What is the right content for your learning community? Relevant content, of course, and let’s not forget engaging! Be it polls or debates about great courses or the subject du jour, any content which draws members in is the right content.
Does that mean that fun content can be appropriate for a community post? We discussed this in a thread the other day and I said, “Not only is it appropriate but necessary!”.
Fun content is appropriate so long as it is relevant
Take a look at this Dilbert comic strip. This is fun content but it also instructs us on how important good listening is to a conversation. This would be relevant for a learning community which addresses softskills or communications. No, not relevant; perfect.
Members will laugh at it and either remember someone they know who is like Dogbert or wonder if they sometimes commit similar errors. Ah, food for thought and reflection. Consider this comic strip as a header to anonymous poll entitled, “Do You Know Anyone Like This?” with the following options:
- Yes, at work
- Yes, at my last job
- Yes, at home!
- Yes, I do that sometimes
- No, thank goodness
The manager of this community might see fit to add a piece of fun, thought provoking content regularly.
Actually, it would be appropriate in any group which has some communication issues and looks to improve them. If a member of a group needs to work on their listening skills, this is a less abrupt way to approach the issue and would make an appropriate header for a discussion entitled, “ “Is Listening the Fun Part?” or “What is the Role of Listening in Communication?”. Via a share function or email encourage everyone to participate in the thread; including the guilty party. This is fun with a serious purpose.
Bonus: Fun content is also a marketing tool
Putting a smile on someone’s face is a sure fire way of getting them to return to your community. Fun content is the way to create that smile and fun can be found in many places; a comic strip, a video of a cute baby doing something bad, a quote that summarizes a situation or a great story.
In a realtor’s community, I read the fun story about the Queen of England revoking the US’ independence and the subsequent changes her new subjects would suffer. She used this as her principal story rather than a dry story about buying and selling houses (although this information could be found as well). The centerpiece for her community was funny. Fun is her catch and is the reason people return to that community.
Yes, fun content is the right content for your learning community. Enjoy it!
Leave a comment about fun content which you have published.
In the Social Business Council we had a difficult time identifying and getting buy-in from management on the next platform we were to use. I feel like a got a serious black eye from the whole situation. But one day I just made a cartoon about it to kind of laugh at the whole situation. It really resonated with the group and great thread ensued.
I made the post on this website. It’s the tree swing cartoon. You can make your own. http://www.projectcartoon.com/cartoon/1111
Hope this helps somebody.
Or make your own cartoon to fit the situation. What a great resource! Thanks Patrick.
Here is another one mentioned by a friend of mine in a social network; Pixton for fun – http://www.pixton.com/comic/r1yw3bfx