What we launch today
Starting today, topic lists on the Meta Branded theme have a sidebar. It shows where you are, what is happening there and where to go next.
It is the latest step in a question we have worked on all year: how do we better serve the many different kinds of conversation we host on Meta?
Earlier this year, we grouped Meta’s categories into spaces, each bringing related conversations together. Then we redesigned the homepage to welcome members to the community as a whole. The sidebar now carries that welcome into each space, giving it a better sense of place while keeping the wider community in view.
Why place matters
A technical question, a feature proposal and a story about growing a community are different conversations. Each needs its own tone, expectations and type of engagement. Offline, a place tells us a lot: we ask questions differently in a classroom, debate differently in a town hall, and share stories differently in a bar. Online, those cues are easily lost, and people end up talking past each other. Spaces have to give some cues by design.
Our spaces
So each space should give those cues at a glance: what it is for, what is currently happening, who shapes it and what to read first. Someone landing in Product Support should see right away that this is where questions get answered, who tends to answer them, and which guides to check before posting. Someone in Community Building should find stories and the people behind them. That gives each space a sense of place, and helps people arrive knowing how to take part.
The wider community
Every space also sits inside the wider community. Members should know what other spaces exist, what is happening across them, and how to get there. Without that, spaces become closed rooms. A support regular may care little about community building; a community manager may never look for development discussions. But a community is stronger when members at least know what others are talking about. That is how a support regular can become a contributor, or a community manager can find an idea in a development thread.
How the sidebar puts this into practice
The sidebar adds five panels next to all topic lists. Panels show the wider community by default, and either adapt automatically or can be tailored to a space:
What’s next
We have already tailored some of the panels, above all in our main spaces: Community Building, Product Support and Contribute. We will continue to add content specific to each space where it makes sense: dedicated leaderboards and resources, and custom featured lists. We will also explore new types of panels as we go.
Let’s discuss
- Is a sense of place the right lens? Is balancing a space’s own character with the wider community a challenge you see too, or would you frame it differently?
- What gives a space its sense of place in your community? What helps your members understand where they are and how to take part?
- How do you keep the wider community in view? What stops members from settling into one space?
- Does the sidebar strike the balance? Looking at it on Meta, what would you add or change?