Why We’re Introducing Telegram for Blazing Swan Communications
Over the past few years, we’ve heard consistent feedback from the Blazing Swan community: important information is getting harder to find.
To help address this, we’re going to trial Telegram as an additional way to communicate with the community.
The problem we’re trying to solve
Like many burner communities, we currently rely heavily on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) to share updates and announcements. Unfortunately, the way these platforms work means that important posts are often hidden by the algorithm, lost in a sea of rage/click/thirst bait and ai slop. When we post critical information about the event, many in our community simply never see it.
This is frustrating for everyone involved:
- Our volunteers in the org spend their time creating posts, and they don’t reach the people who need them
- As community members, you miss key announcements and then struggle to track down accurate information
Telegram gives us a way to bypass the algorithm entirely, reduces our reliance on Meta and delivers information directly to those who want it. It gives our community an alternative way to receive information.
What Telegram will (and won’t) be used for
Telegram will be used as a broadcast channel only. This means:
- Messages will come from Blazing Swan only
- The only responses available will be emoji reactions
- There won’t be threaded discussions or comment clutter to wade through
This helps keep information clear, searchable, and easy to find.
Importantly, Telegram is not replacing any existing platforms. We will continue to use:
- The Blazing Swan website (which will also be worked on)
- Social media (which we’re continuing to try and improve our methods)
- Email (which we’ll also be bringing back)
There is no intention to move or replace the current Facebook community group, and community discussion can continue there as normal.
Why Telegram?
Telegram is a good option for people who:
- Want all official Blazing Swan information in one place
- Feel overwhelmed by the volume of posts and discussions in the Facebook group
- Prefer something closer to direct email communication — without spam filters or algorithms
It also has practical features the community may find useful, such as:
- Customisable notifications (get notified for everything, or check in when it suits you)
- A search function to find past announcements
We have chosen Telegram over platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, or Discord due to limitations around group sizes and the additional moderation resources that would be required from the Comms team to run a second discussion-based platform.
This IS an experiment
This is an experiment. We’re hopeful it will help solve a problem that frustrates a large portion of our community. We’ll be monitoring how it’s used and adjusting as needed. We’re likely not to get it right straightaway… and if it doesn’t work, we’ll keep looking for other ways to improve how we communicate.
Telegram is available on Google Play, the App Store, and also has a desktop version.
Here’s the LINK to our channel
Thanks for being open to trying something new with us 💛