We at ShoalHarbor notice that companies and individuals jump into building Social Media and Online Community without real planning. When developing an online community we need consider some values and precepts that the community may enjoy. These act as driving factors of Community and create a platform to ensure the longevity and success of the online community.
Online Community and Social Engagement
The Online Community Precepts may include communication, opportunity, education, democratic culture, human services, information, and equality. These are the fundamental precepts or building blocks to successful online community.
The Visionary and Developer of the community project need to create an integrated set of technology that will achieve the objective of the project as well as the social needs of the online community.
In fact our recommendation is to lean towards the social needs of the online community as the first priority. The mail goal should be to prioritize the common ground of the members and to define the interests of the online community. Success should follow!
In the development of an online community It is important to provide the means for shy or introverted people to participate.
Some folks are not confident in face to face engagement, and the online community can be a space that will help them develop confidence and communication skills.
The reason for the growth in confidence is generally due to the fact that members of the online community have a mutual interest. This could be a brand, an affiliation, or a hobby.
Online community has become an accepted routine in the life of the global internet connected individual, including those on internet enabled smart phones. An engaged mobile online community is the way of the future!
There are many examples of online community being the hinge that connects people globally. Examples include communities involved in high end Brands, Music groups, Local Communities, Online Gaming groups, Fashion Bloggers, Student communities learning online, as well as Medical Support group communities. All engaging online!
An engaged online community needs certain fundamentals in place to keep community members interested. Data will also need to be considered as well as the management of this data. There are compliance considerations as well.
A vital consideration is the daily management of community content and engagement. This involves strategy, direction and manpower!
But do not be deterred, there are many well known sites doing online community that started with one active visionary assisted by a heap of volunteers, or freelance contributors!
• It is important to include actual community insight into the development strategy! The feedback of your members is essential. After all, you need to be serving the needs of your online community or you will be swimming up hill!
• It is important to be open to the community members ongoing suggestions. Surveys and Discussion Boards certainly help to profile community needs. So use them from the get go and into the future!
• It is also wise for the online community Visionary and the Developer to be accessible by email. How else will you get direct feedback needed to set up the poll? Many folks online are good communicators and love giving feedback.
Visitors to ShoalHarbor are welcome to email Costa with insight and suggestions. Please see the contact page.
• Online Community is also an issue of the heart! People are not fooled by fake attempts at community in order to pull a few sales! Online Community needs to come from the heart! The results will follow...
When planning an Online Community it certainly pays to consider the reasons why people would want to join and take part?
• To communicate and engage for the benefit of mutual interest.
• To learn from the online community.
• To have a sense of belonging.
• To be a part of something greater than themselves.
• To communicate in a world plagued by family disconnect.
• To be able to freely share their opinion and gain online community insight.
• To be seen as an influencer within the online community. Recognition is a very important community driving factor.
Take the above into consideration, and build the solutions to these situations into the mechanics of your online community from the beginning.
Remember that times have changed. The world is a Global VIllage of engaged individuals and community.
Brands and Companies need to realize this because every customer or prospective customer has an online and off line voice! Brands and Companies need to give their customers a base or online community to engage with the business!
Brands that fail to do this run the risk of being excluded from the banter, because the customers will merely vent to their family and friends, and the business loses the control of the process..
Brands and Customers in a healthy engaged Online Community is the solution!
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