1 post tagged “online communities”

I am back attending the first Community 2.0 conference in Las Vegas. I was immensely surprised to see how many people (200) were in attendance and the names and the variety of companies in attendance (Microsoft, Intuit, SAP, Boston Celtics, Seattle Seahawks, Lenovo). Heard from some very good speakers (John Hagel and Ben McConnell).

Here are the top 5 things I learnt at the conference:

1. It is all about them and not us - If communities are to succeed, first find out why the members would want to be in a community. Take an outside in look first before you figure out how you can benefit from such a community. What value would your members derive from the community your create for them to be active participants in your community? What community service will you be providing?
2. Be authentic - If you are running a corporate community, make sure your participation is authentic. Any attempts or suggestions to promote your brand or to feed the community your marketing material is going to be sniffed out very quickly.
3. Let go of the steering wheel - Get the community started with some ideas and then let the community members take control and take the community where they want to. Again, it is all about them and not us.
4. Be responsive to the community needs - Given that the community will take it wherever they want to, make sure you are responsive to their needs and continue to provide the service they need.
5. Allow members to reach their goals - It is not all about your product, but make the community revolve around what makes your members successful. For example, your community members may be using your product to achieve a higher goal. Help them get to that goal via the community, celebrate their successes and watch your community succeed in return.