Congratulations, SurvivorAZ! You did it - you took the initiative of identifying a concern, creating a name for your group, and putting it all together.
Now think of the many communities on this website. Start with those most likely to have persons who would be interested in joining your group, and post invitations in them. Eventually, you'll want to branch out to post invitations in nearly every community on the website, but for now, choose the ones you believe will have the best prospects. For example, you might start out in the obesity community because persons with abdominal muscle deficiency syndrome might not have found a community and might join the one that most nearly matches their condition.
Your discussion posting invitations might look something like this (but you'll probably have varied and better ideas):
Type Into Subject Box:
No Abdominal Muscles?
Type Into Message Box:
Protruding stomach? If you have weak or no abdominal muscles, there's a group just for you, a mutual support group that wants and needs you! Click here to find out more or to join: http://dailystrength.org/groups/no-abdominal-muscles
Keep your invitations short so that you won't wear out your typing fingers. I have posted hundreds of invites on Daily Strength community pages and as hug messages and member-to-member messages. My Laughter Club group has now grown to over 200 members. My other groups, Missing Persons and Able Disabled, are seeing almost no growth at all because I haven't yet figured out how to word invitations for people to join them, but I will eventually figure it out and get the groups to grow.
Once your group reaches critical mass, or sufficient members that it sees daily activity, you will find yourself expending much less mental energy on it because members will start discussion topics and keep them going. At first, though, it will be up to you to start discussion topics and reply to all comments made by your group's members - try to ensure that none of your members post a discussion that doesn't receive a reply from somebody, meaning you, while the group is still small.
Think of about ten discussion topics you could start in order to give the group something to "talk about." One might be a "Resources" discussion topic, like the ones I have started in my Missing Persons and Able Disabled groups, that would allow you and your group's members to list websites, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other means of contacting organizations as well as information sources? Another discussion topic might be "Daily Strength Groups" to allow members to promote other discussion groups on this website, as I have done in all three of my groups. You can also post "games" members can play to encourage them to visit your group page more often; for ideas, check the Laughter Club group and other groups on this website. And of course, you'll want to start several discussion topics specific to your group's cause, abdominal muscle deficiency.
Your group may grow at a snail-like pace for quite a while, but give it six months and a whole lot of patience, and it will begin to take off. Once in a while you'll find that someone has left your group, usually because they have closed their DS Website account - it can be disappointing, but it does not mean the group is a failure - it happens in all groups. Just keep posting invitations, say a minimum of twenty a day. That may seem like a lot of hard work, and it is, but it will be worth it.
As your group grows, you'll want to identify some members who you are certain have the condition for which the group was formed, and promote them to Administrator. I think that one Administrator for every ten group members is about right. I myself am not really a good candidate for an Administrator position because I am not affected by the condition, but I will remain in the group if you like, for support.
Remember, you're a leader now. You have built it, and they will come. You're going to do great! :)
Now think of the many communities on this website. Start with those most likely to have persons who would be interested in joining your group, and post invitations in them. Eventually, you'll want to branch out to post invitations in nearly every community on the website, but for now, choose the ones you believe will have the best prospects. For example, you might start out in the obesity community because persons with abdominal muscle deficiency syndrome might not have found a community and might join the one that most nearly matches their condition.
Your discussion posting invitations might look something like this (but you'll probably have varied and better ideas):
Type Into Subject Box:
No Abdominal Muscles?
Type Into Message Box:
Protruding stomach? If you have weak or no abdominal muscles, there's a group just for you, a mutual support group that wants and needs you! Click here to find out more or to join: http://dailystrength.org/groups/no-abdominal-muscles
Keep your invitations short so that you won't wear out your typing fingers. I have posted hundreds of invites on Daily Strength community pages and as hug messages and member-to-member messages. My Laughter Club group has now grown to over 200 members. My other groups, Missing Persons and Able Disabled, are seeing almost no growth at all because I haven't yet figured out how to word invitations for people to join them, but I will eventually figure it out and get the groups to grow.
Once your group reaches critical mass, or sufficient members that it sees daily activity, you will find yourself expending much less mental energy on it because members will start discussion topics and keep them going. At first, though, it will be up to you to start discussion topics and reply to all comments made by your group's members - try to ensure that none of your members post a discussion that doesn't receive a reply from somebody, meaning you, while the group is still small.
Think of about ten discussion topics you could start in order to give the group something to "talk about." One might be a "Resources" discussion topic, like the ones I have started in my Missing Persons and Able Disabled groups, that would allow you and your group's members to list websites, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and other means of contacting organizations as well as information sources? Another discussion topic might be "Daily Strength Groups" to allow members to promote other discussion groups on this website, as I have done in all three of my groups. You can also post "games" members can play to encourage them to visit your group page more often; for ideas, check the Laughter Club group and other groups on this website. And of course, you'll want to start several discussion topics specific to your group's cause, abdominal muscle deficiency.
Your group may grow at a snail-like pace for quite a while, but give it six months and a whole lot of patience, and it will begin to take off. Once in a while you'll find that someone has left your group, usually because they have closed their DS Website account - it can be disappointing, but it does not mean the group is a failure - it happens in all groups. Just keep posting invitations, say a minimum of twenty a day. That may seem like a lot of hard work, and it is, but it will be worth it.
As your group grows, you'll want to identify some members who you are certain have the condition for which the group was formed, and promote them to Administrator. I think that one Administrator for every ten group members is about right. I myself am not really a good candidate for an Administrator position because I am not affected by the condition, but I will remain in the group if you like, for support.
Remember, you're a leader now. You have built it, and they will come. You're going to do great! :)
deleted_user
Thanks for the input. I should have time to do this on the weekend as work is wild now. THANKS A TON!
Beaumont
Wow, look how your group has grown - Build it, and they will come! You're awesome!
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