We launched groups on BlogHer a couple of weeks ago and some of you have taken advantage of that functionality by creating your own groups and by joining groups that others created.

But what now?

You have the group. You've joined a group. What do you do with it? How do you help it grow?

That's the million dollar question that everyone asks. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about message boards, blogs, groups, or online communities of any kind. What do you do with it and how do you get people to use it?

As I sat down to write this post, I started thinking about the differences between growing a group and growing a blog. There aren't many differences, really. It's all community building.

I considered taking the time to interview women who I know are really good at growing groups and online community but I realized that my interview with these women just wouldn't work. I know what they'll say before they say it because we've all learned how to do this together or we've learned from each other. So rather than interviewing them, I'll link them at the bottom of this post and you can track them down and ask them questions.

Instead, I'm going to dig into the existing BlogHer Groups and give you some examples of group building strategies that are working on BlogHer and tell you about some of my personal experiences with these groups. (There's absolutely no reason why you should not join these groups, simply for the purpose of looking more closely at what group owners and members are doing - you can always un-join them once you've checked out the examples I'm sharing with you. In fact, I recommend you join for that purpose.)

First look at my very tiny little Caregiving group. It's very quiet over there and that's ok. I think that's one of the first things to remember - a new, small group is going to be new and small - and very quiet. It will grow, if you give it time and attention.

I created the group on the very first morning we launched. The first thing I did once I'd created it was go to some blog posts that I thought caregivers would be interested in reading and clicked the "send to group" link at the bottom of those posts. I didn't overwhelm the group with dozens of posts, I just picked a few - some of mine, some written by others. I picked a range of posts, some funny and some serious. Some about Alzheimer's, some not.

And then I created a forum post. Nobody replied (until today when TW, my partner, replied.) That was ok. It was quiet - there were only three members.

Then, I stumbled across a BlogHer member who had blogged about caregiving. I clicked "send to group" and then I left a comment to her post actually replying to what she'd said but also telling her that I'd sent her post to the group. And guess what happened... she joined. And she posted her own forum post. Now there are three of us in there talking about caregiving. We don't have any hard answers for her but we can offer her a heck of a lot of support as she and her dad try to find what will work for them.

Recap: Send content to your group. Send a few posts written by you and by others on the first day you launch and then regularly send blog posts, blog listings and chatter posts that are applicable. Give members something to read - even if there are only three members. And when someone joins, reach out and talk. This is super easy in a new, small group. Even if the new member doesn't say anything, you'll know she's there because you'll see her photo in the members section. Read her profile, look at her blog, get to know her and then invite her to talk about something you know she's interested in. She might just be shy...

Now go take a peek at the Creative Writing group, since we're talking about shyness. The group was started by an old friend of mine who I generally call RE but for you I will call "nelle". Nelle is very much into creative writing right now, and she created the group. But then she didn't do much to promote it. She's shy in many many ways - until you get to know her, or she feels comfortable that she won't scare you or offend you (watch her in Chatter, she ROCKS community building over there.)

Her group had no members but I knew it was there so when I saw not one but TWO people yesterday who would really enjoy her group, I replied to their posts (on topic) but also told them about Nelle's group. Now there are three members - they aren't talking over there but I have faith that they will reach out to each other within the group.

Recap: Reach out to others and tell them about your group, or tell them about groups that you think they'll like. Be generous, send their work to your group and tell them you've done it because you think their contributions are valuable.

On a side note, I did this for nelle not just because it's my job as Community Manager on BlogHer to hook folks up and help them build their groups or grow their networks - I did it for nelle because she's done the same for me a zillion times. And she's done the same for others a zillion times. Nelle and I have been in a community together for going on 10 years. She knows when I'll find something helpful or interesting and she points me to it. I do the same for her. That's what your community can do for you - get to know people. Ask them questions, listen when they talk, hook them up with help or resources or interesting stuff. It will help you in the long run.

Next, the Better Blogging Challenge group. This one launched on the first morning and I didn't join it. Goodness knows I do not need more discussion about what a bad blogger I've become. ;-) Also, I have very little free time and I was afraid I'd get sucked in and find myself actually trying to be a better blogger. No time for that! But something funny happened on the way to doing my job... those women were compelling. They were talking about Darren's challenge, which I already follow in my feedreader, but they were doing it in a way that made it impossible for me to keep my fingers still. I had to join so I could comment.

Recap: Talk about interesting things in a way that's different from what's already out there. Millions of people are taking Darren's challenge. I can find that talk anywhere. But what I didn't see was people talking about it in a way that lured me in - in a way that was really applicable to me and my life and my work.

Speaking of feeling compelled... there's a group I will not link you to but I will tell you about. I joined it today. Or I tried to. It's a membership moderated group, which means when I clicked "Join", I had to wait for the owner of the group to accept me. So here I sit, dying to reply to her forum post... but I can't, because she posted and went away and hasn't given me access to comment. I am DYING to discuss her topic.

Recap: If you create a moderated membership group, please go back and approve members as quickly as you can. While I'm dying to discuss right now... I may lose interest (or not have the time) a week from now. (Though in this case, I probably will - I just hate waiting.)

OK one more group I won't point out but I'll tell you about. I joined a group because I've got an interest in the topic but I'm not sure I have anything to say. It has some members, they look interesting. But there is no forum post for me to jump into. If I want to talk and learn more about the topic, I'm left to take a chance and start the forum discussion myself. But can I do that? What would I say? I don't even know where to start! I need someone else, someone like the group owner who has experience with the topic to lead the way. Or at least say "hello".

Recap: A group with no initial forum post is off-putting to shy folks, to folks who are unsure of where to start, to folks who have something to say but aren't 100% sure they will be welcome to say it. Start a forum post. If nobody replies, start another one in a few days - asking a question. Questions are good, particularly if they're compelling or funny or quirky. (And when people answer... come back and reply! Go look at the BlogHer Book Club - sassymonkey has replied to virtually every comment, regardless of whether someone else in the group commented. If you're in that group, you know she's listening and she's interested in what you have to say.)

Don't forget to use the tools available to you.

- There's an "invite" link at the top of every group. If you know people who would be interested in your group, invite them (but don't spam them!)
- If you write a post on BlogHer.com about your group a) send it to your group b) include a link to the group inviting people to join.
- Add a link to your group in your signature block. Or link it on your personal blog.
- If there's an interesting discussion happening within your group, Tweet it and invite people to join the group so they can discuss.

There you go, basic ideas and examples of what works (and what doesn't.) There's no magic fairy dust that you can sprinkle that will make your group an instant success - even a Bacon Lovers Group or a Chocoholics Anonymous Group will die without a little time, interest and care.

Here are some women who I've worked with, watched work, and learned from. You can learn from them too. Watch what they do on their forums, their blogs and their twitter streams. Ask them questions, they'll answer you if they can.

* Nancy White or @nancywhite, the supreme goddess of online community.

* TW or @thatwoman - yes this is my partner. Many online community moderators still call her the "message board goddess". She's worked in online community, off and on, for longer than I have and she's taught many women how to grow their communities.

* Julia Schrenkler or @juliaschrenkler. Julia is the Interactive Producer for MPR and before that spent a lot of time building Food message boards (which is why some of us call her "Food Julia".)

* Anne-Marie Nichols or amnichols - Anne-Marie has managed more online communities than I can count. I don't think there's any woman with the range of experience that she has.

Before this list gets any longer, I think I'll just leave you with one more tip. Use BlogHer Chatter - don't just follow your friends, follow everyone who is using Chatter. You'll see online community at work there. You'll see women who not only click a link when you ask them, they also comment on those links. They link each other. They talk to each other. They encourage each other. Jump in and talk to the women there, they will help you grow your group (and your blogs) - all you have to do is talk and listen and talk some more.

~~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager