In response to suggestions from ICC members regarding the enhancement of INTBAU’s global communications to foster community engagement, this document outlines the following: 1. The creation of a network-wide communications platform based on WhatsApp Communities. 2. The guidelines for a reinstated ICC WhatsApp group to enable ICC representatives to engage in open discussions.
Contents
I. Creating an INTBAU WhatsApp Community.
1. What is a WhatsApp community?
2. Adding groups to the community.
4. Impact on group members’ experience.
8. Conduct guidelines for the WhatsApp Community.
II. Guidelines of the INTBAU ICC Group Chat.
I. Creating an INTBAU WhatsApp Community
By creating a WhatsApp Community, INTBAU aims to foster better and more open communication among its global members, and build a more connected and engaged network. This document outlines the necessary considerations to effectively implement and manage the community.
Benefits of a WhatsApp group for the international network:
- Centralised communication: Facilitates streamlined communication by centralising INTBAU-related groups.
- Enhanced engagement: Increases engagement through targeted announcements, and open discussions.
- Real-time interaction: Enables real-time interaction, providing a sense of community and immediate support or feedback.
1. What is a WhatsApp community?
WhatsApp Communities is a feature that allows to organise multiple WhatsApp groups under one larger umbrella.
Each community can include various groups, such as chapter groups, alumni groups, and programme groups, making it easier for members to engage with specific topics of interest without being overwhelmed by unrelated discussions. Members of a group are not compelled to join every other group.
Sample of WhatsApp Community
2. Adding groups to the community
Instructions for Group Admins to Add Their Group to the WhatsApp Community:
- Step 1: Open the WhatsApp app on your phone.
- Step 2: Go to the INTBAU Community.
- Step 3: Tap on the community name at the top of the screen to open the community info.
- Step 4: Select “Add Existing Groups” from the menu.
- Step 5: Choose the group(s) you want to add from the list of available groups.
- Step 6: Confirm your selection to add the group(s) to the community.
- Step 7: All members of the added group(s) will automatically become part of the WhatsApp Community.
3. Rules for adding groups
- Only groups related to INTBAU activities, such as local chapters, alumni, and programme-specific groups, should be added.
- The community admin (Comms Manager) will vet and approve new groups to ensure they align with the community’s objectives.
- Groups can be suggested for addition by any member but require admin approval.
The community admin does not have the ability to manage the specific information (name, description, management, etc.) of each added group. These permissions remain with the individual group admins.
The right and discretion to create new groups will sit with each Chapter’s management team, depending on the Chapter’s activities and needs. Chapters will not be compelled to add newly created groups to the community. Although it will be recommended, the need and timing for doing so will be assessed by each Chapter and group owner.
4. Impact on group members’ experience
- Members of a group added to the community do not need to join every other group in the community.
- Members will primarily receive notifications from their specific groups, with additional announcements from the community admin.
- To minimise notification overload, community-wide announcements should be limited and focused.
5. Community moderation
The Comms Manager will moderate the community, managing community-wide activities and content, and ensuring adherence to community guidelines, but will not have the right or ability to moderate each group. The right and ability to moderate each group will remain with each group’s owner/admin.
6. Announcement group
When creating a WhatsApp Community, an Announcement Group is automatically generated. This group allows community admins to broadcast updates and information to all members o the community without overwhelming them with messages from multiple groups.
The Announcement Group is meant for critical updates and information dissemination.
As a member, you can:
- React and reply to an announcement.
- Vote in and react to polls.
- View the number of community members.
- Report an admin announcement.
- Mute notifications.
Note:
- You can’t leave an announcement group unless you leave the community.
- If you leave the announcement group, you’ll also exit the community.
- Everyone can see the total number of members in the announcement group in the member list. Admins can see who the members are.
- You can add up to 2,000 members to a community and its announcement group.
To minimise notification overload, community-wide announcements should be limited and focused, and reserved for important news concerning the global community, and always including an external link for full information.
7. Privacy considerations
Members’ phone numbers will be kept private within the community. WhatsApp has introduced a feature that ensures phone numbers are only visible to community administrators and contacts already saved by the members. This enhancement helps maintain user privacy, preventing other participants from seeing phone numbers during interactions within the community.
8. Conduct guidelines for the WhatsApp Community
- Professional Conduct: Maintain professional decorum in all discussions.
- Relevant Content: Keeping each group nurtured with content relevant to Chapter activities and professional interests around Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism.
- Respectful Communication: Ensure respectful and considerate communication among members.
- Moderation: The Community will be moderated by the Comms Manager to ensure adherence to these guidelines. Each group will remain under the control of the current admins.
II. Guidelines of the ICC WhatsApp Chat
This group is intended as a direct channel for open discussion between members of the INTBAU International Council of Chapters. It will complement our existing email communication to ensure direct collaboration within our network.
Guidelines:
Group Membership: This group is exclusively for Chapters’ ICC representatives.
Purpose: This platform is intended for ICC members to discuss openly and facilitate collaboration across chapters.
Content Sharing: Feel free to share relevant content, such as event announcements, posts from your chapter’s social media accounts, noteworthy news, and initiatives that might interest other chapters.
Relevance: Please avoid excessive posting or sharing unrelated content to maintain the group’s focus and efficiency.
Participation: You are welcome to mute the chat, but we encourage you to regularly check the group and participate when available.
E-mail communications: This group chat is not a replacement of the email listserv. Please make sure that all your official communications are sent via the listserv first before sharing in the group chat. This ensures proper record-keeping and formal acknowledgment.
Confidentiality: For matters involving restricted information, please continue to use our official email channels.
Administration: The group will be moderated by INTBAU Secretariat’s Communications Manager, who will oversee adherence to these guidelines and provide support for the smooth functioning of the group.
Contact:
Antonio Quiroz Soto, INTBAU Communications Manager.
Email: antonio.quiroz@intbau.org
WhatsApp: +44 7449 565415