Community
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?
1. Membership is a conscious choice.
2. Member base has achieved critical mass and sustainability.
3. Members feel a great sense of trust.
4. Members achieve benefits in scale.
5. Roles are not hierarchical or imposed.
6. Effective facilitation and site structure keeps community activities on track.
7. A spirit of participation and feedback is clearly cultivated.
8. A sense of affiliation is achieved through ownership of equity in the community.
9. Efficiency in interaction is maximized.
10. The community is easily navigable.
3. What are the different types of interests that form the foundations of community?
There are three broad types of Communities, differing by their foundation of shared interests.
• Information-driven communities
1. Built upon shared interests in information
2. Seek mainly to exchange information such as facts and opinions
3. E.g. Motley Fool community for discussing stocks and financial happenings
• Activity-driven communities
1. Shared interests in activities
2. Can range from buying antiques to meeting new friends to playing a role in an online game
3. E.g. eBay community share an interest in buying and selling items auction-style.
• Commonality-driven communities
1. Shared interests arising out of commonality
2. From sharing the same profession, ethnicity, life style stage.
3. E.g. Physicians Online
4. What are the different ways in which 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:
User to User
• User-generated content such as member-written articles, opinions and advice.
• User-to-user value takes many forms, whether it be through information, advice, shareware, or simply good conversation
Administrator to User
• Administrator-created content such as exclusive research and reports and activities such as scheduled chats with special guests.
• Administrator-to-user value can also take the form of offline events such as parties in major cities.
User to Administrator
• User-generated value such revenue from product sales, content fees, usage fees, commissions and advertising sales.
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?
Awareness
• Individual first becomes aware of a community – what it is about and what it offers – and might arrive at the community out of curiosity.
• To push the transition to exploration, methods could include simply outlining the benefits of joining the community while not asking for any resources. At the same time, a call to action could be made to persuade the individual to explore the community free of charge and to learn more about the community and what it can offer.
• Steps for the firm to take include making the enticing to join, anticipating questions and concerns, and establishing a call to action.
Exploration/ Expansion
• If individuals commit to exploring the community, they progress to the Novice stage.
• Novices commit to exploration, to determine if the community content or activity is worth their time. These individuals generally begin participating and contributing little by little.
• Steps for the firms to take include making exploring easy, getting members to trust them by showing concern and individual attention, making the community worth something.
Commitment
• Most dynamic and interesting stage where individuals create the most value.
• Individuals at this stage are driven by higher levels of commitment and intensity. The objectives toward these individuals evolve to those of increased equity building and member development.
• Steps for the firm to take include increasing equity by recognizing an individual’s heightened participation and commitment to the community and letting them grow if they want to (e.g. allowing members the opportunity to take more responsibility and learn new skills).
Dissolution
• Even the most committed members can reach dissolution when severe flame wars turn them off, or they feel the community’s goals have changed and no longer satisfy member needs.
• Steps for the firms to take include spotting the departing friend early and finding possible solutions, treating the leaving process with the same care as the joining process, letting them vent and listening closely, and leaving the door open for the possibility of getting back together.