Member Messaging
Reach the right person, not the whole room.
Filter and feature specific members such as coaches, trainers, faculty, and community leaders, so a member with a question knows exactly who to ask.
S.A.I.L. the four intrinsic motivators
Status
>
Access
>
Influence
>
Leverage
An open inbox in a large community is a spam problem
BuddyBoss features are live today. BOSS enhancements are custom.
How messaging is shaped
Everything available to you.
Who can reach whom, and how they find them.
Signposting
Featured members
- Feature coaches, faculty, and community leaders
- Surface them by topic or specialty
- Show availability and typical response time
- Rotate featured members so nobody carries it alone
Finding the recipient
Filtering
- By role: coach, faculty, moderator, peer
- By specialty or topic
- By cohort or group
- By availability and response rate
Who can message whom
Permissions
- Open peer-to-peer messaging
- Coaches reachable only by their own assigned members
- Level or tenure gates on messaging leadership
- Opt-out for members who do not want contact
Beyond one to one
Group messaging
- Cohort and team conversations
- Coach to roster broadcast
- Group threads tied to a challenge or event
- Announcements distinct from conversation
Messaging that counts
Gamification
- Points for helpful replies rather than for messages sent
- Response rate visible on member cards
- Achievements for sustained helpfulness
- Streaks for community support consistency
Worked example
A stuck member finds the right person in thirty seconds
Without messaging four wrong people first, which is what usually happens.
Member needs help
Module 3, stuck two days
Access
She opens messaging and filters by her cohort
Three faculty and one coach are assigned to Cohort 12.
Status
Each card shows specialty and response time
Her coach replies within a day. One faculty member within two hours.
Access
She messages the faculty member with the matching specialty
Rather than the founder, which is what she would have done otherwise.
Influence
Answered in ninety minutes
And the reply earns him points, which is the behavior worth reinforcing.
Leverage
She finishes module 3 that evening
Two days of being stuck, resolved by knowing who to ask.
Recipes
Three you could build this afternoon.
Reward the answer, not the message
When
Only if
Then
Protect your most visible people
When
Only if
Then
Show response time honestly
When
Only if
Then
Before you build
Three things worth knowing.
Note
Feature a rotating set of helpers rather than the same three people. Unshared load is how volunteers stop volunteering.
Note
Response rate on a card is a strong signal and a strong pressure. Show it for coaches, think carefully before showing it for members.
Note
Peer to peer messaging usually needs a light gate, such as a level or tenure threshold. Fully open messaging attracts the wrong behavior fast.
The rest of BOSS
Member Messaging is one of 7 parts.
Member Cards
Gamplify Cards
Member Blog
Member Matching
Member Referrals
Member Directory
Member Messaging
Put Member Messaging to work.
Tell us what you are trying to get members to do, and we will show you the Flow that does it.