6 ms·

How 7 Cups of Tea (YC S13) Accidentally Grew a Community of 17,000 Listeners

92 points by ryanb 12y ago

jseliger 12y ago
Getting people to volunteer can be one of the most difficult challenges a community builder can face The word "volunteer" appears in the first two paragraphs but not elsewhere, but I don't think it's the right word: most people in Internet communities don't think of themselves as "volunteers" per se. In the context of nonprofit and public agencies, which is orthogonal to the main article but still important, many don't actually want volunteers—they want money: http://blog.seliger.com/2014/04/20/volunteers-nonprofits-really-want-their-money-not-their-bodies/ http://blog.seliger.com/2014/04/20/volunteers-nonprofits-rea... .
- carriemelissa 12y ago
  Hey there, I'm the author. I agree with you. These terms need to be clarified. We decided to use volunteers in the intro to introduce the idea of what 7 Cups is doing. While the members do technically "volunteer" their time, you wouldn't usually use that terminology. Technically, they're just giving their time to the community.
  - jseliger 12y ago
    Thanks for the reply—that makes sense. I think you should change the language in the post itself, however.
brryant 12y ago
Elated to see Glenn & team grow this amazing and much needed community to 17,000+. I definitely see this filling an important gap in our society for years to come.
- 7cupsoftea 12y ago
  Thanks Bryant! I appreciate the support!
nocman 12y ago
The success of this venture leaves me asking some questions. Have we become so isolated in our tech-centered world that we no longer have friends/family/neighbors that we can talk to? Does everything have to be done on the internet, where we can happily pull the plug if we just don't feel like continuing? I'm speaking as an American, and don't pretend to know much about other cultures, so keep that context in mind. But it seems to me that over the past 20 years especially there has been a drastic increase in the isolation most Americans have from the outside world. Many of us could not even tell you the names of our next-door neighbors -- many not even the last names of the families. Now, I'm a technical guy, and have been pretty much my whole life. Like most people who read Hacker News (I would presume) I make my living working with computers, and spend a great deal of my free time doing things with computers also. I was the first in my family to even know about the internet, and I'm the first one they call when they need help with anything computer-related. I'm not saying that computers are bad. I'm also not saying that "7 Cups of Tea" is necessarily bad. I just think that a lot of us who spend so much of our time using these remarkable tools (computers and the internet) should take care to make sure we don't overuse them. Many things in life should be done in person. The internet provides a filter to many experiences which can be very useful, but I think in many cases it can also be a barrier to real interaction. I'd be happy to hear what others think about the subject.
- dickinurass 12y ago
  We will drag them out of society then charge them money for the privilege to join it again .. suckers :D I love it
- DanBC 12y ago
  > Have we become so isolated in our tech-centered world that we no longer have friends/family/neighbors that we can talk to? Talking to a random stranger is sometimes a first step in talking to other people.
- carriemelissa 12y ago
  Fascinating question. I think unfortunately this is the way of things, don't you? People are afraid to be vulnerable offline; they always have. The anonymity of online connection makes people's walls come down and allows them to be vulnerable without fear of judgment. I actually think that is incredibly powerful and something humans have never had access to before. Also, professional psychiatric help (which often simply involves this active listening) is incredibly expensive. Everyone deserves access to that help. But, YES, I think we do need to make a concerted effort to connect with family, friends, and neighbors in person. The internet can facilitate these things and facilitate connections with people we previously never had access to. Any product that facilitates human interaction offline, to me, is a gift.
herbig 12y ago
Why does the article start with a headless woman?
- eitland 12y ago
  I think it is because it is an article about a community for anonymous conversations. In that case it is a good choice.
- esMazer 12y ago
  already changed
merrua 12y ago
It does annoy me that they have a large picture of a young woman with her head not in the frame. Unprofessional and looks like a bad stock picture.
- herbig 12y ago
  Looks like we were thinking the same thing within a minute of each other. I lost interest in the article immediately after seeing that.
  - eitland 12y ago
    Then I guess you didn't read about anonymous conversations? For an article about conversations with people you never see a person without a face doesn't seem to weird.
- nocman 12y ago
  Yeah, I think that the idea was they wanted you to focus on the cup of tea in her lap. But I think I would have chosen another picture as well.
- carriemelissa 12y ago
  Author here. I agree-- I felt weird about the picture myself and debated for a long time. I'm going to restore the original picture I had in there, as I don't want this one to distract from Glen's story.
esMazer 12y ago
how do they make money?
todayiamme 12y ago
I tried out Seven Cups of Tea after reading this article, and I have a few points of feedback. From what I make of it, it's apparent that the business model is that of "professional listeners" i.e. a few listeners charge for their service and essentially become an online version of therapists without being therapists. (although a few do appear to be trained as such and they charge their usual rates, most of the people on the roster don't appear to be professional psychologists) This all fine and good, but the problem within the model though is that there's a tension between the positive side vs. the revenue side: we volunteer and help people who need a listener, but we try to nudge people towards paying for these sessions. This manifests itself through these constant popup windows while the listener is engaged in a heavy emotional conversation. Imagine you're pouring your heart out to someone and things are at an emotional juncture, and a sickly cheerful popup comes up on the screen cajoling you to sign up or rate the listener. It feels horridly out of context and it takes away the experience of the person within that moment. And this has happened to me 4 times so far in around 25 minutes. Of course, the thing is that 7 Cups of Tea needs to convert its users and it needs to make that happen relentlessly, but the key over here is subtlety and I feel that this design iteration, sadly, misses that. However - from an outside perspective - it doesn't have to be this way. You see, anyone who visits this website and connects emotionally with a listener experiences the purest form of engagement - emotional engagement and a genuine empathic bond with someone. If the person or the bond is strong, then there is no reason why they won't sign up, after all the product has touched the very core of their being. Of course they will sign up, if there isn't any friction! They're hooked and they want to maintain that bond. They want to connect with this person again and they want to feel that sense of connectedness again and again. They want to feel okay again and again. So really the best thing 7 Cups of Tea could possibly do is get out of the way and let people connect with one another and let things flow from there. In other words, this can be so much more. It has the ingredients of being so much more. It just needs the right touch. A light touch.
- 7cupsoftea 12y ago
  Thanks for trying out the service and giving us your careful feedback. I agree that we have lots to learn here. Some of this still feels clumsy. We are constantly iterating on things and hope to get the right balance sooner rather than later. I also agree that it can be so much more. It sounds like you have some real insights here. If you are open, then please shoot me an email (info@7cupsoftea.com) so I can better understand your thinking.
lowglow 12y ago
I've been following the author (@caremjo) for a while now. She's got some really great insights on community that I think come very naturally. She knows how to dissect and grow what your community needs. Definitely a resource people interested in this subject should follow and tap into.
- 7cupsoftea 12y ago
  I couldn't agree more. She had a couple of great recommendations for us that were really helpful.

92 points by ryanb 12y ago

Getting people to volunteer can be one of the most difficult challenges a community builder can face The word "volunteer" appears in the first two paragraphs but not elsewhere, but I don't think it's the right word: most people in Internet communities don't think of themselves as "volunteers" per se. In the context of nonprofit and public agencies, which is orthogonal to the main article but still important, many don't actually want volunteers—they want money: http://blog.seliger.com/2014/04/20/volunteers-nonprofits-really-want-their-money-not-their-bodies/ http://blog.seliger.com/2014/04/20/volunteers-nonprofits-rea... .

carriemelissa 12y ago
Hey there, I'm the author. I agree with you. These terms need to be clarified. We decided to use volunteers in the intro to introduce the idea of what 7 Cups is doing. While the members do technically "volunteer" their time, you wouldn't usually use that terminology. Technically, they're just giving their time to the community.
- jseliger 12y ago
  Thanks for the reply—that makes sense. I think you should change the language in the post itself, however.

brryant 12y ago

Elated to see Glenn & team grow this amazing and much needed community to 17,000+. I definitely see this filling an important gap in our society for years to come.

7cupsoftea 12y ago
Thanks Bryant! I appreciate the support!

nocman 12y ago

The success of this venture leaves me asking some questions. Have we become so isolated in our tech-centered world that we no longer have friends/family/neighbors that we can talk to? Does everything have to be done on the internet, where we can happily pull the plug if we just don't feel like continuing? I'm speaking as an American, and don't pretend to know much about other cultures, so keep that context in mind. But it seems to me that over the past 20 years especially there has been a drastic increase in the isolation most Americans have from the outside world. Many of us could not even tell you the names of our next-door neighbors -- many not even the last names of the families. Now, I'm a technical guy, and have been pretty much my whole life. Like most people who read Hacker News (I would presume) I make my living working with computers, and spend a great deal of my free time doing things with computers also. I was the first in my family to even know about the internet, and I'm the first one they call when they need help with anything computer-related. I'm not saying that computers are bad. I'm also not saying that "7 Cups of Tea" is necessarily bad. I just think that a lot of us who spend so much of our time using these remarkable tools (computers and the internet) should take care to make sure we don't overuse them. Many things in life should be done in person. The internet provides a filter to many experiences which can be very useful, but I think in many cases it can also be a barrier to real interaction. I'd be happy to hear what others think about the subject.

dickinurass 12y ago
We will drag them out of society then charge them money for the privilege to join it again .. suckers :D I love it
DanBC 12y ago
> Have we become so isolated in our tech-centered world that we no longer have friends/family/neighbors that we can talk to? Talking to a random stranger is sometimes a first step in talking to other people.
carriemelissa 12y ago
Fascinating question. I think unfortunately this is the way of things, don't you? People are afraid to be vulnerable offline; they always have. The anonymity of online connection makes people's walls come down and allows them to be vulnerable without fear of judgment. I actually think that is incredibly powerful and something humans have never had access to before. Also, professional psychiatric help (which often simply involves this active listening) is incredibly expensive. Everyone deserves access to that help. But, YES, I think we do need to make a concerted effort to connect with family, friends, and neighbors in person. The internet can facilitate these things and facilitate connections with people we previously never had access to. Any product that facilitates human interaction offline, to me, is a gift.

herbig 12y ago

Why does the article start with a headless woman?

eitland 12y ago
I think it is because it is an article about a community for anonymous conversations. In that case it is a good choice.
esMazer 12y ago
already changed

merrua 12y ago

It does annoy me that they have a large picture of a young woman with her head not in the frame. Unprofessional and looks like a bad stock picture.

herbig 12y ago
Looks like we were thinking the same thing within a minute of each other. I lost interest in the article immediately after seeing that.
- eitland 12y ago
  Then I guess you didn't read about anonymous conversations? For an article about conversations with people you never see a person without a face doesn't seem to weird.
nocman 12y ago
Yeah, I think that the idea was they wanted you to focus on the cup of tea in her lap. But I think I would have chosen another picture as well.
carriemelissa 12y ago
Author here. I agree-- I felt weird about the picture myself and debated for a long time. I'm going to restore the original picture I had in there, as I don't want this one to distract from Glen's story.

esMazer 12y ago

how do they make money?

todayiamme 12y ago

I tried out Seven Cups of Tea after reading this article, and I have a few points of feedback. From what I make of it, it's apparent that the business model is that of "professional listeners" i.e. a few listeners charge for their service and essentially become an online version of therapists without being therapists. (although a few do appear to be trained as such and they charge their usual rates, most of the people on the roster don't appear to be professional psychologists) This all fine and good, but the problem within the model though is that there's a tension between the positive side vs. the revenue side: we volunteer and help people who need a listener, but we try to nudge people towards paying for these sessions. This manifests itself through these constant popup windows while the listener is engaged in a heavy emotional conversation. Imagine you're pouring your heart out to someone and things are at an emotional juncture, and a sickly cheerful popup comes up on the screen cajoling you to sign up or rate the listener. It feels horridly out of context and it takes away the experience of the person within that moment. And this has happened to me 4 times so far in around 25 minutes. Of course, the thing is that 7 Cups of Tea needs to convert its users and it needs to make that happen relentlessly, but the key over here is subtlety and I feel that this design iteration, sadly, misses that. However - from an outside perspective - it doesn't have to be this way. You see, anyone who visits this website and connects emotionally with a listener experiences the purest form of engagement - emotional engagement and a genuine empathic bond with someone. If the person or the bond is strong, then there is no reason why they won't sign up, after all the product has touched the very core of their being. Of course they will sign up, if there isn't any friction! They're hooked and they want to maintain that bond. They want to connect with this person again and they want to feel that sense of connectedness again and again. They want to feel okay again and again. So really the best thing 7 Cups of Tea could possibly do is get out of the way and let people connect with one another and let things flow from there. In other words, this can be so much more. It has the ingredients of being so much more. It just needs the right touch. A light touch.

7cupsoftea 12y ago
Thanks for trying out the service and giving us your careful feedback. I agree that we have lots to learn here. Some of this still feels clumsy. We are constantly iterating on things and hope to get the right balance sooner rather than later. I also agree that it can be so much more. It sounds like you have some real insights here. If you are open, then please shoot me an email (info@7cupsoftea.com) so I can better understand your thinking.

lowglow 12y ago

I've been following the author (@caremjo) for a while now. She's got some really great insights on community that I think come very naturally. She knows how to dissect and grow what your community needs. Definitely a resource people interested in this subject should follow and tap into.

7cupsoftea 12y ago
I couldn't agree more. She had a couple of great recommendations for us that were really helpful.