About the Space

After originally starting as a Jersey City STEM & tech-focused server, Jersey City Socials has evolved into a more general purpose, social digital public space with a local presence for anyone in the Jersey City area.

“We are a supportive and inclusive community, we enjoy sharing space online to discuss and engage in all sorts of chats and discussion on a variety of topics. Our in person meet ups and social events include a variety of activities and interests: art and music shows, concerts and raves, picnics and parties, outings to restaurants and local happenings. Join us and help us improve on our vision: to become a more active, vibrant and healthy community by engaging in positive experiences together.”

From the Jersey City Socials’ About Page

The space is currently stewarded by David Jaramillo, who, after moving to Jersey City from Canada, was looking for a way to meet more people and deepen community. He explains “When I first moved, I tried different platforms and apps but there was no real space that felt like a community. I joined this server and it was the only place [I could find] online that was doing stuff like that, as a small cohort of regulars that would meet once in a while for beers or brunch, it felt more like a community that most other places. I noticed the potential and yearned to make something more out of it. After I made a couple of friends I voiced my ideas about where we could take it and they were like: ‘you have all these great ideas for the community, you could definitely step up and start being more active to make them happen.’ But I felt it wasn't my place nor did I have the rapport to make changes, that I haven't really blended in [yet]. It wasn't until I met and shared my thoughts and ideas with the actual Admin of the server at the time, that they were like: ‘sounds great, and at a time where we needed someone to help out, so you're in - let's do this’. Their dedicated support and encouragement has been paramount in my taking the reigns and trying to lead the community since. It didn’t take long to come up with a revamped vision and purpose of the space, we decided to rename and rebrand to Jersey City's Socials."

Since David joined, the group has more than doubled in size, growing from about “400 people, with maybe 30 or so active members” to now “over 2000 members with 100-200 active at any given point.” David comments: “It’s been a long journey getting it to where it’s at, but it does now feel like a giant coffee shop or lounge…buzzing with energy and people talking about everything from anime and 3D printing, music and sports, to movies and TV shows or whatever events might be happening in the community. Folks feel they have a safe and supportive place and I’m proud to be a part of it since it's about making the best of things and being a positive social force in your community.”

Top tips from admin David J.

For anyone looking to create a digital public space like Jersey City Socials…

1. Try your best to create a clear vision of what you want

“Think about what you want your community to really do on a day to day, how it can be sustainable and comprehensive to your goals. It doesn't have to be perfect, and it can always be tweaked as you go along, but it's imperative to know exactly where you're trying to drive this space. Depending on that, choosing the right platform can make or break your set up, it can make things more challenging or be facilitating your mission.

For example, I wanted to make a space where we could have discussions on a wide variety of topics without being bound by a single scrolling feed (like Facebook) and Discord has been instrumental in allowing us to do just that. We have a variety of different channels within the server, even delicate or volatile topics have their place, each with their own dedicated feel and space, customized and tailored to an experience that our members look forward to and enjoy.

Having chosen Discord and then phrasing a clear vision of what we’re about, has been what's made it possible for us to have so much variety and flexibility given our numbers and I can't think of any other way that we could’ve done it this way.”

2. Involve members in the process and celebrate overcoming challenges together

“I'm constantly trying to improve things and fix issues that surface, and have found that listening to members has almost always been pivotal in learning what steps to take next. If someone complains about something, try being objective (not take it personally) and understanding the root cause (what is the actual issue) in order to not only solve but prevent further issues. For example, if people are constantly breaking the rules and other member complain, it might be because the rules are not as visible or as clear as they could be and finding a way to get all members, especially newer ones, on the same page would be the ideal solution.

It's why I try to pulse-check the community by asking for feedback, polling and voting for major changes and generally discussing smaller ones keeping an open line of receptive communication and engaging with them at the same level. "How is this working? What does everyone want to see more of? Less of?". Then we make changes based on that so the majority can benefit, and if it's still not great we go back to discussing, and if it's a success we celebrate together.”