The goal of this list is to give group leaders a general lay of the land of tools they might consider, based on what other groups are using.
(SURVEY RESULTS 2020 - Top Tools) We launched a group tools survey in October 2020, and you can find a summary of the results here. The results have been added to our list of tools and links as you consider your tech stack.
*Note that the survey was designed to get a quick and rough sense of tool use by group leaders.
Toolsets specific for Community Groups
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list or detailed comparison. There are many tool comparison resources on YouTube, blogs, and sites like stackshare.io and Capterra.
Can give users access to on-demand help or mentorship
Can be structured for different discussion topics
For some groups, like company practice groups, the ability to ask and answer questions during the workday may be really important.
For other groups that aren’t as focused on daily practice, this might be something members check-in on periodically: after work, when they have news or a job to post, or around the time of an event.
Pros: Microsoft is investing in it and it's starting to be adopted in the workplace by Office 365 users, well integrated with Microsoft Product like Skype, Outlook, OneNote and others.
You can see all of the online groups within the group finder on the Autodesk Group Network website. Groups from throughout the network are using a variety of tools.
Autodesk does not endorse or provide any particular tool. We support groups using whatever works for them.
In the "All Locations" drop-down, there are filter categories for the following online group conversation tools: Discord, Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram, VK, WhatsApp
Not all tools are digital. For physical events you might want to create an event hosting toolkit with things like nametags, sharpies, flip charts, and signage.
Virtual events
Digital tools to host and broadcast may include:
Virtual Events/ Conferences
Airmeet.com - "Airmeet is an all-in-one platform to host immersive events and build real connections, online." Use it for more immersive and interactive formats (workshops, meetups, fairs, summits, conferences, hackathons)
You have a lounge, for example, where people can virtually seat with other people and have a conversation. In the paid Conference, you can setup concurrent sessions, have the lounge and setup some booths for other people or sponsors.
Virtual meeting are optimized for conversations with a smaller and known audience