thanks to the wide range of interests, professions, and habits of people all over the world. Each one is tailored to the needs of its members, and that means lots of variety! When it comes to the different types of communities, it’s important to take note that a community can be categorized as more than one type. There are no set rules differentiating the types of online communities and often the lines are blurred between them. For instance, as a course creator, you might set up a learning community that doubles as a brand community. As your online community grows and becomes more established, it will probably also take on the form of a social community. To get a better idea of what those types of online communities are, let’s take a look at the top 7 types of online communities.   Top 7 Types of Online Communities Given the many different types of online communities, we’ve broken them down into a list of the most common and most influential ones. Here are 7 of the main types of online communities you can take a look at: Brand Communities One of the most common types of online communities is brand community. As in its name, brand communities are built around one brand or business. This means there’s a huge amount of variety in brand communities. Brand communities focus on fostering an emotional connection between community members and a specific brand. This type of online community aims to bring together individuals as a tribe, centered on a shared identity that’s built around the brand. In the community space, members can interact with their favorite brands and brand lovers. This type of online community is designed to generate brand loyalty by gathering all the most enthusiastic customers in one space. Key characteristics of this type of online community: Brand communities are meant to be fun. At their heart, they’re about celebrating a brand and everything that customers love about it. Brand communities are usually characterized by lots of user-generated content and the community engagement strategy is usually centered on encouraging this type of content. It’s usual to see community engagement ideas like giveaways, competitions, and surveys in this type of online community. For businesses and organizations, brand communities can be a huge asset for generating leads and fostering loyal relationships. When done right, this type of online community can be a powerful tool for accelerating your business. Learning Communities There are many different types of online communities built around learning and knowledge sharing. Learning communities are designed to bring together learners and students into one collaborative space. Learning communities give learners the chance to ask questions, discuss ideas and concepts and receive feedback from their peers. They’re not just a space for furthering students’ knowledge, they can also be an important source of emotional support during the learning process. A great example of a learning community is HelloTalk. This application lets you chat with language partners via text or voice messages easily. Key characteristics of the learning community: Learning communities share similar goals for increasing knowledge around a certain topic. They are largely focused on asking and answering questions, setting them apart from other types of online communities. Learning communities allow learners to collaborate on learning material, including sharing resources and discussing problems and challenges. Of the many types of online communities, this is the one that’s probably most relevant to course creators. Learning communities are a great starting point from which to grow a brand community and membership community too. Interest Communities Such kind of online communities is focused on a specific interest, hobby, or passion. They can be immensely fun and thus you should ensure that the content is engaging for members to interact. One of the best examples of this type of community is Strava. Strava is a fitness app tailored for runners and cyclists. It allows you to record your activities on your feed and connect with others. Interest communities are also suitable for hosting offline events or private meet-ups. As community admins, you can encourage members in nearby locations to get together or host offline events with lots of exciting activities. Networking Communities As the name suggests, networking communities are all about networking! Unlike other types of online communities, networking communities are solely focused on helping members find new opportunities for increasing their network. This type of online community is built around a certain industry or profession. At the same time, there are also networking communities that aren’t professional at all. For instance, communities of support and communities of circumstance can also be classed as networking communities. Key characteristics of this type of online community: Networking communities are often discussion-based with users posting questions for advice or support and topics for debate. Networking communities offer members the chance to find solutions to common problems and issues that they’re facing in the chosen topic. Compared to other types of online communities, networking communities are often more formal than spaces like fan communities or brand communities. While networking communities are classified as stand-alone types of online communities, other types of online communities can include networking activities too. Other communities often double up as networking communities and you’ll probably find that your online community incorporates traits of a networking community. Social Communities Among the various types of online communities, social communities are arguably the most common and easiest to recognize. Social communities are exactly that – communities based on building social connections. In social communities, people gather to chat, share stories and interact. Brands can leverage social communities for marketing objectives, especially in increasing brand awareness. Unlike other types of online communities, they’re not spaces for endless advertising and promotions. Social communities are about sharing insights and making connections rather than commercial acts. Key characteristics of this type of online community: Social communities vary hugely in size, ranging from just a small, private group of friends to massive communities. You can think of social communities like a virtual house party – it’s a group of people coming together to spend time together and start discussions. You can find social communities on every social media platform, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram Often other communities incorporate elements of social communities and vice versa. In fact, borrowing ideas from social communities are a great way to make your community more fun and engaging. Fan Communities The growth of online communities has made it possible for a very specific type of community to take off – fan community. Fan communities are based on a shared interest like a movie, sports, or artist. Fan communities focus on making social connections but they’re really centered around one interest. While some types of online communities are closed and private, fan communities are usually open to all. All you need is to love that thing a lot! If you’re a fan, you can join a fan community. Social media site Reddit hosts many fan communities such as the community for Game of Thrones, with 3.1 million members. Some creators have begun utilizing fan communities as a way to generate income and grow their personal brand. Key characteristics of this type of online community: Fan communities are started by fans or creators to build a community around a shared passion. Interactions in this type of online community are almost everything around that mutual interest or passion. Fan communities often involve specific types of user-generated content like fanfic, art, videos, and more that aren’t typically seen in other types of online communities. Not all brands are suited to the creation of fan communities, but if you’re a creator or artist, fan communities can be a great tool for building brand loyalty and brand awareness. Support Communities With this type of community, the goal is to create a peer-to-peer network to offer technical and strategic support. These groups are helpful in troubleshooting technical issues, in which software developers and other builders need to navigate complex creative challenges. In peer-to-peer communities, users would discuss together on technical or strategic questions before they contact your customer support team. Below is the support community for phpFox's customers. This type of workflow can help your support team more time and energy, connect customers and create frequent discussions within your community.   Are you looking to build your online community? Now you know the top 7 types of online communities, you may refer to this list to pick a type of community that is best fit for you. If you are interested in getting professional and in-depth advice on building online communities effectively, phpFox is right here for you. It is a feature-rich platform for building online communities of any niche with tons of advanced features like ChatPlus, Live Streaming, etc. To start creating your own online community from scratch, get in touch with us now!   UP NEXT Best Brand Community and What Done Right Key factors of a successful online community Live Streaming benefits for business