What's Inside:
Greetings Online Community Lovers,
First, happy Valentines Day! Imagine me extending my arms in a big, virtual v-day inspired bear hug to you. There, wasn't that nice? Now pass it on.
There are lots of delicious things to cover in the Report this month. We start with Online Community Strategy and end with an insightful interview from Robin Harper at Linden Lab. There are lots of chocolate covered tidbits about social media and caramel-centered insight into marketing to online communities in between.
On to the report!
(and I promise, no more holiday-themed intros)
Bill Johnston, Editor
bjohnston@forumone.com
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Online Community Highlights
Develop (or refine) Your Community Strategy
This back-to-the-basics article describes the process I typically use when consulting on community strategy projects. The basics framework is useful for those who are just starting to think about engaging with their community , or using the framework to evaluate an existing strategy. The steps include:
- Step 1. Define Business Goals and Objectives
Establish a baseline definition of the organization's goals and potential objectives for engaging in community building activities
- Step 2. Community Ecosystem Review
Conduct an audit of the current community ecosystem, including customer, prospect, partner and competitor touch points.
- Step 3. Member Needs Analysis
Research potential community member’s needs, as well as their expectations of your organization.
- Step 4. Community Strategy Development
Develop a strategy framework by combining the inputs of business goals, user needs and the existing community audit to form a community strategy
How to Develop a Community Strategy - OC Report
Further Recommended Strategy Reading:
5 Rules of Social Media Optimization (SMO) - Influential Marketing Blog
Online Community Metrics - OC Report
Online Community Research: Metrics 2007 Report Posted - OC Report
Marketing & Online Communities Report Released
Our Online Community Research Network just released the Marketing & Online Community research report. The study was conducted in June of 2007. The study explored the current state of marketing to online communities, from the perspective of both the online community host, as well as from the perspective of the marketer.
The research participants included large software companies, large community destination sites, niche community sites, platform providers and interactive marketing and advertising firms.
Some highlights from the report :
- Agencies haven't met with a lot of success in marketing to online communities. What limited success marketers have had is generally viewed as proprietary knowledge within the agency, and is closely guarded.
- The primary marketing goal for respondents to engage in community-building activities is to build loyalty
- Most respondents (89.7%) were hosting some form of discussion group / forum
- "Web 1.0" advertising techniques like banner and text ads were the most commonly mentioned advertising techniques.
Download the full report here. (free download, registration required)
More Highlights:
Online reputation management is hot -- but is it ethical?
This Computerworld article explored the issues surrounding companies trying to "manage" their reputations online.
Google's Kevin Marks Introduces "The Social Cloud"
Kevin Mark's is Google's main evangelist for the OpenSocial project. This post and video explain the theory behind OpenSocial.
The mobile social: Not ready for prime time?
Article on the sorry state of domestic mobile social networks. The missing piece? Location awareness. Good overview of current services.
Social Media Measurement
Paul Hyland writes about his first person experience with social media measurement. Also includes good 3rd party sources.
Opinion: Why Spore Will Be Huge
Will Wright's very anticipated (and very late) next game's launch will hinge on the free "Creature Creator" and the online community that springs up around it.
Advertising and Social Media
Our take on a recent WSJ article about the current state of online advertising with the backdrop of Microsoft's hostile takeover bid of Yahoo.
Virtually Engaged - MediaWeek
The quest to decipher "Virtual Worlds" and to create a metric for ROI.
The changing faces of Facebook.com
Facebook is gaining appeal with an older demographic.
Online Community Events
Online Community Unconference: East
February 21, 2008, NYC
The Online Community Unconference East is a gathering of online community professionals - managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors - to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities. Those involved in online community development (and social software in general) share many common challenges: community management, tools, marketing, business models, legal issues. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners.
PLEASE NOTE: We have a handful of seats left, and we expect to sell out.
Click here to register for one of the remaining seats.
Other Events:
WES: Social Sites for Social Good
February 26, in Washington DC
In this Web Executive Seminar hosted by Forum One, speakers will present strategies for how policy organizations and other nonprofits can take advantage of social media and social networking sites in support of their mission. They will cut through the hype and discuss issues related to brand management, resources and budgeting, and related issues. They will also discuss which sites are worth organizational investment and how to gauge success.
Click here to register.
Mobile Communities Unconference
March 20, in Palo Alto
The Mobile Communities Unconference is a gathering of strategists, community hosts, device manufacturers, service providers, and content developers to discuss the emerging opportunities and challenges that mobile communities present. The Mobile Communities Unconference will explore the emerging opportunities of online communities experienced via mobile devices.
Click here to sign up for an early bird ticket.
Online Community Business Forum 2008
April 14-15, in Santa Fe
The Online Community Business Forum is an invitation-based event bringing together business leaders who drive active online communities. Based on the industry-leading Online Community Summit, the Business Forum focuses specifically on online community business models and tactics, what works, and what is on the horizon.
Please email me to request an invitation.
OC Expert Interview: Robin Harper, Linden Lab
This month's Online Community Expert interview is with Robin Harper, VP Marketing and Community Development for Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world Second Life. Like many of you, I have experimented with Second Life over the last couple of years and have been left wanting something a bit more engaging. I gave Second Life a second look when I heard that Linden had added voice chat, and after seeing orgs like TechSoup (see Susan Tenby's interview from December) getting real value out of in world meetings. I reached out to Robin, and she was kind enough to spend some time with me answering questions from the perspective of a"second look at Second Life".
Q: There was a tremendous amount of media coverage about Second Life in late 06 and early 07, which seemed to result in a bit of a backlash after a few high profile marketing experiments (American Apparel) ended badly. How did the attention effect your thinking about product direction and the core value of Second Life?
A: There are always up and down cycles in the media, and as Second Life went through an enormous growth phase, the press responded very positively to the wide range of social and entrepreneurial activity. Eventually they were bound to focus on one or two projects that were less than successful. The important thing to keep in mind is that sometimes a lack of success has as more to do with the project design than with Second Life, and that sometimes projects end because they're finished, not because they failed.
Read the entire interview with Robin here.
Know an online community expert with an interesting story to tell? Or are you one yourself? Email me, and you may be the next expert interviewee!
Online Community Jobs
A current list of Online Community job opportunities. If you would like to include an open position in the next issue of the newsletter, please email with the title and link to the job description.
aahsa
Internet Community Manager
Adobe
Content and Web Strategy Manager
demand Media Inc
Marketing & Community Associate Manager
Electronic Arts
Community Manager
Assistant Community Manager
Forum One
Information Architect
Senior Programmer - Technical Lead
Web Developers
Games for Change
Community Manager
Gas Pedal
VP Meetings & Events
Web/Print Designer/Producer
VP Sales
Executive Assistant to the CEO
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Electronic Communications Specialist
Knight Foundation
Online Community Manager
Lithium
Community Excellence Manager
Manager, Community Management Services
LiveWorld
Community Account Director: New York City
Community Account Director: San Jose
Community Manager
Community Specialist
Marketo
Manager of Community and Content
MarketTools
Community Manager, Insight Networks
Ning
Community Advocate
Oogalabs
Community Builder
Opera Software
Community Manager, Consumer Products
Optaros
Online Community Manager
Reuters
Calais Community Manager
Salesforce.com
Sr. Product Marketing Manager - Online Community
Satmetrix
Sr. Manager of Online Community and Marketing
Community Consultant
T Mobile
Senior Manager, Community Products
The Point
Online Community Manager
TripAdvisor
Community Support Manager, Forums/M2M
Director, Global Community Build & Outreach
Senior Forum Moderator
Trulia
Community Evangelist
Trump University
Online Community Marketing Manager
VM Ware
Sr. Community Manager
Warner Bros. Records
Community Manager, New Media
WEGO Health
Online Community Producer
Wikia
Community Development Associate
Yahoo
Community Manager III
Yellow Pages
Sr. Product Manager, User Community
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