Digital Community Platforms + Membership SaaS Tools

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When building a digital community platform, you’re connecting your customers or users in order to create more value for them. Your users / customers join a community space based on their shared identity and the value you/the community is creating. Value in a community is generated by the network of the community itself, instead of only directly generated by you.

To prototype, build, or iterate a community platform for members, it’s easy to source existing tools. The combination of tools, your “community stack” should serve your business and do three things:

1. 👭 Draw a Circle: Create a shared space
2. 🎁 Make it Valuable: Provide simple access to all value props for members
3. 💰 Build a Paywall: Make space exclusive / payments

👭 Shared Space

Many all-in-one digital community platforms exist that are built on the idea of a shared digital space. Exclusive digital spaces can also be built within existing digital spaces / social networks:

All-in-One Digital Community Platforms

• Circle.so (recommended)
• Disco.co (recommended)
• Networked (recommended)
• MightyNetworks
• HiveBrite
• Slack
• Discord Server

Existing Digital Spaces w/ Exclusive Spaces

• Reddit
• Facebook Groups
• WhatsApp Groups / Messaging Apps

🎁 Simple Access to all Value Props

A digital community is often one value prop, among many, for a user you serve. A digital community should be a space that enables easy access to everything you offer your users. This can be as simple as announcements in a digital community or more sophisticated like access to websites, digital libraries, live events, etc.

💰 Exclusivity / Payments

A digital community is usually served best as an exclusive space. Users join based on their expectation that they’re becoming a part of a community of their peers. Making a community exclusive (authentication, paywalls, etc.) allow you to maintain the space.

There are many different tools that facilitate authentication, payment, and other digital community access. Some robust tools are:

• All-in-One Digital Community Platforms (see above)
• MemberSpace
• MemberStack