Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com Recently I spoke in detail about the theory originally developed by McMillan & Chavis detailing the “sense of community”. The concepts that make up a strong community and why members join or stick around. The first of four factors that help define a successful community is Membership. In my experience as a community builder, […]
David Spinks
Real Communities Require These 4 Underlining Factors
Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com Why do people participate in communities? What is it that makes a community exist? They don’t just sprout up for no reason. There must be psychological justifications that explain what it is that brings people together. Looking at research conducted to date, there’s one theory that has held up against the test […]
Yes, The Community Managers Are Taking Over
Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com There’s been a big trend in the community space lately. Name a startup and they probably have a community manager… or they’re desperately looking for one. Not only that, but more and more community managers exist on the executive level…they’re finally getting seats at the table. VC’s are hiring community managers […]
5 Insider Tips For Keeping Your Community Active
Originally published at TheCommunityManager.com Contributors are the people who actually create content in your community. They may only account for 1-10% of your community, but they’re the most important members since without them, there is no conversation. And so it’s really important for you to know why they come back to your community in the […]
How to build your community like a startup, and avoid wasting valuable time
Originally published at The Community Manager The Lean Startup model created by Eric Ries has been applied to a lot of different industries. Turns out, it’s the most efficient way to approach community building as well. I’ve been taking a lean approach to building community after 4 years of learning from things that worked and, […]
Can you choose who is in your online community?
Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com What makes a good online community member? The concept of choosing your community members may not have occurred to you before. We (community managers) usually focus on changing the platforms, the questions we ask, the events we host, the community manager and other methods to improve our communities. But remember, a community is […]
Should Your Brand Create A Power User Program?
Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com When you hear about a “power user program” what comes to mind first, community or product? There’s often confusion about exactly how a power user program looks, and who’s responsible for it. Is it the product team’s responsibility? Is it the community team? The answer is it’s both…to some extent. There […]
Your Product Does Not Have A Community, Your Community Is Part of Your Product
Originally published at TheCommunityManager.com Community is not marketing. Community is part of your product. It’s part of the User Engagement Cycle. In the cycle, marketing drives users into the cycle. Users connect with your product, then with your brand, and then a community is formed when they connect with each other which will then improve […]
5 Community Types Brands Must Choose From
Originally published on The Community Manager “We need a community! Go o’ mystical community manager, and build us a thriving community!” Shut up you. Blindly saying “We need a community!” won’t get you very far. There are many different community programs which are built for entirely different purposes. You have many different kinds of users. […]
The User Engagement Cycle Explained
Originally published on TheCommunityManager.com A lot of business experts will tell your company to “engage” people and “build community”, but what does that actually mean? It’s important, when hearing advice like this to ask “why?” and “to what end?”. The why, for me, has always been to create a positive emotional connection with users, resulting in […]