Now that you’ve created a group and assigned user roles, you may be wondering how to increase the activity level of your group members. Groups are an easy way for people to exchange ideas, collaborate on projects, and post notifications. If you want your group to have greater visibility and activity, there are a number of things you can do to encourage livelier member engagement.

1. Change your group’s default avatar to something relevant and recognizable. To do this, scroll down to “Manage” in the left sidebar on the group’s page, click “Photo,” and upload a suitable image.
2. Promote your group in other channels. That could mean publicizing your group in an electronic discussion list, encouraging members to invite other people to join, or posting information about your group on blogs, Web sites, social networks, and bulletins.
3. Announce the group in other areas of MLA Commons. For example, if you create a new group on the writing of David Foster Wallace, you might want to announce that group in the Twentieth-Century American Literature group. If the topic is relevant to a number of groups, you may decide to cross-post the announcement in more than one group.
4. Start a new topic of conversation in the forum and invite members to respond. Creating a topic is a useful way to initiate discussion, whether you’re sharing an article, posting news, or asking a question.
5. Add more features to your group by creating a blog. Your group’s blog can be a helpful platform for circulating information, promoting your scholarly endeavors, and posting longer reflections or research related to your group’s focus. A blog is also a great way to extend the reach of your group, providing it with a public face beyond the MLA.

Please let us know if you have any other ideas to increase group engagement. We look forward to seeing the innovative ways members use and promote groups.