SEMESTER AT SEA
Semester at Sea is a “is a multi-country study abroad program on a ship open to all students of all majors, emphasizing global comparative study.” With this program you sail around the world for 4 months traveling to 11 different countries. I was fortunate enough to sail on the 130th voyage of Semester at Sea, which gave me a lifetime of memories in 4 months. However, as this experience came to an end I was looking for a way to stay connected to the Semester at Sea community.
“Semester at Sea” is a Facebook group that successfully creates an active community. This group does a great way of bringing people together online for socialization, support, information sharing, networking and for fun. Within this group, 10.7k alumni ask/share travel recommendations, tell old stories and give opportunities to other alumni. For myself, this group has been an awesome space to connect with alumni who sailed on other voyages and feel connected to Semester at Sea. As we are no longer physically in the same space, having an online space to connect has been incredibly valuable.
The moderator does a great job at establishing a mission and vision, fostering a positive and inclusive environment, encouraging engagement and moderating content. All of which are characteristics of online community best practices.
Infact, at the top of the group a pinned post states that the group was created “so we can be inclusive and supportive of anyone who has been lucky enough to explore the world with SAS.” This statement sets a clear and direct message to members of the culture of the group. It continues on to state that community members are encouraged to post :
Which is then followed up by some boundaries of things not to be posted and rules to follow. Facebook automatically takes down some extreme content should it be posted in this group along with the moderators of the group. As the intention of this group is that all members are to be respectful of members and of the privacy of the network.
No community is all sunshine and butterflies though and sometimes as a moderator you can not control how your members are going to interact. Yes, you can post these guidelines but people are going to have their difference of opinions. Upon scrolling through the comments of various posts there are instances where people disagree on things said and/or argue. However, this group gives members the opportunity if they “feel a post or posts are inappropriate, to report them to an administrator to be considered for removal.”
What makes this group unique is that despite it being composed of people of all ages, nationalities and demographics, we all have a common bond: having done Semester at Sea. This is a special bond that only 70,000 individuals from all around the world since 1963 can relate to. You truly don’t understand what Semester at Sea is like and the impact it has unless you have sailed with Semester at Sea. Shared experiences are the basis of community building. This is therefore a bond so strong and special that it keeps alumni engaged and interactive in this community.