Skool offers fundamental features that make it an ideal community-building platform for beginners. But, it lacks advanced tools to level up the experience.
It also has limited monetization options. For example, creators cannot create multiple pricing tiers and charge one-time upfront payments. It also lacks a native video hosting feature to protect content from misuse and to start building engaging courses with Skool.
1. Community Forums
A community forum is a dedicated space for online users to interact and ask questions on shared topics. It can be public, open to everyone on the web, or private, only accessible to a specific group of people. Regardless of the type of forum, it should offer a variety of communication methods and tools to encourage strong connections among members.
Forums on Skool feature a range of interactive tools to help learners engage with one another and learn from peers. They include discussion threads, which allow participants to share their ideas and thoughts on the topic at hand, as well as chat rooms where they can talk directly with other users. These tools help create a collaborative environment where learning is the primary goal.
In addition to these features, Skool has integrated gamification elements to motivate learners and improve course completion rates. Students can earn points for completing tasks and participating in community activities, which will then display on their leaderboard. This will encourage them to remain active in the community and continue learning.
However, Skool could improve its overall functionality by integrating other vital tools and services like event scheduling, video hosting, and landing pages. It also charges a transaction fee on top of its monthly subscription, which can limit the platform’s function. Another drawback is its lack of member roles, which is important for effective community management.
2. Live Streaming
Skool offers a unique set of features that foster community engagement. Its specialized community platform, group discussions, and event feature help build a vibrant educational environment. Moreover, its user-friendly interface makes it simple to participate in group conversations and share insights. It also provides instant notifications, keeping members in the know of any new updates or comments.
Live streaming allows schools to broadcast lectures, workshops, or field trips to students across the globe. This helps students to expand their knowledge beyond the classroom and connect with educators in a more meaningful way. Furthermore, the ability to save live streams as videos enables schools to create valuable educational content that can be revisited and shared with future students.
The gamification elements in Skool encourage student interaction and improve learning outcomes by motivating students to stay engaged in courses. These include point systems, leaderboards, and badges that help increase participation in courses and drive community growth. Additionally, Skool allows instructors to host thematic regular events that bring students together and promote networking.
The monetization capabilities of Skool allow educators and coaches to turn their communities into sustainable businesses. They can easily set up and run courses, events, or memberships on the platform. In addition, they can use the platform’s landing page templates to attract students and drive conversions. Lastly, Skool’s seamless integrations with other popular tools and services ensures that the platform functions as an all-in-one educational ecosystem.
3. Chat Rooms
A chat room is a virtual space where users communicate with one another through text-based messages. Similar to e-mail, instant messaging and online social media, chat rooms are a great way for people to connect with each other from the comfort of their computers or mobile devices.
When using a chat room, it is important to choose an environment with good moderation tools. This helps to keep the conversation focused and free from spam, bots, and other irrelevant topics that can derail a discussion. In addition, chat rooms should provide clear guidelines and be easily accessible to everyone.
Many people turn to chat rooms for support during difficult times in their lives. Often, family and friends are unable to relate to the situation or don’t have the time to listen. In these cases, a chat room is a good alternative to seeking help from strangers.
In a study conducted by Arts Play Health, participants described how chats allowed them to share personal reflections of their own experience and to feel supported by a community. In some instances, they felt that the chats encouraged them to “rethink what inclusivity is at large.” By offering a safe and supportive space, chat rooms allow people to develop new perspectives and learn from others. This, in turn, fosters community learning. A chat room is an important tool for any community. But, like any tool, it must be used properly to achieve its intended benefits.
4. Discussions
Skool’s discussions feature is similar to a Facebook group feed and lets users post photos, videos, GIFs, links, polls, quotes, and more. Discussions can also be organized into categories, which help keep posts tidy and easy to find. Additionally, Skool allows students to like and comment on posts and receive notifications when there are updates.
Discussions are important for student engagement and can be used to drive accountability. In addition to comments, Skool supports the use of threads, which let members ask questions or share insights. The platform also lets students mark their answers as “correct,” “helpful,” or “not helpful” to improve the quality of feedback.
Another important feature for student engagement is the ability to create and join events. This feature can be used to hold live video or webinars and can be limited to specific members or the entire community. Events can also be scheduled and reminders sent to attendees.
Skool is a powerful tool for course creators that merges the community-building capabilities of platforms like Facebook groups with the structured approach of an LMS. It offers a competitive monthly subscription of $99 and comes with a 14-day free trial to allow potential customers to try it out before committing. Despite its price tag, Skool provides an excellent value and is well worth the investment. This is especially true for community educators, who can leverage the platform to promote their content and foster a sense of student empowerment in their communities.
5. Private Messages
Skool offers private messaging that helps foster community learning by allowing members to communicate directly with one another. They can also receive immediate notifications about new messages, ensuring that they’re always updated on the latest happenings in the community. This feature is especially beneficial for online courses, which require more than just a discussion forum.
In addition to private messaging, Skool also features a built-in calendar that allows users to create and schedule community events. They can also customize their notification and email settings to fit their preferences. Skool also has a unique leveling system, where members can earn points for participating in community activities. These points can then be used to unlock course content. The platform also has leaderboards that display top-performing community members.
Although Skool has some great features, it also has some limitations. For instance, it does not support monetization through paid memberships. Also, it does not offer native video hosting capabilities, so it requires users to use external platforms such as YouTube or Loom.
Despite these limitations, Skool is still an excellent choice for those looking to build a community. Its dedicated approach to community-driven education makes it a standout among other platforms like Kajabi and Gumroad. Its user-friendly interface, specialized Community platform, and event functionality make it an ideal option for teachers and trainers who want to create an engaging online learning environment.
6. Email
Skool provides a suite of marketing and expansion tools for course creators to grow their communities. This includes a robust email marketing system that enables course creators to effectively engage their audiences with targeted promotions and updates.
In addition, the platform enables users to easily host Q&A calls with the community through its built-in calendar integration and transcribe the recordings for future reference. The unified search functionality also helps users discover posts, comments, and course content quickly.
Another unique feature of Skool is its gamification features which encourage engagement and accountability amongst community members. Whenever a community member responds to a comment, shares a post, or participates in discussions on the platform, they earn points that help them level up. As they gain levels, they unlock classroom content which helps them progress in their learning journey.
However, despite the slew of great features that Skool offers, it is important to note that the platform requires consistent participation from its community members for them to get the most out of it. This may be a drawback for some who prefer to use a more personalized online space. Nevertheless, it is still a highly recommended platform for educators who are looking to create a truly engaging learning experience for their students. For those interested in trying Skool, a 14-day free trial is available. The trial period can be canceled at any time without any obligation.