How do you build an online community?

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(A Work in Progress...)

How do you build a community?

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You can’t...

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You provide for, encourage and reward community to allow it to grow

The 9 steps:

1. Listening2. Objectives3. Technology4. Seeding5. Recognition6. Moderation + Maintenance7. Transparency8. Integrate it into everything you

do9. Measurement and Analysis.

Step 1: Listening

What’s out there?• Google (inc Blog

search)• Twitter search• Facebook• Ning• Technorati

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Step 2: What’s the point?

2. How can you help an existing community, or provide value for people by creating a new one? (And ‘because it’s ours/official doesn’t work by itself!)

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1. What tangible results do you want?

Step 3: Don’t be different for the sake of it.

Most software has evolved to basic conformity for a reason. Don’t try to reinvent the blog or forum for the sake of it. ‘Bad artists copy, good artists steal’ – Picasso.

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Step 4: Seeding

• Encourage popular people to contribute. They’re the 5% who attract the other 95%.

• Be present and involved yourself where appropriate

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Step 5: Provide recognition

• Reward good contributors with public recognition.

• Reward new members and posters with encouragement and involvement.

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Step 6: Moderation/Maintenance

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• Moderate lightly/politely but firmly. Make rules clear.

• Provide adequate resources.• Continuously evaluate and

evolve software/technology

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Step 7: Transparency and having fun

• Share your enjoyment of what you do – don’t be embarrassed.

• Be transparent where possible – explain the reasons behind actions and people will understand them – and then defend the reasoning to others.

Step 8: Integration

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• Arrange offline events• Build community/CRM into your core business

strategy• Ensure every employee has clear guidelines,

guidance and trust to interact.• Don’t abuse it by broadcasting ‘because you can’• Carry the same values from a receptionist

answering the phone to direct marketing to advertising.

Step 9: Measurement

• Defined by business objectives.

• Scale (on-site/external)

• Number of conversations (on-site/external)

• Brand perception/NPS

• Contributions (UGC )

• Subscriptions (RSS/Email)

• Revenue .

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