engagement - Cultivating Community2024-03-28T16:34:19Zhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/feed/tag/engagementUpcoming Webinar: The Community Lifecyclehttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/upcoming-webinar-the-community-lifecycle2013-08-21T23:32:14.000Z2013-08-21T23:32:14.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208294?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Over the past few decades The Community Lifecycle has been <a href="http://isl.cgu.edu/publicationpdf/16_ACM_CSUR_2006-0042_Online_Communities_Iriberri_and_Leroy_temp_online.pdf" target="_blank">developed by academics</a>, refined by practitioners, and <a href="http://www.feverbee.com/2012/01/introducing-the-map-a-proven-process-for-developing-successful-online-communities.html" target="_blank">perfected by FeverBee</a>. The Lifecycle defines online community development in four phases: inception, establishment, maturity, and mitosis.</p>
<p>Using the Lifecycle as a guide, you can identify exactly what phase your community is in now and anticipate how it will change over time. If you attend this webinar, at the end of one hour you will be more informed about communities than most community professionals you meet. <a href="https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/924890190" target="_blank">Join us</a> August 29th to find out what the community lifecycle is and how to effectively guide your community through every stage.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Thursday, August 29 at 9am PDT</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/924890190" target="_blank"><img src="http://creators.ning.com/images/signupnow.png" class="align-center"></a></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">(find your <a href="http://click.et.ning.com/?qs=560c57e3d19c1a56719d31e960fe5abddd73fd9b89371838a43c9aa28f95caefa214a3a56cc33242" target="_blank"><font color="#75AF2D">local time here</font></a>)</p>
<p><strong><big>Key Takeaways</big></strong></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<ul>
<li>The four stages of the Online Community Lifecycle</li>
<li>Identify milestones for each stage</li>
<li>Lifecycle-based time management to help optimize growth, moderation, and relationships</li>
<li>Tasks you can perform to take you from one stage to the next</li>
<li>Evolve your role within your community as the community itself evolves</li>
</ul> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><strong><big>About the Presenter</big></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/557601?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/557601?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100" class="align-left" style="padding: 5px;"></a>Richard Millington is the founder of FeverBee, a community consultancy, and author of the new book <a xt="SPCLICK" name="www_amazon_com_Buzzing_Communi" href="http://click.et.ning.com/?qs=560c57e3d19c1a56c67ddba1974f386d6fa9b833e60253373fa5865fd1a51365b08d12542be0bec1" id="www_amazon_com_Buzzing_Communi"><font color="#75AF2D">Buzzing Communities</font></a>. He is also a frequent guest blogger here on Cultivating Community and our go-to presenter for the Community Management Talks series. His straightforward, results-oriented style is admired by many in the field, and it's just one of the reasons we've enlisted him to share community management best practices to help Ning Creators (and anyone else) refine their approach and cultivate thriving communities. Richard's next free talk is Thursday, August 29 at 9am PDT. We hope you can make it!</p>
<p> A recording of this webinar will be available on the Ning <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/community+management+talks" target="_self"><font color="#75AF2D">Community Management Talks</font></a> channel, and you can follow the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #NingTalk. </p></div>Why Do So Many Communities Fail? Conceptualizing a Framework for Communities [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/conceptualizing-a-framework-for-communities-video2013-07-19T00:54:59.000Z2013-07-19T00:54:59.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><span class="font-size-3"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N6i1qtB4gQM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Why do so many communities fail?</strong> An online community is destined to fail if there is not enough interest in the <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/understanding-conceptualization" target="_self">concept for the community</a>. No one will join a community unless its concept is closely related to what they do. To create a successful community, you must have a well-researched, niche topic, preferably with a couple of qualifiers in place (e.g., a community for backpackers who want to reduce the weight of their backpacks). It shouldn't have any competition, either -- that backpacking example, <a href="http://BackPackingLight.com" target="_blank">already been done</a>. And please don't go out there trying to create the next Facebook or Twilight Saga fan community unless you're approaching it from some radical angle.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Most online communities are ghost towns.</strong> An oft referenced <a href="http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Industries/technology/940bf5d47d124210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm" target="_blank">study</a> by Deloitte revealed that even though 6% of businesses put over $1 million into branded online community building efforts, 35% have less than 100 active members, and less than a quarter have more than 1,000 active members. The study dated back to 2008, so FeverBee took a close look at data from Brand Republic and found that out of a random sample of 875 communities, only 12 had over 100 active members -- that's just 1.3 percent. This presentation evolved from those studies as an exploration of why so many communities fail, and how to overcome the first hurdle of community cultivation -- establishing a brilliant concept.<b><br></b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>If you get the concept right, your community will explode to life. </strong>There is a data-driven process for making these initial decisions, but I'm not about to give away the cow. Watch the <a href="https://vimeo.com/70590096#at=0" target="_blank">video</a> above to learn how to avoid the pitfalls of many organizations and develop a community concept that attracts high quality membership, positive engagement, and the community-driven dialogue that will inform the direction and evolution of your unique community.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281883?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281883?profile=original" width="542" class="align-center"></a></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span>For more community management best practices, </span><a href="http://www.feverbee.com/ning.html" target="_blank">download</a><span> half of </span><em>Buzzing Communities: How to Build Bigger, Better, and More Active Online Communities</em><span> for free, then thank </span><a href="http://twitter.com/richmillington" target="_blank">@RichMillington</a><span>!</span></p>
<hr>
<p>Conceptualizing a Framework for Communities is the ninth in a series of <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/community-management-talks" target="_self">Community Management Talks</a> with <a href="http://feverbee.com/" target="_blank">FeverBee</a> founder Richard Millington, who has spent the last 10 years mastering a range of social sciences, refining key community management skills, learning how to use and apply data, and amassing a collection of case studies to tackle every situation. Previous webinars cover topics including strategies for <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/content-and-community-webinar-recording-with-richard-millington" target="_self">creating content that your community will love</a>, generating activity, managing growth, facilitating member engagement, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/converting-newcomers-into-active-community-members" target="_self">converting newcomers into active members</a>, and the science behind it all. If you're not on our email list and would like to be alerted of upcoming Community Management Talks, please <a href="mailto:ningsocial@glam.com?subject=Add%20me" target="_self">email Allison</a>.</p></div>Community Spotlight: Enrique Iglesias Rocks Over a Decade of Fan Engagement to Become One of the 50 Most Influential Celebrities on the Internethttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/community-spotlight-enrique-iglesias-international-fan-forum2013-07-15T16:10:55.000Z2013-07-15T16:10:55.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208265?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Spanish singer-songwriter, model, actor, and record producer Enrique Iglesias can teach us a thing or two about community. He is one of the</span> <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/Zimbio's+50+Most+Influential+Celebrities+Online+-+2013/articles/W8d9KhHQ1gi/Enrique+Iglesias+Grabs+46th+Spot+List+50+Most" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">50 most influential celebrities on the Internet</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, according to Zimbio's annual report. There's no doubt that a lot of this has to do with raw talent, longevity, and cross-cultural appeal, but we'd bet that plenty of it leads back to the fact that there has been some semblance of an international fan forum present at EnriqueIglesias.com since the</span> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/19981212024714/http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">late 1990s</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The community moved onto the Ning platform over three years ago and has been thriving here ever since.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To promote Enrique's new album and keep up with the changing times, the community recently underwent a site redesign. We caught up with the management team behind</span> <a href="http://EnriqueIglesias.com" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">EnriqueIglesias.com</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and asked them to tell us a bit about the community's major milestones, its redesign, and the future.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F60881745"></iframe></strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Tell us a bit about the Enrique Iglesias community?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="font-size-3">Some of the major milestones were launching a Spanish version community and this latest redesign.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>You've just given the community a makeover. It looks great! What kinds of changes did you incorporate into the redesign and why?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="font-size-3">We've optimized more of the design for mobile, particularly tablets. We've made photos and videos more prominent in the homepage of the site. This is because they are two of the most trafficked sections.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>You host <a href="http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/forum/topics/tonight-i-m" target="_blank">caption contests</a> and <a href="http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/profiles/blogs/fan-chat-is-happening-now" target="_blank">fan chats</a>, what other types of activities take place in the community? What have been the community's favorite events or most successful campaigns?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="font-size-3">We've done ticket and merch giveaways, user generated content promotions, and chats with Enrique in the forum.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Enrique has some incredibly <a href="http://bit.ly/12twk0H" target="_blank">passionate fans</a> and many of them congregate in this online community -- what does it take to moderate a community of this nature and size? Is Enrique a very active member?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="font-size-3">It's a considerable amount of work. There are several of us on Enrique's management that monitor the site regularly. We are also in touch with a variety of fans who help bring our attention to things happening in the community.</span></p>
<p><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281848?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>If you could leave a message for yourself back when you were just starting the Enrique Iglesias fan community and had 30 seconds, what would you say?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="font-size-3">Watch out for spam and use the filtering tools.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>What can Enrique fans expect next?</strong></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="font-size-3">Look out for <a href="http://enriqueiglesias.com/profiles/blog/list?promoted=1" target="_blank">announcements</a> about new music, videos and opportunities exclusively for fans who are part of the community.</span></p></div>Facebook vs. a Custom Community: Quantity vs. Qualityhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/facebook-vs-a-custom-community-quantity-vs-quality2013-07-12T14:00:00.000Z2013-07-12T14:00:00.000ZJohn McDonaldhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/JohnMcDonald<div><p>“Why should I invest in a custom community on Ning – why not just focus on my Facebook Page?” It’s a question I’ve heard frequently since I joined the Ning team in 2009. While there isn’t just one answer, custom communities do offer several unique benefits including complete ownership of the relationships and membership data, the ability to communicate with fans when and how you want, the chance to create a branded destination, and the freedom to monetize fan activity.</p>
<p>However, the most important reason for investing in a custom community is the outcome – higher quality engagement with fans, peers, or customers. Real conversations and Interactions that are deeper than just a Like or a quick “Love it” comment. In a custom community, fans develop stronger relationships with each other. For a business or social leader, the end result is higher fan retention, increased brand loyalty, and greater activation of fans to achieve goals e.g., a social purpose, repeat purchase, co-creation of content, brand evangelism, etc.</p>
<p>To demonstrate this point, I analyzed fan engagement for five Ning customers who have active communities on both Ning and Facebook. Three are product brands and two are influential authors. I focused only on deeper interactions (posts and comments) within each Ning community and Facebook Page in May 2013. I excluded light interactions such as Likes because they don’t involve exchange of ideas – real conversation. At the request of these customers, I’ve kept their identities confidential.</p>
<p>The analysis illustrates two major differences in the quality of engagement within their custom Ning communities vs. their Facebook Pages:</p>
<ol>
<li><span class="font-size-2">Fans in the Ning communities were much more likely to post something (a blog post, new discussion topic, a photo, or a video) over a simple comment.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2">In the Ning communities, the vast majority of commenting were fans commenting on other fans’ posts. On the Facebook Pages, the majority of commenting were fans commenting on posts from the brand or page owner. In other words, most activity in the custom Ning communities were many-to-many interactions whereas on Facebook, most activity were one-to-many interactions.</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>The Study</strong></span></p>
<p>All five social leaders have large communities on both platforms. The number of posts and comments on each platform was roughly equivalent. Note, if lightweight engagements such as likes and shares were included, overall fan activity on Facebook would be higher.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281863?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281863?profile=original" width="642"></a></p>
<p>In 4 of the 5 examples, fans or customers who had joined a Ning community were much more likely to post something (a blog post, new discussion topic, a photo or a video), rather than just comment.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281869?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281869?profile=original" width="624"></a></p>
<p>In all cases, the vast majority of comments in the Ning community were made by fans on fan posts, rather than fan comments on the social leader’s posts or vice versa. On all of the Facebook Pages, the majority of interactions were between the social leader and fans (one-to-many).</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281916?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281916?profile=original" width="624"></a></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>And (not Or)</strong></span></p>
<p>A Facebook Page and a custom community can both play a valuable role in your social media strategy. The Author B in my study posts content on Facebook eight times per day on average. He’s casting a fishing net in a pond with more than a billion users. It’s an efficient, light-touch way for him to reach his fans and get a Like or a “Brilliant”, “Amazing” or “So wonderful”. As Richard Millington, a leading community expert, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-psychological-impact-of-interactions" target="_self">explains</a>, “This is an audience, not a community.”</p>
<p>Author B has recruited over 39,000 of his most loyal fans to join his Ning community where they help and support each other. In the entire month of May, Author B only contributed 3 blog posts and commented 9 times in his Ning community. His loyal fans did the rest – posting blogs or initiating new discussion topics over 30 times per day. They are carrying out the philosophy and social purpose of Author B.</p>
<p>If you want to do more than fish in a big pond, build a custom community for your most loyal fans and create an army of brand evangelists.</p></div>How to Make Social Work for Your Community: Ted Rheingold at ForumCon 2013https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/how-to-make-social-work-for-your-forums-ted-rheingold-at-forumcon2013-06-14T04:26:03.000Z2013-06-14T04:26:03.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208256?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>For anyone interested or involved in creating online communities, <a href="http://www.forumcon.com/agenda" target="_blank">ForumCon</a> is an event not to be missed. The conference offers a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and breakout sessions, along with a healthy dose of collaboration. Session topics run the gamut from a history of forum software technology to SEO to connecting with your community in real life. Panelists presented a variety of perspectives on the business of community, but as a community manager, the talk that resonated most with me was <a href="https://twitter.com/tedr" target="_blank">Ted Rheingold</a>'s lessons on <strong>How to Make Social Work For Your Forums.</strong> Read on for key insights on creating a social strategy to compliment your community.</p>
<p>No community is so high and mighty that it doesn't need to participate in social media. As someone who owns or manages a thriving community, you might believe that Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit aren't worth your time, and in some ways <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-psychological-impact-of-interactions" target="_self">you're right</a>. But it's important to have humility in the face of Facebook and other powerhouse social platforms. In order to grow and replenish your community with new members, fresh ideas, and voices, you will need to make social media your ally. Launch your community into the social sphere and encourage site visitors to do the same through 1) design, 2) presence, 3) engagement hacks, and 4) creating shareable content.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>What the heck is sociality?</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>On page sociality:</strong> Someone reads a discussion or article on your site and shares it directly to her social networks via an on page share button.</p>
<p><strong>On service sociality:</strong> Someone is scrolling through her Pinterest, Facebook, or YouTube feeds, and doesn't want to go elsewhere, so she shares direct links back to your community.</p>
<p>If you want people to share content from your community, it's important to own the process of social sharing and make it as easy as possible for visitors. Learn the top three or four services your audience uses and that drive the most traffic to your site. Focus on those -- remove the others. Additionally, you should create a baseline for metrics by using <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/features/social.html" target="_blank">Google Social Analytics</a>, which reverse engineers popular buttons and recognizes when they're clicked and submitted, so you can discover what your visitors are sharing and where they're sharing it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Different levels of sharing</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Brand-level sharing: </strong>These are the buttons that prompt a visitor to connect with you on their favorite social channels e.g., "follow us on Twitter," "subscribe to our RSS feed," and "follow us on Instagram." You should display these buttons prominently on your site, but they should not appear on every page, because the visitor will only take this action once. The top righthand corner of the main page of a website is an ideal spot for these social icons, and many visitors will expect to see them there.</p>
<p><strong>Article-level sharing: </strong>Post and page-level sharing that should be prominent on every page of your community. Visitors can take multiple sharing actions and are more likely to share a post if the buttons are apparent. Top of post, bottom of post, and scrollbar social sharing buttons are most popular. A combination of top and bottom or bottom and scroll may prove even more powerful -- you can collect data or use a service such as <a href="http://www.crazyegg.com/" target="_blank">CrazyEgg</a> to see which placement attracts the majority of shares.</p>
<p><strong>Content-level sharing:</strong> The most sophisticated type of sharing, this sometimes requires a mouse-over for a submenu to pop-up that encourages readers to share photos, quotes, or paragraphs. If overdone, you run the risk of exhausting your audience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Social platform fatigue: How can you tell which sites are worth your time?</span></strong></p>
<p>It doesn't take much to maintain a presence on a social platform. Being present on a social platform means adequately describing your service and product in your profile, including good photos and links back to your site. It's okay if you don't update your Google+ page daily or even weekly, but make sure your most recent update isn't from 2011, and keep it consistent. The important thing is that you do have a brand presence -- it's free marketing after all.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/tedr">tedr</a> unless u have an amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23social">#social</a> mgr working w you, can't possibly juggle all <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23social">#social</a>. you DO need to be present, tho. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23ForumCon">#ForumCon</a></p>
<p>— Lynn Abate-Johnson (@peoplefw) <a href="https://twitter.com/peoplefw/status/345282175408693248">June 13, 2013</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Engagement hacks for the most popular social platforms</strong></span></p>
<p>Find the path of least resistance to improve your brand's reputation and increase its following on the most popular social platforms. Give your tweets and posts a personal touch and <em>don't buy your audience!</em></p>
<p><strong>Twitter</strong></p>
<p>Tweet as a "person" via the brand handle. Know your audience, and also know that the most sought after tweets are related to current events, breaking news, and personal updates.</p>
<p>Half-life: 30 minutes. If a tweet doesn't get any engagement in 30 minutes, put it in your back pocket and tweet it again later.</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Use the favorite function generously and add people to 'prestigious lists' (e.g., most inspirational speakers, ridiculously awesome community managers, the best of the Internet, etc.). </p>
<p><strong>Facebook</strong></p>
<p>"Facebook Edgerank is brutal," noted Ted. If you're getting hit by Edgerank and are in a negative cycle, the best way to break out of it is to <em>only </em>post things that get major engagement. If it takes only posting pictures of kittens and dogs, do it. As you start picking up engagement, you'll get caught in a more positive cycle. "It's awful, but they're focusing on their users who would rather look at cute pictures." Finally! Permission to start posting <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/homedepot/15-cats-that-are-very-disappointed-in-you-7g48" target="_blank">disappointed cat pictures</a>.</p>
<p>Half-life: One day, and the most engaging Facebook posts are news, culture, and celebrity-related.</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Fan peer pages; like, share, and comment on posts.</p>
<p><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281800?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right" height="425" style="padding: 8px;"></p>
<p><strong>Pinterest</strong></p>
<p>Create very topic specific Boards. Instead of "for your home" try "wicker baskets for spring." <span>Think of your Pinterest board as a landing page for your long tail searches. Make sure to use the target keywords in your pin descriptions and board title. Those keywords help Google index and rank your Pinterest boards, and will be a boon to SEO.</span></p>
<p>Half-life: One hour. </p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Follow a single board of active users to get attention without flooding your home page.</p>
<p><strong>Instagram</strong> </p>
<p>Power up your Instagram feed by using top hashtags and following user-created trends. If a hashtag is hot, jump on the bandwagon.</p>
<p>Half-life: One hour. </p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Use the heart liberally -- liking and loving photos will delight fellow Instagram users and generate potential community members. If your community is all about cycling, seek out posts with the #cycling or #bike or #bikesf hashtags and comment when it is meaningful.</p>
<p><strong>YouTube</strong> </p>
<p>The most popular YouTube content is how-tos, serials, and personality-driven programs. <span>With the right content, viewers can get to know your brand better and in a positive light. Video content is exceptional at improving brand recall, perceived legitimacy, and overall reputation.</span></p>
<p>Half-life: Forever!</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Read the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/yt/playbook/" target="_blank">YouTube Playbook</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Google</strong>+</p>
<p>It's important to build a presence on Google+ for search power and credibility. Create a detailed profile and share content from your community directly to your Google+ page. The content creators in your community can also sign up for <a href="http://blog.searchengineacademy.com/blog/seo/google-authorship-7-benefits-beyond-seo/" target="_blank">Google Authorship</a>, which can help establish brand identity and may influence the way a post ranks in the search engine results page.</p>
<p>Half-life: One day.</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Find relevant groups and participate in them; organize Google Hangouts and invite influencers.</p>
<p><strong>LinkedIn</strong></p>
<p>Get crowned as an influencer! How? We're not quite sure.</p>
<p>Half-life: One hour.</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Participate in relevant groups, be generous with likes and comments, post new discussions, and follow influencers.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281819?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281819?profile=original" width="272" style="padding: 8px;" class="align-right"></a>Quora</strong> </p>
<p>To have a big impact on Quora, answer questions thoughtfully. Seek out popular or trending topics, but only answer them if you have something honest and valuable to add to the conversation.</p>
<p>Half-life: Forever!</p>
<p>Engagement hacks: Share knowledge, be modest and informative. Follow relevant influencers and up-vote valuable content.</p>
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<p><strong>Big thanks to Lucy Bartlett, <strong>Murray Newlands, </strong>Oliver Deighton, and <a href="http://www.viglink.com/" target="_blank">VigLink</a> for organizing the event and inviting us to attend. </strong></p>
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<p><em>Lead image of a very disappointed cat courtesy of <a href="http://www.popkitten.com/sad-cats/" target="_blank">PopKitten</a> via <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/homedepot/15-cats-that-are-very-disappointed-in-you-7g48" target="_blank">Buzzfeed</a>; image of a worried boxer courtesy of <a href="http://birdstalkingtoo.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html" target="_blank">BirdsTalkingToo</a>; photo of Ted Rheingold at ForumCon 2013 courtesy of Crystal Coleman</em></p></div>How To Convert Mailing Lists Into Active Community Membershttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/how-to-convert-mailing-lists-into-active-community-members2013-04-23T17:19:14.000Z2013-04-23T17:19:14.000ZRichard Millingtonhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/RichardMillington<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208151?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>You might be lucky and have a big mailing list at your disposal to get your community started. It's tempting to announce the launch of your community to this entire list. This is a mistake.</p><p>Nobody cares. Nobody is looking to join a community. Worse, you will waste your first impression. Those potential members are gone for good.</p><p>Use these steps to improve the conversion rate of mailing list recipients to active community members.</p><ol><li><b>Seed the community.</b> Before you promote the community to this list, you need to have a community already there. You need to seed your community. You need to have people who already consider themselves members and have something to show your mailing list.</li><li><b>Give potential members something to do.</b> Here is an important lesson. Never promote a community, promote something members can do <i>in</i> the community. Initiate something in the community that members can be involved with. This might be a discussion or an event.</li><li><b>Segment your list.</b> You're not going to message everyone in one e-mail. Divide your list into relevant groups. Decide who you want (and why) and what you want members in your community to do. There are several ways to can segment your group. You want those you know best, most passionate and closest to you to be invited first. Your first few groups should be 10 to 25 members.</li><li><b>Craft your approach.</b> Your approach must be short and specific. Explain why you're approaching them and what you would like them to do. Don't feel compelled to explain everything. If they have questions they will e-mail you. This is the start of a conversation. Conversations are great.</li><li><b>Test different approaches.</b> This is key. Measure the success of each approach and adapt each time. You can give people different things to do. You can make the e-mail shorter or longer. You can try different subject lines.</li><li><b>Follow up, once.</b> After a few days have passed, send a follow up e-mail updating members on how the activity you asked them to participate in is going, include an update about what people you approached contributed.</li><li><b>Plan the first 3 weeks.</b> For those that participated (and you need to sign up to participate), plan the first three weeks. Build personal contacts with them. Schedule the next 3 discussions, events or contributions they can make. It generally takes 3 weeks for something to become a habit. Make sure you perfect your welcome for these 3 weeks.</li></ol><p>The key here is to give potential members something they can do (something that they want to do) and to test different approaches. Start with a small segment of the mailing list and slowly approach larger and larger segments.</p><p>(<i>Image: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4514164700/">@ or at sign made of puzzle pieces on white background</a>, a Creative Commons <a rel="nofollow" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">Attribution (2.0)</a> image from horiavarlan's photostream</i>)</p></div>The Ultimate Welcome For Your Online Community's Newcomershttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-ultimate-welcome-for-your-online-community-s-newcomers2013-04-08T19:23:48.000Z2013-04-08T19:23:48.000ZRichard Millingtonhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/RichardMillington<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208133?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span class="font-size-3">Most communities are setup to repulse newcomers. You have to complete dumb questions when you join. Then you’re asked to introduce yourself to others.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You should welcome members, not out of obligation, but with the firm intention of ensuring they begin participating and making friends within your community. This is the role of the welcome.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">With standard participation rates so low, converting a newcomer into a regular is worth the extra time. These are several steps you can take to do this:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281693?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281693?profile=original" width="191"></a>Drop the automated welcomes.</b> It’s impersonal and makes a newcomer feel like an anonymous outsider. Likewise, don’t use the same welcome for every member.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Introduce yourself.</b> Don’t send a standard e-mail. Welcome the newcomer, ask relevant questions (<i>do you know anyone else here?)</i> The goal here is to begin a conversation, a conversation that continues past the initial interaction. Highlight discussions they might like to participate in. Give them something to do.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Send them a welcome pack.</b> A welcome pack brings newcomers up to speed with the latest happenings in the community and its history.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Introduce others to the new member.</b></span> <span class="font-size-3">Help to place the newcomer in a group with others. Ask those with similar hobbies, of similar age or location to introduce themselves.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Automate discussions.</b> Have answers to your awesome profile questions appear automatically on the user boards so the member gets replies and feedback on his/her discussion.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Have a weekly update of newcomers.</b> Every Friday, update your newspage with a list of newcomers and some information about them. Encourage people to say hi.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The more you design these processes to be efficient, the less effective they will be. The more time you spend with newcomers when they join, the more likely they will become regular members. These regulars are the backbone of your community, they're worth the time.</span></p>
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<p><em><span class="font-size-2">Images courtesy of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.123rf.com/profile_yencha" target="_blank">Chatchai Somwhat</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xanetia/4470169024/" target="_blank">Xanetia</a></span></em></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"> </span></p></div>20 Conversation Starters That Will Get Your Community Talkinghttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/20-conversation-starters-that-will-get-your-community-talking2013-02-28T08:12:53.000Z2013-02-28T08:12:53.000ZRichard Millingtonhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/RichardMillington<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208123?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span class="font-size-3">Are you struggling to stimulate activity in your online community? Do you have lots of members but little participation? Try asking the sorts of questions that stimulate discussion in every online community.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Here are 20 to get you started:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What is your favourite ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Asking members about their favourite anything will stimulate a response. Try it.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What is your average day like?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>People love to talk about themselves. Ask them what their average day is like and they’ll tell you. They’ll also compare it with anyone else that answers.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What do you think about ……….?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Giving opinions is human nature. When you ask for opinions you’ll get a lot.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What advice would you give to the person above you?</b> Careful about these. Can stimulate a lot of activity, can also get way out of hand. Useful for a light-hearted touch to your community efforts.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Can anyone recommend ……….?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>People like to be helpful and show off knowledge. Asking for recommendations will solicit knowledge and engagement from users.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you whilst ……… ? </b>Self explanatory. Let members share their stories. It’ll almost certainly boost activity and return visits. Members will slowly get to know and like each other.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Can anyone fix ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Present a difficult problem, let members try to suggest ways to fix it.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What is the best/worst ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Opinions, opinions, opinions. Solicit them in as many different ways as possible. Pick a sub-category and ask people for their best/worst suggestions.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Who do you most admire?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Pick someone in your niche you most admire and tell others why.</li>
<li> <b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Is {x} really better than {y}?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Make it controversial. Pick an issue members will be split on – but not divisively so. Ask questions about it. Let people take sides.<a href="http://blog-o.ning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Puzzle-Pieces-Conversation-Starters-by-Horia-Varlan.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog-o.ning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Puzzle-Pieces-Conversation-Starters-by-Horia-Varlan.jpg?width=640" width="640" class="align-center" /></a></li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">If you weren’t ……… would you ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Create a hypothetical situation in which all members can give their opinion on something radical.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Who/What are your top 5 ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Ranking is addictive. Ask people to rank their top 5 anything and then try to create an overall ranking based upon the community.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">How would you handle {topical issue}?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>If your members in charge, how would they handle a topical issue in your sector?</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What ………. do you use?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Relevant in almost all online communities, ask people to compare what relevant products/services they use. Companies love this information too.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Does anyone know how to …… ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Does anyone know provokes interest, the how to can be broad or specific. People are likely to participate.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Has anyone tried</b>……….<b>?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Again, has anyone is all-encompassing and people are likely to share their experiences.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Is ………. right about ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Take someone’s stance on a topical issue and throw it open to comment by the entire community.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What would you do if ………. ?</b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;"> </b>Create a hypothetical situation, perhaps a problem lots of people face, and ask members what they would do. Life problems work well here.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">What should every newcomer know about ……….? </b>Well, what should every newcomer know about something relevant in your sector? It’s great advice – perfect for a sticky-thread.</li>
<li><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">Share your pictures/top tips here. </b>Sharing advice and pictures can be an easy win for stimulating activity. Try it. I suspect you will find it easy to gain lots of valuable insights.</li>
</ol>
<p><br />
<span class="font-size-3">Your mileage with any of these questions will vary depending upon the topic sector and the progress of your community. However, if you’re looking to generate some activity, you can try a few of these basic conversation starters to get going.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The more open-ended the question, the more everyone can participate. When you post a question, try prodding a few members to reply and get the activity started.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><em>Images courtesy of <a title="View profile" href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/15898" rel="cc:attributionURL dct:creator">Zorba the Geek</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobaliciouslondon/" target="_blank">bobaliciouslondon</a><br /></em></p>
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