1. Audit your current platforms: Which platforms do you use regularly?
2. Identify gaps: What types of help do you struggle to find online?
3. Research new communities: Where do experts in your areas of interest gather?
4. Plan your approach: What's your strategy for different types of help needs?
Develop Your Digital Help Skills
1. Practice writing clear help requests in low-stakes situations
2. Learn platform-specific etiquette for communities you want to join
3. Build relationships before you need help
4. Contribute to communities by helping others
Create Help Request Templates
Develop templates for common types of help requests:
- Technical troubleshooting requests
- Professional advice seeking
- Creative feedback requests
- Local recommendation needs
For Organizations
Support Employee Digital Help-Seeking
1. Provide training on effective online research and help-seeking
2. Create internal help platforms that mirror successful external ones
3. Establish guidelines for professional online help-seeking
4. Encourage knowledge sharing from employees' digital help experiences
Leverage Digital Platforms for Customer Support
1. Meet customers on the platforms they prefer
2. Create helpful content that addresses common questions
3. Monitor social media for help requests about your products or services
4. Build communities around your products or services