We’re excited for you to connect with other members directly on the HBS Online Community platform. Below are answers to FAQ's you may find useful!
What is the Harvard Business School Online Community?
The HBS Online Community is a network of like-minded peers passionate about business. This platform enables learners of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to connect across the globe and in their local neighborhoods. In the platform, you can create a profile, follow your peers’ Community profiles, start conversations, and much more.
How can I best use the HBS Online Community?
Community is all about networking. The more you share about yourself, the easier it will be to connect with others. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your Community experience:
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Add a profile picture and fill in all the information fields
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Start conversations with Community members
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Introduce yourself and share your perspective
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Earn badges for Community engagement
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Attend virtual and in-person events
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Connect with your Chapter's Organizers to see how you can help
Community members have the opportunity to join our regional Chapters or Global Chapter to attend events and participate in online forums. The more you share about yourself, the easier it will be to connect with others. If you haven’t already, connect with at least two peers who work in a role, industry, or company that interests you.
If you are enrolled in a HBS Online course, you will also receive exclusive access to a closed Community Networking Group specific to your course once the course begins.
Happy Networking!
I am enrolled in an HBS Online course. How do I access my course specific networking group?
For those currently enrolled in a HBS Online course, access your HBS Online Community Networking group by selecting "Networking" from the top menu. Your cohort's networking group will be available under "My Groups" on the right menu.
How do I make the most of my course specific networking group?
Course specific networking groups provide the opportunity to connect with your fellow cohort members away from the flow of the course platform. Here are some tips on how to make the most of your course specific networking:
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Connect with like minded peers by sharing your background
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Share your social media channels
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Share current day course related content
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Share pictures of your desk, favorite work locations, or pet
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Share study music
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Create polls to get know your peers and gauge interest or opinions on a topic
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Organize virtual or in-person meet-ups outside of the Community platform
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Organize virtual or in-person study groups away from the Community platform
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Share study resources and books related to your course or other business interests
Will participating in my course specific networking group impact my Certificate or Credential status?
While we encourage all participants enrolled in a HBS Online course to thoughtfully engage with your course specific Community Networking group to engage and network with the cohort, being an active or inactive part of the group has no impact on your Certificate or Credential eligibility.
Will I always have access to course specific networking group?
While you will can access the overall HBS Online Community and Chapters at any time, your access to the course specific networking group remains open until your course's access end date.
What are the different "feeds" within HBS Online Community?
You have both a personal networking space (where it reads “My Feed,” “My Messages,” and “My Bookmarks”) and the ability to network within your groups. If you post in your personal networking space, only members who are following you will see those posts. If you post in your groups — to the top right of the networking page — all members of the group will see your post and can interact with it.
How do I send private messages within HBS Online Community?
Access your personal networking space by selecting the "Networking" tab from your top menu. Your private messages can be found in the “My Messages” tab located between the "My Feed" and "My Bookmarks" tabs.
How do I adjust my Community notification settings?
You can adjust your notification settings to receive more, fewer, or no emails from any individual Chapter. Sign in to the Community platform and navigate to the “Networking” tab at the top of the page. You’ll find all the groups you’re a member of under “My Groups” to the right.
Select the networking group you want to adjust. Once in the group, you’ll find an envelope icon and dropdown list at the top of the feed. Use this list to adjust how often you want to receive email digests that recap the group’s activity. The cadence you select can vary by group. Please note: Selecting the “Limited” option will disable your email digests.
You can adjust more notification preferences by navigating to your profile picture in the right-hand corner and clicking on "My Settings.” To unsubscribe from all Community notifications, check the "Enable email notifications" box and hit save, then uncheck and resave to ensure the functionality has been reset. This will unsubscribe you going forward.
What are Recognition Badges?
You can earn Recognition Badges for being an active, engaged HBS Online Community member. Participants earn some Recognition Badges automatically by updating your profile, starting a conversation, or successfully completing a HBS Online course. Other Recognition Badges are manually awarded by Community Organizers or Community Members. Keep contributing, engaging, and completing courses to earn more badges!
For further questions regarding Community, please contact the HBS Online Support Team. | 
