FINDING AND ATTENDING SOCIAL GROUPS ONLINE
This pro ject is an NDIS Informat ion, L inkages and Capaci ty-Bui ld ing ( ILC) In i t ia t ive
A s tep-by-step guide
ABOUT BEFRIENDBefr iend ex ists to support people in f ind ing new f r iends, a sense of
be longing and shared exper iences! We bel ieve that st rong, connected
communi t ies make us a l l happier and heal th ier people - emot ional ,
menta l ly and phys ica l ly - and i t ’s through meet ing d i fferent people that
we learn more about ourse lves and others. We are pass ionate about
socia l inc lus ion and dream of a wor ld where everyone is va lued and
appreciated. For the last ten years, we’ve been support ing a space
for loca l res idents of Perth to meet up, en joy fun, access ib le act iv i t ies
and exper iences together and form new f r iendships. We ca l l th is space
The Befr iend Socia l Network and everyone is welcome at any of the
200+ events that take p lace each month! More recent ly, we’ve been
support ing people to share the i r hobbies and interests over the internet
wi th other l ike-minded indiv iduals and increase the i r conf idence in us ing
v ideo-conferencing technology to connect wi th others.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A group of smi l ing Befr iend members
fac ing the camera, wi th the ye l low Befr iend f lag in the centre of
the image. They are outs ide a cafe, hav ing just ce lebrat ing the
5th anniversary of th is gather ing!
1
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Some members of the Befr iend Team
us ing onl ine v ideo conferencing technology to stay connected.
They are a l l smi l ing, wav ing and look happy to be spending the
t ime together !
Connect ing wi th others is a natura l th ing for humans to want because
we’ve been doing i t for thousands of years. We re ly on the people
around us for support and f r iendship and i t ’s awesome people l ike you
that make f r iendships happen! But , meet ing new people can be scary
and a l i t t le overwhelming. We understand that . The good news is , there
are lots of in terest ing socia l groups you might en joy out there and you
can use the internet to f ind them! This handy guide wi l l he lp you f ind
new spaces where f r iendships might f lour ish through a mutual and
shared hobby or pass ion.
The diagram above shows us how our passions and hobbies, and the act iv i t ies we
love doing, can be great ways to meet new people, jo in regular social groups, and
strengthen fr iendships
ABOUTYOU
THIS IS YOU
Footbal l
Craft
Animals
Create an onl ine group to watch an upcoming
footbal l game together over the internet , jo in a
v i r tua l footbal l c lub to share t ips and t r icks, or
create an onl ine Fantasy Footbal l league and
host a weekly check- in to ta lk about i t
Jo in a weekly craf t group, teach
others how to craf t , host your own
regular craf t ing act iv i ty or vo lunteer
your t ime wi th others to col lect ive ly
create much-needed i tems for
in jured or s ick wi ld l i fe
You could star t an onl ine drawing group where you
sketch your favour i te an imals together and share
your creat ions, jo in a loca l pet group where you can
share p ictures, s tor ies and chat about your fur ry
pa ls or vo lunteer your d ig i ta l and onl ine sk i l ls at a
loca l she l ter
2.
A RECIPE FOR SUCCESSThere are a lot of ingredients that need to go into the per fect rec ipe for
spark ing new f r iendships. Three of the most important ingredients are:
Doing act iv i t ies you love i s a great way to meet new people. I t ’s much
eas ier to break the ice ta lk ing about someth ing you’ve got in common.
For example, i f you love ar ts and craf ts , you could jo in an onl ine ‘Craf ts
for a Cause’ group. When you meet the other craf ters in the group,
they know that they can ta lk to you about your craf t pro ject . And you
know that you can ask them what craf t pro jects they’ve been work ing
on late ly. Tak ing on a ro le in the group st rengthens your sense of se l f ,
boosts your conf idence and g ives others the opportuni ty to appreciate
your g i f ts and st rengths. Try ask ing the Host of the group how you could
vo lunteer to he lp out and see what ideas you come up wi th together !
Friendships take t ime to develop - you can’t force a f r iendship! But
you can do th ings wi th the same people regular ly, which increases your
chance of forming a f r iendship. Whi le i t can be n ice to t ry d i fferent
act iv i t ies , i f you do d i fferent act iv i t ies a l l the t ime, you won’t see the
same people. Th is means that new re lat ionships don’t have the chance
to grow. I t ’s he lpfu l i f you do the same th ings, wi th the same people,
again and again and again to bui ld a re lat ionship.
3.
Shared interests : F ind act iv i t ies you love doing
Role: Take on ro les in which you contr ibute to others whi le doing these act iv i t ies
Rhythm: Connect wi th the same people regular ly
FINDING GROUPSJoin ing an onl ine group is a great way to meet new people because
groups a l low you to do th ings you love regular ly wi th the same people.
There are loads of ways that you can f ind groups onl ine. We’ve l is ted
some of our favour i tes be low.
What i t is : Meetup is a websi te that can be used by anyone, anywhere in
the wor ld, to organise onl ine groups and events.
www.meetup.com
Step 1. Create a prof i le . Th is doesn’t need to be too
compl icated – a l l you need is a p icture of yourse l f and a few
words for your b io.
How to use Meetup:
Step 2. Find a group . You can do th is by typ ing an act iv i ty
you l ike to do into the search box.
Step 3. F ind an event . Once you’ve found a group, c l ick on
the ‘Events’ tab to see i f the group has any upcoming events.
Step 4. RSVP . Once you’ve found an event you’d l ike to
go a long to, c l ick ‘at tending’ to le t the organiser know that
you’re p lanning to go a long.
cl ick the l inks!
4.
FINDING GROUPSMeetup Pros and Cons:
• You’ l l f ind heaps of groups that cater to
d i fferent interests
• Meetup has an Android/Smartphone App
that is easy to use
• You can see who has RSVP’d to events
and communicate wi th people before or
af ter events
• Not a l l event organisers have received
t ra in ing around d ivers i ty/ inc lus ion
• You need to have an account , wi th a
photo of yourse l f , to RSVP to events
• Some groups aren’t very act ive and
don’t ho ld regular events
5.
FINDING GROUPS
Step 2. Find an event. C l ick on an event to f ind out more
in format ion.
Step 3. RSVP. Once you’ve found an event you’d l ike to go
a long to, c l ick RSVP so the event Hosts knows to expect
you. You should a lso be able to access the event l ink to jo in
onl ine.
Befr iend Pros and Cons:
• Al l event hosts receive t ra in ing f rom
Befr iend and wi l l greet you at events
• You don’t need to be a member to RSVP:
You can receive event in fo though the
mai l and RSVP by phone or emai l
• Most events are f ree
• You might not a lways f ind an event at
a t ime that su i ts you or on a p lat form
that su i ts you
Step 1. Visi t the Befr iend website . C l ick on the button that
reads ‘ f ind local events’ in the top corner of the home page.
How to use Befr iend:
www.befr iend.org.au
What i t is : Befr iend is a Perth-based organisat ion that hosts inc lus ive
events. Befr iend advert ise a l l o f the i r events on the i r websi te and on
Meetup.com.
6.
How to use Facebook Groups:
FINDING GROUPS
www.facebook.com/groups
What i t is : A Facebook Group is a Facebook page created for a group or
organisat ion to promote act iv i t ies .
Step 1. Vis i t the Facebook Groups
Discoverer . You may need to c l ick
on the ‘Groups’ but ton to see the
‘Discover ’ opt ion. I t looks l ike th is :
Step 2. Find a topic that interests you .
Se lect ing th is topic wi l l take you to a l is t of
groups.
Step 3. Join a group , by c l ick ing the ‘+ Jo in’ but ton.
Step 4. F ind events . You can see a l is t of upcoming events
by c l ick ing on the ‘Events’ tab on the le f t s ide of the Group
Page.
Step 5. RSVP. Once you’ve found an event you’d l ike to go
a long to, RSVP by se lect ing ‘Going’ .
7.
Facebook Groups Pros and Cons:
• You can interact wi th group members
onl ine before going a long to an event
• There is no pressure to meetup face-
to- face
• You can see p ictures of prev ious
events
F INDING GROUPS
• Facebook group members don’t
a lways hold onl ine events
• I t ’s d i ff icu l t to search for groups or
events
• You have to have a Facebook account
to jo in a group
8.
www.google.com
What i t is : Google is an onl ine search engine: you can use i t to search
for in format ion about anyone or anyth ing on the internet .
How to use Google:
Step 1. Use i t to look for groups by typ ing “ [act iv i ty ]
on l ine groups” into the search bar.
Step 2. You might want to broaden your search by typ ing
“ [act iv i ty ] groups in Perth” or “groups in [ locat ion]” so
that i f you ever want to take your f r iendships off l ine, you
l ive near one another and can meet up eas i ly !
F INDING GROUPS
Google Pros and Cons:
• Can be used to f ind groups
that you can’t f ind e lsewhere
• In format ion on websi tes isn’t
a lways up to date
• I t can be d i ff icu l t to work out
whether to t rust the group or
not
9.
FINDING GROUPSOther ways to f ind groups:
• Asking a f r iend or fami ly member
• Emai l ing your loca l l ibrary
• Gett ing in touch wi th someone at your loca l counci l
• Checking out the events sect ion in your loca l communi ty
newspaper
• Talk ing wi th any socia l /communi ty serv ices you are
connected wi th about how they can support you to develop
new f r iendships
10.
THINKINGAHEADThere are a few th ings that you might want to consider before at tending
an onl ine group to ensure you have everyth ing you need. We’ve
suggested some below.
Thinking about technology
Do you have access to a device? To part ic ipate in an onl ine group, you wi l l need a computer or tablet dev ice, or a mobi le phone
Can you access the internet?You may need to have access to the internet to at tend your group. Do you have a stable connect ion wi th a good amount of data le f t? I f you don’t have steady access to the internet , t ry reaching out to the Host of the event and see i f there’s a way you can be “ca l led in” to your mobi le phone, which won’t cost you any data. You won’t be able to see the other part ic ipants through v ideo, but you can jo in in us ing just your vo ice
Do you need to download any v ideo software?Some onl ine events are he ld over a speci f ic v ideo p lat form l ike Skype or Zoom, which wi l l requi re you to download the sof tware and poss ib ly set up an account . Make sure you do th is about 15 minutes ahead of the group meet ing so you’re on t ime!
11.
THINKINGAHEAD
What to br ing to an event/social group gather ing
Check the event page to see i f you need to br ing anyth ing wi th you. Do
you need to own and br ing any specia l equipment , such as your own
craf t mater ia ls?
Making a good impression
Join ing a new group can be qui te scary because you might not know
a l l - or any - of the the people at tending. And that ’s okay. We th ink i t ’s
important that you fee l comfortable , so wear someth ing c lean and f resh
so you fee l conf ident . You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new
wardrobe, just th ink about making yourse l f presentable so that you make
a good f i rs t impress ion. Even though i t might not seem that important to
look your best because the event is on l ine, i t ’s more about how you fee l
about yourse l f when you at tend. Take care of your personal appearance
before at tending an onl ine event is a great conf idence-booster ; wash
your ha i r, brush your teeth, use deodorant , comb your ha i r, wear c lothes
that are c lean. By tak ing care of yourse l f , you’ l l fee l much f resher and
ready to meet new people.
I t ’s okay to be nervous!
I t ’s scary going a long for the f i rs t t ime… I t ’s natura l to fee l awkward and
uncomfortable… how can you break i t down to make i t less scary?
12.
ONLINE ETTIQUETTE
13.
Use the ‘mute’ button
If there’s lots of you in the onl ine group, consider rais ing your hand when you have something to say
Wave at people as they enter and exit the chat
Tap your ear i f you can’t hear someone
Prop your screen up in one spot
This wi l l mean that the other members of the group can’t hear any background noises that could be d ist ract ing
Rais ing your hand is a pol i te way to show that you have someth ing to say wi thout inter rupt ing anyone
Waving is a f r iendly way to say he l lo and goodbye wi thout making much sound that could d ist ract people
I f someone’s sound d isappears whi ls t they’ re ta lk ing, t ry tapping your ears so they know you can’t hear them
Propping your screen up in one spot rather than walk ing around wi th your v ideo dev ice prevents people fee l ing a b i t sea-s ick wi th the mot ion of your camera!
Join ing an onl ine group can be a l i t t le d i fferent to meet ing in-person and
knowing how to act over the internet is t r icky somet imes. Here are some
usefu l t ips that you might want to th ink about dur ing the event :
14.
FEELINGSAFEI t ’s rea l ly important that you fee l safe and comfortable part ic ipat ing in
your on l ine group. The internet can fee l l ike qui te a scary p lace so we’ve
l is ted some helpfu l t ips be low that might he lp you fee l a l i t t le safer :
Be mindful of what’s in the background of your v ideo screen
Be careful of the information you share
Feel f ree to turn your camera off
Do a tr ia l-run with someone you know f i rst
Sit in f ront of a b lank wal l in your home so there’s noth ing in the background ( l ike a photograph or cer t i f icate ) that might g ive people addi t ional in format ion about you
Try not to g ive away any personal in format ion about yourse l f that you wouldn’t fee l comfortable shar ing in person. Remember, th is might be the f i rs t t ime you’re meet ing these people so be carefu l what you share and what you hold back
I t ’s complete ly okay to part ic ipate in an onl ine socia l group just us ing your vo ice. I f you star t to fee l uncomfortable , t ry swi tch ing your camera off and just us ing the audio funct ions
Using new technology for the f i rs t t ime can be a l i t t le scary, so consider ask ing a f r iend or fami ly member to he lp you learn the sof tware before the group meet ing, so you’re fee l ing conf ident and prepared on the day
15.
THINKING ALOUD
Make a l ist of a l l the things that you care about. Think of the things that you real ly enjoy ta lk ing or communicat ing about.
From your l ist , c irc le one or two things that you would most enjoy shar ing with others.
Using the strategies above, f ind a group that matches the interest/s you circled.
See i f the group has any upcoming events that you can attend.
Write a l ist of the things you need to think about before you go along for the f i rst t ime.
16.
WAS THISUSEFUL?
What did you think about this guide?
We want to know i f you found i t usefu l or not very usefu l ! You can let us know your thoughts through a quick c l ick and answer ing 4 quest ions. Th is wi l l he lp us to make th is gu ide bet ter for others to use. The in format ion you g ive a lso he lps us show our funders the work Befr iend is doing and why that is important .
P lease c l ick th is l ink (ht tps: / /www.surveymonkey.com/r/8BM5LGF) to answer four, short quest ions about what you thought about the guide. I t wi l l on ly take two minutes. I f you choose, you can a lso enter the draw to win one of four $30 Coles Myers vouchers.
Any in format ion you g ive us in the survey wi l l remain anonymous and we won’t be able to ident i fy you.
We real ly appreciate your t ime and hope you feel more conf ident to go to an onl ine group!
I f you have any other quest ions or want to ta lk more about th is you can cal l (08) 9520 8574 or 0404 831 201. You can a lso send us an emai l at rsvp@befr iend.org.au
@befr iendinc
www.befr iend.org.au
To f ind out what events are happening in your local area,
search for Befr iend Social Network Perth on Meetup.com to
see the monthly events calendar!
rsvp@befr iend.org.au
Fol low us!