A well-structured intranet fosters connection through communities. While we recommend allowing your users to create communities organically for a truly collaborative social intranet, we understand that some organizations may prefer a more controlled approach for better oversight.

Thankfully, for this use case, you can set up a community request process! This lets users suggest communities based on their specific interests or needs while giving your platform admins some control to make sure everything stays organized and efficient.

Admins can review and approve requests, which helps avoid duplicate spaces and supports a more thoughtful growth of your social intranet's collaborative environment.

Lay the foundation for the community request process

Before you set up your community request form for your users, you need to define your admin process for reviewing and creating the requested communities. Additionally, prepare any community creation instructions and guidelines that your users should follow.

➡️ Have you already laid the foundation? Jump directly to the setup here! 

1. Define your review and creation process

1. Identify "Community Managers": Choose the individuals who will be responsible for reviewing and processing community requests. These "Community Managers" should have a good understanding of the existing community landscape and your overall intranet strategy.
2. Establish your evaluation criteria: Consider these questions during your review process:

   • Consider its uniqueness.

     Asking this helps keep discussions and users focused in fewer, more active places. If a similar community already exists, consider suggesting the user join and contribute there instead.

   • Consider its purpose.

     Having a clear purpose not only helps bring the right members together but also keeps discussions engaging and productive. If the purpose is vague or broad, encourage the requester to refine it for better clarity and engagement.

   • Consider its feasibility.

     Think about the size and interests of your user base. A very niche topic, such as "Lovers of Black Cats," might not attract many members to create a lively and thriving community. Instead, a "Lovers of Cats" community might be more inclusive. That said, this doesn't mean a niche community can't be created. It's just important to keep this in mind as you plan and develop your intranet.

   • Consider its visibility.

     Review the requester's proposed visibility: public, protected, or private. The visibility setting should support the community's goals and intended audience.

   • Consider its longevity.

     Understanding the expected lifespan helps to determine archiving plans. By ensuring that project-based communities are archived, you can enhance content management on your intranet and make it more efficient for everyone.

3. Create a communication workflow: Define how Community Managers will communicate the outcome of a request to the user who submitted it. This should include whether the request has been approved or declined. If declined, a brief explanation should be provided, and if approved, you'd detail the next steps in the community creation process.
4. Implement community creation: Once a request is approved, the Community Manager will create the new community. The requester (and any other proposed users) should be granted admin status, allowing them to take ownership of the community.

After this process, the Community Manager's role then shifts to providing ongoing support and guidance as needed.

2. Create your user support material

To ensure a smooth and effective community request process for your users, provide them with clear and helpful resources. Consider creating the following:

• This document should outline your organization's philosophy on communities, best practices for creating successful ones, and any specific rules or expectations for community admins. Topics to include could be:
  • Naming Conventions: Suggestions for clear and descriptive community names.
  • Purpose Statement Best Practices: Guidance on writing effective and concise community descriptions.
  • Content Guidelines: Expectations for appropriate and respectful communication within communities.
  • Moderation Tips: Basic advice for community admins on fostering positive discussions and managing content.
  • Visibility Options Explained: Clear definitions of public, protected, and private community settings and when to use each.
  • Archiving Information: Briefly explain the process for archiving inactive or project-based communities.

• A step-by-step guide with screenshots or a video walking users through the process of accessing and filling out the community request form.

  It should cover not just how to find and fill out the request form, but also what happens after submission. Include details on the review process, expected timelines, and how users will be notified of their request's status and next steps. This resource manages expectations and ensures users submit complete, informed requests.

• Anticipate common questions users might have about the community request process and provide clear answers. Examples include:
  • "How long will it take to get my request reviewed?"
  • "What happens if my request is declined?"
  • "Can I suggest multiple admins for my community?"
  • "What are the responsibilities of a community admin?"
  • "Who can I contact if I have questions about my request?"

By providing these support materials, you enable your users to submit well-thought-out requests and understand the expectations for community creation and management, leading to a more successful and organized social intranet.

Set up the community request process

Here's a step-by-step guide to setting up a process that allows users to request new communities:

1: Choose a page to house your request form

1. Select a central intranet page on your intranet to host the community request form, making sure it's easily accessible to all users; for example, an HR or IT Support page. Keep in mind to choose a page where your Community Managers can be page admins to oversee the form and resources.
2. Set up an app group for "Community Requests". This group will house the request form and your support materials explaining the purpose of the request process and how to fill out the form in a Content or Wiki app.

Instead of using an existing page, you can create a dedicated "Community Hub" page that also includes guidelines and materials for using and managing communities for your intranet's community admins.

2: Add a Form app to host your request form

Add a Form app to create the request form.

We recommend defining the app settings as follows:

• Name: "Request Communities" or similar
• Form title: "Request a new community" or similar
• Description: "With this form, you can easily request the creation of a new community on our intranet! Feel free to explore the Community guidelines for helpful information and step-by-step instructions on how to request communities. Just a friendly reminder: while we appreciate all requests, not every community may be created."
• Submission limit: Unchecked. It's important to make it easy for your users to request communities.
• Notifications: Admins. Make sure your admins are informed of new submissions so they can review them.
• See Results: Unchecked. Community requests should be private since certain communities might need to be private from all users.
• Email notifications: Optionally, you can set up email notifications for submissions as well.

Keep the app deactivated until it's been fully built.

3: Create your request form

When building your form, consider your support materials. They will help you determine the necessary questions you need to ask for an effective review process. Additionally, aim for simplicity and ease of use for users.

Consider including these fields in your form:

Form submissions are not anonymous, so the community requester's name will always be included in the submission; therefore, you don't need to add a separate "Your Name" field.

4: Integrate a "Request a Community" link on the Communities overview

To make requesting communities easy for your users, display a "Request a Community" link button on your Communities overview page. This link to your Community Request form offers a direct way for users to submit requests.

1. Retrieve Form URL: Open the Community Request form app you previously created and copy its URL from the browser's address bar.
2. Go to Communities Overview: Go to the Communities overview page and enable edit view.
3. Add Link Button: Add a Link button widget above the community filters.
4. Configure Widget: Paste the copied form URL into the widget's link field and name the button clearly as "Request a community." Optionally, configure the other settings before saving.

And there you have it, your community request process is all set up!