The pandemic may have limited face-to-face interactions, but meeting new friends and catching up with old ones are still alive, even if they’re mostly done online.
Many did not let the current situation stop them from bringing people together—safely, of course. These stories of communities built on a messaging app during the quarantine show that it’s possible to find connection even if we’re in isolation.
Baking and good vibes
When KG Sison, a marketing consultant, saw an unanswered query about baking suppliers in one of the Viber Communities she’s part of, she decided to create her own.
Homebaking Community, though initially dedicated to baking supplies, evolved into a thriving support group that shared baking tips, hacks, and more.
“We encouraged members to post their creations and freely ask baking-related questions. We wanted to be a legit community—a place where people talked and made friends instead of being transactional in nature,” she shared.
Sison said managing a community made her less lonely during the quarantine.
“Even our members have reported that the group has made them less lonely and anxious during the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). It served as a form of social support for us and our members,” she said, sharing how webinars have been produced and future field trips planned.
“We made friends. I think this was the greatest surprise and blessing that I gained from these Viber Communities.”
Since then, Sison has indeed lived up to being a “superadmin,” establishing other groups like Homecooking Community, Urban Gardening, and MNL Sourdough Fam Community, all of which have the same community vibe—“less selling, more interaction.”
It wasn’t until recently that she decided to create the Homebakers Marketplace, providing Community members a venue to sell their baked goods during the quarantine.
“I use a variety of chat platforms, but I noticed that the general public uses Viber, and that means more reach. But more importantly, I find that there are less trolls on Viber because you need to have a phone number attached to an account,” she pointed out.
For the love of fitness
With gyms closed during ECQ, fitness enthusiasts were forced to modify their workouts and do their routines at home. Those who didn’t have what they needed, the Gym & Fitness Marketplace MM Viber Community, created by Celina Payawal, became a lifesaver. This haven offers jump ropes, yoga mats, spinning bikes, and squat racks, among others.
Prior to creating the Viber Community, Payawal, an entrepreneur, noticed there was no one dedicated to the fitness market. The group she made, which was only supposed to cater to those living in Metro Manila, grew to include members from Tarlac, Ilocos, and Cebu.
Apart from connecting buyers to sellers and helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sustain their businesses, Payawal, as the superadmin, sees the Community as a place where everyone can encourage each other to stay fit and healthy while the world battles a deadly virus.
A major point for Payawal is how Viber allows Community members to chat with each other without having to share their number. “It’s a safe place for all online sellers and buyers to be able to transact with each other, since they don’t have to divulge their personal numbers, providing them convenience and security,” she shared.
Shoppers and sellers together
Since the virus forced many SMEs to close indefinitely, several entrepreneurs have been struggling to sell their products to a wider base. Terry Ilagan, an editor, noticed this and decided to create the Locale City Guide, a Viber Community that catalogs essential items sold by SMEs.
Ilagan said she chose Viber because of its unlimited member capacity and easy invite features. She thought it would be a great way to sell a wide array of goods.
Community members can find pre-cooked meals and groceries; delivery services; direct distributors, wholesalers, and retailers for supplies; COVID essentials; and even entertainment products like gaming equipment and streaming links.
“It may sound shallow, but being able to extend help by posting a seller’s homemade pastries and knowing that she made some bucks, gave me a pleasant feeling that lasted throughout the day,” she enthused.
Uplifting neighborhoods
Diane Jimeno, an IT manager, decided in March that her community, Acacia Estates, needed a place where they can get health updates. The Acacia Estates Residents Community initially was dedicated to serve as an online bulletin board, but later, people began using it as a way to sell their products.
“We decided to just accommodate the sellers in the group, but the community kept on growing rapidly that having community updates related to COVID-19 was almost impossible to discuss,” said Jimeno.
“This led us to create another community called Acacia Estates Community and renamed the first one to Acacia Estates Marketplace.”
Several of her neighbors began thanking her for providing them a space to do business. “Being able to promote micro and small businesses in the community helped people especially during these trying times,” shared Jimeno.