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!