With development of the internet and Web 2.0 technologies, there is an increasingly large variety of online communities emerging.
So what are ‘online communities’?
Technically they involve the intensive use of electronic media for communication purposes, but in reality, the majority of us are involved in online communities on a day to day basis. Can you think of any examples of online communities that you are part of? I have recently become a devoted user of Trip Advisor, which allows me to share my ‘trip’ experiences (mainly holidays and restaurant reviews) with others all around the world; and that’s what it’s all about really, communicating and building relationships with others who share your interests, in a social context, and with the aid of internet technologies.
As a user of an online community, I don’t really acknowledge the technological aspects as in this modern age, electronics have become second nature; I can’t imagine life without it! Although the technological elements are obviously present and necessary, it is the social elements that are pivotal, hence why the success of online communities should be determined by social factors.
This was identified by Toral et al (2009) in their study which aimed to determine the most important antecedents for successful online communities. Although it may seem obvious that participation from the users is the key driver of the community, there’s actually a bit more to it than that.
The study concluded that the structure of the network is of the up most importance. By network structure I am referring to the difference between core members, active developers and peripheral developers, as each group have a different impact on the success of the online group.
- Core members are responsible for guiding and coordinating the development of the community and are usually involved with the community for a long period of time making significant contributions to the development and evolution of the system.
- Active developers make regular contributions to the community.
- Peripheral developers occasionally make irregular contributions, as their involvement is generally short and sporadic; they are often referred to as ‘lurkers’.
So which type of users would you like to encourage into your online community the most? Well the first thing to point out is that core members provide intellectual and social leadership by actively contributing their expertise and coordinating the network’s activities; most likely to be the providers of the the community. It’s pretty obvious that lurkers won’t be very effective, so that leaves us with active developers making regularly contributions, essentially keeping the community alive.
So how do you go about increasing the volume of active developers in your online community? A common mistake is to assume that the more members a community has, the more active and successful it will be. This is not necessarily true, as you could have 1000 peripheral developers not responding to questions posted in forum A as opposed to 100 active developers constantly communicating with each other in forum B. The onus is on increasing the engagement of your members; thus converting them into active developers. Remember that it takes 21 days for the average human to fall into a habbit, so if you can keep them for 3 weeks, you’ve got them for life (probably not their whole life but you know what I mean)!
So what’s the best way to go about this?
Be focused and realistic from the outset. When you target a specific audience, who can clearly benefit from the community as there is an existing desire to discuss a certain topic. It is also crucial to eliminate business needs as this will take the focus away from the service you are providing your users.
Let’s use my earlier example of Trip Advisor to put this into practice:
Specific Audience: although you can leave reviews for a variety of different locations, and activities, Trip Advisor targets users by their behaviors and past actions, and this is what brings the users together as they have something in common.
Clear Benefit: Users can chose to either rant or rave about their terrible/amazing experiences to do them justice as they see fit which enables users to feel that their opinions are valued, giving them a satisfying sense of appreciation. Benefits are not limited to those who have actually had the experience. Those who are interested in experiencing something similar have the advantage of reading real views to help them influence their own judgments.
Existing Desire: It has become human nature to seek opinions and approval from others before making the decision for yourself. We also love to brag about the beautiful sites we have seen, or complain about our holidays from hell, we will always have a desire to ‘tell our story’!
Business Needs: Trip Advisor could easily promote other business by only allowing positive reviews in return for commission from the companies that benefit. However it is clear that they are more concerned with the needs of their users and their love of the freedom to post true reviews, whether they be positive or negative.
Have a quick look at this interview with the founder of Trip Advisor who identifies the impact of negative reviews yet clearly expresses his desire to provide travelers with a resource to have their expectations truly met.
A few thoughts to leave you with:
Bare in mind the need to have realistic expectations. Don’t let famous examples (such as my Trip Advisor example) dishearten you as they are long established communities that had to start small too! Comparing your success to theirs may result in striving for growth rather than focusing on proper community management.
Another piece of advice which you won’t hear from many practitioners is to deactivate accounts which are inactive for 6 months. Although this may be viewed as detrimental, it is more than likely that if they haven’t been active for 6 months, then they’re gone for good! There’s no need to dwell on this though. In the long run, this will save you from wasting time and resources on trying to reach out to people who are just not there to listen.
It is common for emerging communities to go down the incentives route; big no no! (well in my opinion!) Think about what you’re offering and receiving when you use incentives. Instead of a member joining for genuine purposes, they are acting purely to be rewarded, therefore when those rewards cease in the future, it is very difficult to convert incentivised members into regular members.
Stay true to the purpose of your community, and with a little patience, you will achieve genuine and passionate users. A successful online community can really improve your business performance by increasing awareness of your brand and spreading a reputation (hopefully a positive one!)
If I’ve left you itching to find out more, why don’t you start with FeverBee’s 5 golden rules for converting newcomers into regular members.
You may also be interested in reading my blog on Consumer Brand Engagement as these topics certainly crossover and will provide you with a deeper understanding of the importance of communication!
References:
Bergquist, M. and Ljungberg, J. (2001), ‘The power of gifts: organizing social relationships in open source communities’, Information Systems Journal, no. 11, pp. 305–320.
Toral, S,L. Rocío Martínez‐Torres,R. Barrero,F. Cortés,F. (2009). An empirical study of the driving forces behind online communities. Emerald Internet Research. 19 (4), 378-392.
FeverBee. (2009). A Simple Formula for your Community. Available: http://www.feverbee.com/2009/04/communityformula.html. Last accessed 28th Apr 2015.
FeverBee. (2012). How To Convert Newcomers Into Regular Members.Available: http://www.feverbee.com/2012/01/how-to-convert-newcomers-into-regular-members.html. Last accessed 28th Apr 2015.
Paul, J. (2014). The First Five Places to Look to Increase Online Community Engagement. Available: http://blog.socious.com/bid/73165/The-First-Five-Places-to-Look-to-Increase-Online-Community-Engagement. Last accessed 28th Apr 2015.
The Chick-fil-A survey sandwich is a promotional offer where customers can receive a free chicken sandwich in exchange for participating in their customer feedback survey. The survey can be accessed at https://www.mycfavisit.blog/. It allows customers to share their dining experience and provide valuable feedback to help improve Chick-fil-A’s services.
The game Drift Hunters is a great choice for those who love the drifting genre.
Thank you for such a well written article. It’s full of insightful information and entertaining descriptions. Your point of view is the best among many. mycfavisit.buzz