The Hood Online Community

“The Hood — what is that?”

It is our new online community. It allows you to share information in an easy and structured way. Search for information in the Wikipedia or ask any question in the FAQ-group. Perfect place to launch your next project and get feedback from volunteers all over the world.

It is for all volunteers that have applied as becoming an affiliate and their co-pilots that are engaged more than just doing rides.

There are so many people across the globe who help Cycling Without Age spread and achieve their mission and make this incredible movement successful. Every one of these individuals has knowledge and experience that can help others make Cycling Without Age a success in their areas. However, with the numerous platforms that members have available to them and the lack of a defined structure, the expertise often gets lost or muddled online. To solve this problem we developed the Hood, a place for the CWA community to connect, collaborate, and share information with one another. The Hood is meant to be a space to:

• Pool Resources → Here individuals can add to the wealth of information that the CWA community has to offer on topics like Bikes, liability/insurance, and Fundraising. The more people who contribute to these topics, the more the whole CWA community can benefit from the collective knowledge.
• Find Information → With numerous individuals adding to the body of information in the Hood, individuals who need information can easily access it in the multitude of collaborative categories. Individuals who are looking to access information now can with ease.
• Connect → The Hood would be nothing without the global community that supports it.

To foster this sense of global community, the Hood allows individuals to find chapters near them, discover new Cycling Without Age developments in the organization, and message individuals to form new connections in the organization.

The Hood will be replacing several of the existing Cycling Without Age platforms, including Podio collab and Facebook Workplace, so that there is one designated space for the Cycling Without Age online community.

“What are moderators?”

In order for this new community platform to be successful, there needs to be individuals to ensure that the site stays organized, individuals use the site appropriately, and information is accessible to the people who need it. Moderators should be individuals who are passionate about helping individuals in their area get their chapters up and running and should have interest in connecting the global Cycling Without Age community. In the Hood, Moderators are meant to:

• Be the Pioneers of the Site → moderators will be the first individuals in the Cycling Without Age community to learn and interact with the site. As you learn how to use the site, we hope to gain your insight on what the sight does right and where you feel it can improve. Once you have gained a comprehensive understanding of how the Hood works, you will be responsible for helping get the site ready for the whole community and helping others navigate the Hood.
• Be Regional Leaders → Once the site is launched to the whole community, each moderator will be put in charge of regional category in the Hood where they can share information with newer members in their area, coordinate regional events, and accomplish whatever other tasks are necessary for coordinating with individuals in certain areas.
• Ensure Proper Usage → moderators will be responsible for making sure that individuals are acting appropriately on the site. This way the hood remains a productive and comfortable environment for the Cycling Without Age community to interact.
• Maintain Site Organization → for the site to remain successful, individuals should be able to find information exactly where it is supposed to be. To make sure that this stays the case, moderators with have to monitor the content that is being posted to the site and move content that is not posted to the appropriate categories.

If you are interested in becoming a moderator and assisting with the growth of Cycling Without
Age’s new online platform, please contact The Hood team (thehood@cyclingwithoutage.org ) or Maren (maren@cyclingwithoutage.org).

Phase 1 – Preparation behind the scenes

• Getting all information from Podio and Workplace into The Hood. What does this mean to you? You can still use Podio and Workplace as you are used to. All data is being copied so when you enter The Hood later on all information and documents will be there.

Phase 2 – Mini launch for Moderators: March 2019

• Moderators will be the first ones to test out The Hood. We are looking for volunteers who wants to be Moderators. As a Moderator you read through materials, improve it and put it in the right category. Maybe you have some information about a specific area that makes you responsible for answering questions related to that. During that week we will test out The Hood, get feedback from the Moderators, and implement the improvements. The Hood is being made ready for the Big Launch.

Phase 3 – The Big Launch: April 2nd 2019

• Pop the champagne – We are welcoming all to The Hood! You will receive a welcoming email with a link to your personal profile. You will also receive a link to a video that gives you a quick tour around The Hood. When you are logged in, you will be presented with several options to a guided tour in The Hood.

Podio collab and some of the Facebook Workplaces are being shut down after the launch of
The Hood. Podio can still be used by community captains to manage chapters.