1) What is the definition of community?
A set of interwoven relationships built upon shared interests, which satisfies members’ needs otherwise unattainable individually.
2) What are the criteria that define successful community?
•Membership is a conscious choice.
•Member base has achieved critical mass and sustainability.
•Members feel a great sense of trust.
•Members achieve benefits in scale.
•Roles are not hierarchical or imposed.
•Effective facilitation and site structure keeps community activities on track.
•A spirit of participation and feedback is clearly cultivated.
•A sense of affiliation is achieved through ownership of equity in the community.
•Efficiency in interaction is maximized.
•The community is easily navigable.
3) What are the different types of interest that form the foundation of community?
There are three broad types of Communities, differing by their foundation of shared interests: 1) Information-driven communities, 2) Activity-driven communities, 3) Commonality-driven communities
4) What are the different ways in which communities’ function?
How do Communities Function?
•Real-time systems
–Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
–Web-based chat
–Virtual worlds and MUDs (Multiuser Dimensions)/ MOOs (MUDs Object Oriented)
•Asynchronous systems
–Mailing lists
–Newsgroups (Usenet groups)
–Web-based message boards (bulletin board systems [BBS])
5) What are the three primary ways in which value is created within a community?
Three patterns emerge for creating and transferring value within communities: 1) User to user 2) Administrator to User 3) User to administrator.
6) What are the benefits that community can generate for a parent firm?
• Cost Benefits
– Reduced Customer Service Costs
– Reduced Customer Acquisition Costs
– Reduced Costs from Decreased Product Flaws and Marketing Mistakes
– Reduced Marketing Costs
• Revenue Benefits
– Increased Customer Segmentation and Customization
– Increased Branding
– Deepened Customer Relationships
7) What are the different levels of community?
Community Building on the Web in Amy Jo Kim’s book identifies 5 stages: Visitors, Novices, Regulars, and Leaders.
In a separate book, Randall Farmer similarly delineates the different participation levels: Passives, Actives, Motivators, and Caretakers.
How to Create Successful Community
Guiding Principles: The Four-Stage Micro-Approach
–Awareness
–Exploration/ Expansion
–Commitment
–Dissolution
Guiding Principles: The Three-Level Macro-Approach
-Nascent
-Formative
-Mature