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Bilyana is the co-founder and CEO of Orbiit. Their service matches people within a network for 1-to-1 conversations on a specific topic. They help community managers systematically activate their communities through these types of conversations. The companies that use their service appreciate the value of increasing the interconnectivity within a network.
In this episode we talk about:
- How our inboxes are flooded with ‘one directional’ content invitations
- How community managers spend a lot of time curating content, but not connecting members to each other
- Some of the unhelpful presumptions that community managers make about their members
- What we think of in person vs virtual interactions and where zoom fatigue creeps in
- How important context is to the quality of a conversation
- Whether you should chaperone the first meeting for any introductions you make
SHOW NOTES
- Co-founding Hoppin, the company that pivoted to become Orbiit [2:35]
- Never waste a good crisis [3:38]
- Value of peer to peer mentorship [4:32]
- Launching virtual coffee chats to discuss timely, relevant topics during COVID [6:34]
- The contrast of one-directional vs. two-directional interactions [7:12]
- Context missing from chat-roulette conversations [8:01]
- The archetype of Orbiit’s user as ‘business adventurers’ [9:05]
- What does an end-to-end experience feel like? [9:42]
- Data and insights for the community manager [11:59]
- Community managers and their communities that use the platform [13:02]
- Assumptions community managers make about who this service is relevant for [14:48]
- Challenges to activating a community [16:34]
- The role that the topic plays in bringing people together for conversations [17:47]
- How to balance the context and serendipity in conversation [18:45]
- The power of a well-curated virtual relationship [20:26]
- How impersonal, virtual group events feed Zoom fatigue [21:23]
- Painting a picture of what the new normal might look like [23:04]
- Where does activating the network fits in and challenges around prioritising it [24:11]
- Data accuracy challenges for community managers [26:50]
- How creating Orbiit has impacted how she introduces people in her network [27:55]
- Life changing introductions book idea [29:16]
- A pivitol introduction [29:35]
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect to Bilyana Freye: LinkedIn | Twitter
Connect to Orbiit: website