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I'm currently in the planning/strategic stages to flourish a new online and offline community for Brazilian makers (DIY culture). I'm thinking about the platform to make the online interface.

What did you recommend? Should we use Facebook Groups as a platform, considering it with very poor metrics and search; or introduce another platform?

UPDATE: Thanks for your questions, Monica.

The actual requirements are:

  • Need to be friendly (we don't want to introduce something they need to learn);
  • ...And mobile friendly
  • Need to support embedded multimedia (sound, videos, photos,...)
  • Need to have a good search
  • Metrics
  • Must be free and/or open source
  • Preferably hosted on a outside server (we don't want to disturb our IT)

We expect they use it regularly, but with little intensity, considering that the discussion between the participants will not be basic / introductory level.

The problem is: Brazilians are very resistant to use others channels, so Facebook is our current option. But FB are a closed company. They change their rules as they want and it is not enough opened to give us control over some tools. But people are using it and it is very difficult to bring them out (some makers use Google Groups, but this is not an option for us).

Is there any solution? You know some good startup that successfully catch FB Groups metrics? Or any forum platform (mobile friendly) with FB Login?

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    Welcome to Community Building! No one platform is best for all purposes, so the more you can tell us about the requirements and usage expectations for your community, the better. How will your community use the platform? How big is the community? Are there must-have (or must-not-have) features? If your community has an apparent preference (you mentioned their resistance to other platforms), what leads you to ask the question? I'm assuming you see some flaw in the idea of using Facebook Group; can you elaborate on that? You can edit your post to add more info. Thanks.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Oct 6, 2015 at 3:55
  • What is the primary use of the platform? Is it for organization, realtime chat, meeting people internally or something else? Do you need a Social Network or a forum? Which metrics are in your mind? Growth metrics, post metrics, user metrics, etc.? Your requirements are tough, I don't think that there is a piece of software which can fulfill everything of your stated points. It could be that you have to lower your expectations.
    – Zerotime
    Commented Oct 11, 2015 at 20:12
  • knee-jerk reaction to question in title: great Cthulhu, a thousand times yes! There are many, MANY better platforms. Now I'll actually read the post and see if I have something constructive to say in response to whatever is actually being asked :)
    – LindaJeanne
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 16:40
  • The criteria given in the OP pretty much rule out Facebook to even be under consideration :). @TommyOtzen's answer below about WordPress is definitely one preferable solution.
    – LindaJeanne
    Commented Dec 2, 2015 at 16:51

2 Answers 2

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I would recommend using wordpress. We use it for a similiar project page. It's called optek Wordpress have thousands of plugins and support all sorts of media. It connects with social media, all sorts of analytics and tools to optimize seo. Its very easy to use and set up. It also has a lot of search tools and ways to categorize different subjects. It has a free hosting solution, though with a few limitations. If you want to host your own page, most web hotels have 1-click install, that makes it very simple. Also you have problaly one of the best community support avaliable.

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  • My own experience with fb, is that it is very difficult to draw attention to something posted more than two days ago. You cant search on words or topics. The search function is really bad for a DIY platform.
    – Tommy Otzen
    Commented Nov 13, 2015 at 22:00
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I strongly recommend Meetup. It is a great solution both for online and offline commmunities. About your requirements:

  • It is very frindly and intuituve
  • Supports multimedia
  • Good search
  • Supports google analytics
  • It's hosted outside your server

It is not free but it is pretty cheap.

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    What is your relationship with Meetup? I see that it is mentioned in your profile.
    – Andy
    Commented Dec 18, 2015 at 13:28
  • We use it for the .net community in my home town. I mention our page in my profile
    – Melkor S.K
    Commented Dec 20, 2015 at 17:53

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