Top 7 Online Community Platforms for Building Student Networks in 2024

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Top 7 Online Community Platforms for Building Student Networks in 2024

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Mane Solomonyan

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What about education? Online communities can significantly enhance learning too. A survey found that 85% of users of communal learning platforms improved their skills.

 

Deep-diving into all aspects of online learning, we discover so many opportunities and ways to facilitate and make the learning experience better for both students and educators. This time, we will talk about the role of online community platforms that want to bring their users together and help them stay engaged. We will also outline the pros and cons of each and highlight the key features of the best community platforms.

Online Learning Community Landscape

Before exploring the main topic, let’s look at some statistics on online communities.

 

  • In 2019, about 76% of internet users were part of at least one online community. With the global pandemic and “everything taken online” world, this number skyrocketed. 

  • Facebook, the largest online community, hosts around 10 million groups, with about 1.8 billion users in at least one group.

  • The global enterprise social network and online community market was valued at $5.56 billion in 2021. It is expected to grow by 16.5% from 2021 to 2028.

  • About 55% of brands say online communities have boosted sales.

  • 90% of online communities report that member suggestions have improved products and services.

 

The main driver of online community growth is the increased use of social media for communication and marketing. Social media has become a powerful tool to reach billions globally. Moreover, UCG (user-generated content) is the new golden source of marketing and sales that increases brand credibility. Companies heavily invest in UCG and communities where the content is shared.  

Why are Online Learning Communities Important?

Online communities are crucial for effective online learning and online study groups, especially in higher education. They're popular because they let distance learners collaborate and share different perspectives. This collaboration helps students explore, think critically, develop skills, and grasp concepts better. Building a sense of connection among online learners keeps them engaged and motivated to complete their studies on time.

 

However, many instructors struggle to get students to participate in discussion forums. The reason is that some learners often progress through classes at their own pace. To address this, you can use strategies to gradually boost participation and foster interpersonal learning. To achieve this, tweak your course design and add collaborative learning activities.

What is a Community Platform?

A community platform is a dedicated space where people can connect and build relationships. These people have shared interests, goals, or commonalities (identity, purpose, or ideologies). A great community platform has tools to build a special culture, blending content, community, courses, and commerce. It usually includes a leader and community members.

Key Features in an Online Community Platform

Let’s check out what features online community platforms offer for educational institutions. Later, we will talk about features and benefits for students (if you, dear reader, are a student, be patient; we will get there soon). 

Customization options and branding capabilities

For effective business impact, your community should mirror your brand, ensuring a consistent experience for all. Choose software that offers custom color schemes, typography, and layouts. Platforms that allow code snippets offer extra customization, which is handy for future ad revenue.

User-friendly interface and ease of navigation

The primary requirement for a successful online community platform is a user-friendly interface. It should be intuitive and easy to navigate. This will allow members to quickly find information and join discussions. A clean design with clear categories, tags, and search makes the user experience much better.

Integration with other tools and platforms

For your community to benefit a broader group, it must integrate with other software. Such integrations ensure effective collaboration between platforms and maximize your existing tech investments.

Analytics and Reporting Capabilities

A key advantage of a brand-owned community is access to member data for insights on marketing, sales, product strategies, and more. Many community platforms offer built-in tools for analyzing popular discussions, trends, and growth statistics.

What are the Best Online Community Platforms?

EducateMe

 

educate me online community platform

 

EducateMe is a great example of an online community platform. It helps digital academies, boot camps, and businesses create courses and launch online schools. EducateMe features data reporting tools for attendance, completion rates, learner activity, and top courses.

 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Engagement tools

Diverse data analytics for monitoring course success and performance

No dedicated mobile app (though it is quite mobile-friendly)

Integrates with various platforms, including Zoom, Notion, Stripe LMS, Google Calendar, Loom, and others.

Free - 14 days trial

Assignment management feature

Integrated messenger to facilitate communication between students and mentors

Limited support for SCORM files

 

Advanced Plan - $100/month

Course Builder

Ideal for developing LMSs with necessary integrations

 

 

Pro Plan - $200/month

Automation

Excellent customer support system

 

 

Enterprise Plan- $1250/month

Advanced analytics

 

 

  

 

Mighty Networks

 

mighty networks online community platform

 

Mighty Networks allows you to build your learning community on your website, design a website, create online courses, and charge participants. The platform includes activity feeds, member profiles, and a data analytics dashboard. 

 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Course builder

The creation and sale of courses.

Does not support payment platforms like PayPal

A Business Plan or higher is needed to connect with Zapier, Zoom, and Google Analytics. with various platforms, including Zoom, Notion, Stripe LMS, Google Calendar, Loom, and others.

Courses - $99/month

Course delivery

Native apps for Android and iOS devices.

Lacks native support for live video communication

 

Business Plan - $179/month

Marketing

A clean and modern interface.

No quiz or certificate features in the course builder

 

Path-to-Pro - $360/month 

 

Publishing of articles and events.

No SSO integration with other platforms

 

Mighty Pro - Upon request

 

Slack integration for easy communication.

 

  

 

Circle

 

circle online community platform

 

Course creators use Circle to craft courses with community-driven content. A standout feature of Circle is “spaces,” which provide various content categories for the audience. These spaces can be forums, threads, live events, or both public and private chat rooms. The purpose of spaces is to organize content and audiences into sub-groups or discussion threads.

 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Group chat rooms

Advanced video features for live events, including HD video recording

Limited selection of templates for designing landing pages

Multiple integrations like Airtable, Thrivecart, Google Sheets, Memberstack, Google Analytics, WordPress, etc.

Professional - $89/month

Private messaging

Monetization of content and courses using payment platforms like Stripe.

Essential advanced features like quizzes, or assignments for an online learning platform

 

Business - $199/month

Event spaces

A members’ directory with comprehensive member profiles

  

Enterprise - $360/month 

Live streams

Third-party integrations to simplify and automate processes

   

Weekly digests

Integration with Unsplash to create courses and posts with high-quality images.

   

 

Slack

 

slack online community platform

 

Slack is primarily a collaboration and work-sharing tool supporting the communication of millions of large and small teams. It is a secure space for sharing ideas, maintaining discussions, and making quick calls. 

The platform features channels for general team communication, specific groups, and direct messages. Onboarding and navigation are easy and don’t need a special introduction. 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Simplifies remote work

Screen sharing allows members to view each other’s work

Poor-quality video and voice calls

Slack integrates with various tools such as Jira, Google Drive, One Drive, Zoom, etc.

Pro - $7.25 per person/month

Track team availability

The free plan lets you add unlimited members

Audio and video calls on the free plan are limited to 2 participants

 

Business + - $12.50 per person/month

Set reminders

Easily share files with the drag-and-drop feature

The free plan provides only 5GB of storage for uploaded files across the entire team

 

Enterprise Grid - Upon request 

Private channels

Clean user interface with simple navigation

   

 

Fast and comprehensive message and archive search

   

 

Discourse

 

discourse online community platform

 

Discourse is a standout community website with simple customization and design options. It suggests powerful anti-spam tools and has its own mobile apps that support accessibility across platforms. Additionally, Discourse allows endless scrolling within forum conversations, fostering a strong sense of community and integration with the community. 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Conversations

Native app for universal accessibility

Limited availability of plugins to enhance forum functionality

Can be integrated to virtually any workflow

Free

Gamification features

Effective administration and moderation tools for discussions

Setup is challenging for non-tech-savvy users

  

Expandable with plugins

Data analytics to assess the well-being of the online learning community

User data is less protected as admins have access to private chats

  

Analytics

Open-source and customizable to align brand identity

   

Moderation and scalability capabilities

A trust system to empower long-term members

   

 

Hivebrite

 

hivebrite online community platform

 

Hivebrite is mainly for alumni networks but is expanding to other uses. It provides dedicated subgroups for students to connect to, a branded mobile app, and a job board for employment opportunities. It comes with an integrated content management system and provides data and analytics.

 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Customization and personalization

Dedicated subgroups

Basic community-building features

Over 16 integrations with platforms and CRMs, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Blackbaud CRM

Connect for community builders - $799/month

Accounts and permissions

Content Management System (CMS) with customizable feeds.

Absence of live streaming, video, or courses

 

Scale for growing organizations - Upon request

Reporting and analytics

Live event management, including ticketing and scheduling

Limited virtual event functionalities

 

Enterprise - - Upon request

 

Data management

Job board with data and analytics

Expensive 

  

 

Branded application.

   

Communication management

    

Interaction features

    

Feedback features

    

 

Kajabi

 

kajabi online community platform

 

Kajabi is an all-in-one tool for building and running a community, selling, marketing, and delivering content. A simple and user-friendly landing page and course builder offers customizable themes that can be managed even without having tech skills. The integration with Stripe supports in-app payments for content.

 

 

 

Features

Pros

Cons

Integrations

Pricing

Website builder

Asynchronous course LMS with drip content, evaluation options, and customization features

Community 2.0 requires a separate login, does not integrate with the LMS, and has limited community functions

Creator.io, Zapier, Stripe, Meta Pixel, Google Analytics, and other popular tools.

Kickstarter - $55/month

 

 

AI features

Integrated email marketing, landing pages, and additional sales tools

One of the priciest options among online communities

 

Basic - $119/month

One-click marketing sequences

New AI features for course creation, landing page copy, and scripts

Lacks branded apps

 

Growth - $159/month

 

 

Custom domain

Live streaming and video conferencing 

  

Pro - $319/month

Collaboration tools

    

Video streaming

    

 

Conclusion

Communities are extremely valuable platforms for learning, communicating, and growing. By providing these and many other features, businesses acquire a stable source of profit and a powerful tool to promote business. They create opportunities for real-time feedback, continuous improvement, and deeper customer insights, all of which are essential for stable business growth. Additionally, these platforms serve as hubs for innovation and collaboration, enabling members to share ideas, solve problems collectively, and drive forward various initiatives.

What are the main drivers behind the growth of online community platforms?

The main drivers are the increased use of social media for communication and marketing, and the rise of user-generated content (UCG), which enhances brand credibility and serves as a potent marketing tool.

What are some key features of a successful online community platform as highlighted in the article?

Key features include customization options and branding capabilities, a user-friendly interface, integration with other tools, and analytics and reporting capabilities.

Why are online communities particularly important for distance learners in higher education?

Online communities allow distance learners to collaborate, share perspectives, and develop critical thinking skills, which enhances engagement and motivation to complete studies.

at are some common challenges instructors face when using online community platforms, and what strategies can address these issues?

Instructors often struggle to get students to participate in discussion forums because learners progress at different paces. Strategies to address this include tweaking course designs and incorporating collaborative learning activities to boost engagement.

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