Designated spaces for community interaction and social bonding
Core Idea: Water Coolers are structured environments where users can gather and interact about topics beyond the core purpose of a system, fostering community and reinforcing social norms.
Key Elements
- Unstructured interaction: Provides space for free-form conversation outside of goal-directed activities
- Community building: Facilitates relationships between users who might not otherwise connect
- Norm transmission: Allows new users to absorb community culture from veterans
- Information exchange: Enables sharing of tips, tricks, and informal knowledge
Implementation Patterns
- Digital forums: Dedicated discussion areas with general or specific subtopics
- Chat channels: Real-time conversation spaces with varying degrees of formality
- Physical spaces: Designated areas in workplaces or venues for casual interaction
- Event hubs: Regular gatherings or meetups focused on community rather than content
Design Considerations
- Critical mass: Requires sufficient initial participation to avoid appearing abandoned
- Moderation balance: Enough oversight to maintain healthy interaction without stifling authentic exchange
- Signal-to-noise ratio: Structured enough to provide value without overwhelming users
- Discovery mechanisms: Ways for users to find relevant conversations or subtopics
Practical Applications
- Company intranets: Discussion boards for employees to connect across departments
- Game lounges: Social areas in multiplayer games where players can interact outside of gameplay
- Conference common areas: Designated networking spaces at professional events
- Community Slack channels: Topic-based channels for informal discussion
Potential Pitfalls
- Ghost towns: Underutilized forums that create negative social proof
- Administration overhead: Requiring significant moderation resources
- Topic drift: Conversations that stray too far from organizational purposes
- Clique formation: Insider groups that make newcomers feel unwelcome
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Core Drive 5 - Social Influence and Relatedness (social motivation)
- Applications: Community Building (strategic approaches to growing user communities)
- See Also: Mentorship (often facilitated through Water Cooler environments)
References
- Chou, Yu-kai. "Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards."
- Wenger, Etienne. "Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity."
#community-building #social-spaces #gamification #forum-design
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