designing online communities

Designing Engaging Online Communities

Social Fresh St. Louis April 19, 2010

These good practices are the result of Jive Strategic Consulting’s extensive work with

many large customers

who have deployed

Jive Social Business Software

for both employee and public-facing communities

To interact directly with Jive strategy consultants and

Jive customers,

please

join our community at:

Jivesoftware.com/JivespaceJivesoftware.com/Jivespace

Why do community at all?

Community is a place to

• Give context to content

• Drive eyeballs to

• Drive reference selling

• Enable advocates

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7502393@N04

Design should

engage

Design enables

objectives

Design is a

process1. Identify top three community characteristics

2. Express characteristics through four elements

3. Identify the elements’ activity flow

4. Structure the site to accommodate the flow

5. Seed the structure with interaction and content

Based on Gene Smith’s “Social Software Building Blocks”http://nform.ca/publications/social-software-building-block

Jive Software Strategic Consulting

Identify top three community

characteristics

who people think you are in the community

characteristics

sharing things that are meaningful to participants

e.g., volunteering photos, videos, stories

characteristics

become aware of one another, discover

commonalities, and progress to a trusted

relationship

e.g., connecting to one another

characteristics

clusters of people around a common interest or goal

e.g., collaborating to further standards of practice, to

complete a project, to deepen knowledge in

specific topic

characteristics

knowing who is online, available or otherwise

nearby

e.g., broadcasting via micro blogging or status

updates

characteristics

knowing the status of other people in the

community

e.g., publishing one’s experience and expertise,

or community standing

characteristics

static content that is primarily consumed

e.g., educational and marketing content

characteristics

talking and respondingto others

e.g., support forums

Identify top three community characteristics

Express characteristics

through four elements

Purpose

Calls to Action

Motivation

Example

What’s this all about in 2 seconds or less?

Purpose

Calls to Action

Motivation

Example

OK, I’m here. What do you want me to do?

Purpose

Calls to Action

Motivation

Example

What’s in it for me if I participate?

Purpose

Calls to Action

Motivation

Example

OK, I’m here. What do you want me to do? OK, I’m here. What do you want me to do?

What behavior do you want me to model?

Purpose

Calls to Action

Motivation

Example

What’s in it for me if I participate?

OK, I’m here. What do you want me to do? OK, I’m here. What do you want me to do?

Purpose? Calls to Action? Motivation? Example?

Express characteristics through four elementsExpress characteristics through four elements

Identify elements’

activity flow

What happens when I

click a call to action?

activity flow

Newbie Savvy

Member Attributes None Low Medium High

Familiarity with basic computer skills

Willingness to learn new technologies

Exposure to online community/social networking concepts

Perceived value of online communities or social networking

Social technology activity level

Knowledge level about your community’s topics

Level of Concierge Service

activity flow

Newbie Savvy

Member Attributes None Low Medium High

Familiarity with basic computer skills

Willingness to learn new technologies

Exposure to online community/social networking concepts

Perceived value of online communities or social networking

Social technology activity level

Knowledge level about your community’s topics

The higher the newbie score, the higher the design’s “concierge service” should be

Level of Concierge Service

activity flow

Open profile in edit mode

C: “Introduce Yourself”

activity flow

Newbie Savvy

P: All about ProfilesC: Complete your profileM: Benefits of networkingE: Profile guidelinesE: Featured member profile

Open profile in edit mode Open profile in edit mode

Identify elements’ activity flow

Structure to promote characteristics and activity flow

7 Site Areas• Help• About Profiles - “Connect”• About Blogs - “Communicate”• About Groups - “Collaborate”• Feedback• Ask a Question• Break Room

• Taxonomy implemented for 95,000 employees

• Characteristics: Relationships, Sharing, Groups

• Tagline: Connect. Communicate. Collaborate.

• Taxonomy implemented for 95,000 employees

• Characteristics: Relationships, Sharing, Groups

• Tagline: Connect. Communicate. Collaborate.

P: All about ProfilesC: Complete your profileM: Benefits of networkingE: Profile guidelinesE: Featured member profile

7 Site Areas• Help• About Profiles - “Connect”• About Blogs - “Communicate”• About Groups - “Collaborate”• Feedback• Ask a Question• Break Room

3 Main Areas• Manage Your Condition• Healthy Living• Find People Like You

• Taxonomy implemented for people concerned about health

• Characteristics: Relationships, Sharing, Conversations

• Tagline: Connect. Share. Support.

Seed the structure with interaction and content

‘Community’ is

people interacting about stuff (yours, theirs, etc.)

People go

where the people are

So, seed the content, then

model the interactionyou want people to mimic

Seed the structure with interaction and content

“Wow, [well-known subject expert] answers

questions accurately and quickly. I feel comfy

posting a question now!”

“Others like me provide feedback on stories. I think I’ll post mine!”

“This content looks like it has been recently

updated. I’d better make sure mine is, too!”

designing online communities

taxonomy implemented

communitycharacteristics

communitycharacteristics

edit mode

7 site areas

technologies

break room

identify top

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