members - Cultivating Community2024-03-29T12:28:30Zhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/feed/tag/membersInfluencing Community Members [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/influencing-community-members-video2013-08-17T00:20:00.000Z2013-08-17T00:20:00.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p>Gone are the days of ruling an online community with only a scepter and your royal lineage. Modern times have proven that there are three paths to gaining influence in your community: likability, reciprocity, and expertise.</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/72447140?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=75af42" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>The first, likability, is the most common path people take, and it is the most difficult. It is saturated -- most people in your community want to be liked. It is also dependent upon maintaining a positive communication style in even the most difficult of situations (read: patience, verbal smiles). So, if you're aiming to lead the community to great things via likability, you may want to give it a second thought. Or, at the very least, weave some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocity_(social_and_political_philosophy)" target="_blank">reciprocity philosophy</a> into your community strategy. Take notes along the way, too. You don't want to wake up five months later and realize you've only managed to convert six friendlies.</p>
<p>If likability and reciprocity are such time intensive and tricky ways to gain influence in your community, what is the most direct way to gaining the kind of influence that will allow you to really drive your community's success? Expertise. Note that expertise is an especially effective path toward influence in communities of practice where intellect, experience, generosity, and communication skills combine to make the most potent community influence cocktail on the planet.</p>
<p>What is your style of community management? How do you leverage your own influence to get things done in the community? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you!</p>
</div>Optimizing the New Member Experience: Q&A with Videohttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/optimizing-the-new-member-experience-q-a-with-video2013-04-30T21:10:00.000Z2013-04-30T21:10:00.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><span class="font-size-3"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/65113518?byline=0&portrait=0&color=75af42" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/converting-newcomers-into-active-community-members" target="_self">Converting newcomers</a> into active, longtime members of your community doesn't happen overnight. Less than 9% of new unique visitors will ever register for your community, and just a tiny portion of those newcomers will sign-up and stay awhile. BUT, if you get in the habit of measuring and tracking the newcomer journey from day one through day 180, you will gather the insights you need to divert would-be lurkers into core contributors. In this Q&A session, Richard Millington, founder of <a href="http://www.feverbee.com/" target="_blank">FeverBee</a> and author of Buzzing Communities, answers a dozen crowdsourced questions on how to craft a new member strategy with <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-ultimate-welcome-for-your-online-community-s-newcomers" target="_self">warm, welcoming content</a> that will help you captivate and cultivate the best members for your community. </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Imagine the conversion process as a sales funnel.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">From the top down, you have your first time visitors, returning visitors, registered members, first time contributors, regular contributors, and longtime contributors who are still participating six months later. Now, imagine that people are dropping out all along. You can use data to look at where people are dropping out, and test different interventions to improve the ratio.</span></p>
<blockquote>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The thing about converting newcomers into regular members is that if it's not going well, it's a problem that you don't see. Unless you're measuring your data. Unless you're looking at where members are dropping out. This could be something that's happening in your community as well. You could have a lot of members that are visiting your community's home page, and a lot of members that are dropping out along the way.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We looked at a variety of different data points and what we discovered was that for every 1000 members that visited the landing page or home page of the community, only one of them was a regular member six months later.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span class="font-size-3">One of the easiest and quickest ways you can improve your conversion ratio -- and build a much bigger online community than you have right now -- is by identifying and inviting the people who are already talking about your topic. Seek them out on Twitter and LinkedIn, point them to an interesting discussion that's going on in your community and invite them to join.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281684?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281684?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="450" class="align-center"></a>The conversion process doesn't stop at registration.</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">It's not enough to simply promote your community. When you're trying to grow your community, you have to give yourself more time to convert these newcomers into regulars. "For every one minute you spend recruiting someone to join, you're going to need an extra three minutes to convert them into a regular member," says Richard. "It's a rough, but probably fairly accurate ratio." The point being, newcomers need your time and they need your personal attention. BUT, not every member is worthy of a personal introduction. <span>Data shows that i</span>t's best to hold off until a member has made her first contribution. Engaging with and amplifying a first post will go a lot further than a quick 'hello.'</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Design your home page to encourage engagement. </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Latest activity should always be at the top of the homepage -- the first thing a visitor sees. Many organizations bury the important stuff beneath the fold -- the point where you need to scroll down to see what happens. Bold images and logos may look attractive, but they push critical information too far down the page. If the exciting things that are happening within the community are always visible, newcomers will be more inclined to participate right away. It's also a good idea to tweak the positioning of featured discussions, modify the layout, and change the call to action. Over time, if you're measuring your data, you will learn what works and what doesn't.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Be specific.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Make sure the welcome email highlights something within the community. Don't give new members ten things to look at, focus on one specific thing that you want them to do next. That initial post will get her caught up in the notification cycle where she will be more likely to continue participation. Community managers should redirect their energy on getting newcomers to make that first contribution right away. After that first post, it will be easier to build interest, engagement, and connections within the community.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Slow, steady growth is key.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You don't want an explosion of growth or one major promotional push. It can destroy the sense of community that already exists. Imagine if you visited your favorite community tomorrow and no longer recognized any of the contributors? Worse yet, they're all re-posting on topics that were talked through in previous months. If members are introduced to the community on a rolling basis, it is much easier to bring them up to speed and socialize them with existing model members. Facilitating these types of interactions early on will cement the foundation for the types of collaboration that make the community thrive. </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Don't promote the community.</strong> </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Promote something that happens within the community. That way, visitors are primed to participate in something straight away. You have a relatively small window of time to encourage participation. If the engagement doesn't happen within the first few hours or days, it's far more likely for a new member to become a lurker and far more difficult to provoke future contributions.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>The six month mark.</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You want newcomers to be participating in your community six months later. Six months is the standard amount of time someone has to participate in a community before they can be categorized as a regular.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You can improve these metrics quickly by measuring a newcomer's journey. The important thing is that you analyze new member behavior regularly and use those insights to calculate your next intervention. For more insights, watch Richard's webinar on <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/converting-newcomers-into-active-community-members" target="_self">Converting Newcomers into Active Community Members</a>. And, stay tuned for an overview of how to use Google Analytics and member data to track member activity from registration through the first six months.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://feverbee.com/ning.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281731?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="150" style="padding: 9px;" class="align-right"></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For more community management best practices, </span><a href="http://www.feverbee.com/ning.html" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">download</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> half of </span><em style="font-size: 12pt;">Buzzing Communities: How to Build Bigger, Better, and More Active Online Communities</em><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> for free, then thank </span><a href="http://twitter.com/richmillington" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">@RichMillington</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">!</span></p>
<hr>
<p>Optimizing The New Member Experience: Q&A is the sixth 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 already shared strategies for 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. </p>
<p>To be alerted of upcoming Community Management Talks, <a href="mailto:ningsocial@glam.com" target="_blank">email Allison</a> with the subject line "Add me."</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>
<p></p>
<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>How to Deal With Antagonistic Membershttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/how-to-deal-with-antagonistic-members-12013-04-02T17:56:52.000Z2013-04-02T17:56:52.000ZRichard Millingtonhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/RichardMillington<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208115?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=300"></div><div><p>Many community managers are either too slow or too fast to remove antagonistic members. They either remove the antagonistic member without fully realizing the role this individual plays within the community, or they spend copious amounts of time trying to convert the antagonist into a happy member.</p>
<p>One community manager I spoke with a few weeks ago had recently spent <i>half a day</i> resolving a problem with antagonistic members. That’s insane, what happens when you have 20 antagonistic members a week? Are you going to spend ALL your time on your community’s unhappy participants?</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281722?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281722?profile=original" class="align-center" width="550"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Antagonistic members aren’t always bad. They can provoke discussions, highlight topics that other members were hesitant to address, put forward opposing (if unpopular) view- points, and prevent groupthink in communities. Communities where everyone agrees and gets along are dull.</p>
<p>Even the most antagonistic members can unite the community against them. This sounds crazy (and I’ve received plenty of criticism for it), but a community united against a few individuals can actually derive benefits.</p>
<p>The question you need to ask is: Does this antagonistic member kill or boost discussions?</p>
<p>Antagonistic members might not be breaking any rules, but may still have to go simply by virtue of squelching every discussion they participate in. Otherwise, antagonistic members should be allowed to stay because they have a beneficial impact upon the community.</p>
<p>Don’t fall into the reactivity trap. Don’t get sucked in to spending hours of your time trying to deal with antagonistic members. Make quick decisions and take quick actions.</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281764?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281764?profile=original" class="align-right" width="300"></a></p>
<p>I often offer clients a six-step escalation process:</p>
<ol>
<li><b>Do nothing</b>. This is my favorite step. It doesn’t require much work. If neither the number of participating members nor the quantity of contributions is declining, let it slide.</li>
<li><b>Reason/befriend/distract</b>. If the antagonistic member is clearly a problem, you react in one of three ways. First, if it’s likely they don’t realize they’re antagonizing members (this is surprisingly common, usually a personality issue), explain they need to tone their language down because members have been complaining. If they have a genuine grievance or concern, try to ask them what the real problem is and how you can help solve it. Finally, if they are focused upon one particular issue, distract them by giving them a column, or responsibility for a certain topic to express their viewpoint.</li>
<li><b>Suspend</b>. If none of the above works, suspend the member and explain why. Suspension can range from three days (one day isn’t enough) to one week. You can do this manually or use any system you like.</li>
<li><b>Ban</b>. If after a suspension they still cause problems, remove them from the community. Lock the account or ban the IP address from registering an account.</li>
<li><b>Edit/Repel</b>. Some members continue to register new accounts (or mask their IP address). They’re intent on causing trouble. Some community managers get caught in a cat-and-mouse game. They ban the new accounts and others continue to spring up. An endurance game, it continues until one side gets tired. It’s best left to volunteers. I’ve had some success by editing comments posted by the member to something softer (usually complimenting other members).</li>
<li><b>Contact ISP/Police</b>. If the member continues to return or is engaged in threatening/illegal activity, either contact their ISP or the police. You can jump straight to this stage if necessary.</li>
</ol>
<p><br> The goal of this process is to move from one stage to the next whilst spending as little time on antagonistic members as possible. The danger is rarely antagonistic members themselves; it’s the amount of time you spend on them. Over time, you neglect your happy members and can lose many members as a result. Make sure that doesn’t happen to you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Images courtesy of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://th02.deviantart.net/">th02</a> and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://raidho36.deviantart.com/">raidho36</a> </em></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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