richard millington - Cultivating Community2024-03-28T17:11:50Zhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/feed/tag/richard%2BmillingtonBack By Popular Demand: Ask Richard Millington Your Community Questionshttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/back-by-popular-demand-ask-richard-millington-your-community-ques2014-04-30T19:00:34.000Z2014-04-30T19:00:34.000ZCrystalhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/CrystalC<div><p><span>There were so many questions we didn't get around to answering from the last webinar that we're doing it all over again!</span><br> <br> <span>On </span><a href="https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/435250166" target="_blank">Wednesday, May 14th</a><span>, FeverBee's Richard Millington will join us for another hour of Questions and Answers related to your community's growth, organization, and health. </span></p>
<p>Richard has helped 100+ organizations develop successful communities. Clients like The United Nations, Novartis, Oracle, Greenpeace, Autodesk, and many more. On On May 7th, he'll be here to help you. Take advantage of this unique opportunity, invite your colleagues, and come with questions!</p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3" data-mce-mark="1"> </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Wednesday, May 14th at 9am PDT</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/435250166" target="_blank"><img src="http://creators.ning.com/images/signupnow.png" class="align-center"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3">(find your <a href="http://everytimezone.com/#2014-5-14,240,6bj" target="_blank">local time here</a>) </span></p>
<p><strong>About the Presenter</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"></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 <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/" target="_blank"><font color="#75AF2D">Cultivating Community</font></a> 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 April 3rd 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>Advanced Social Sciences for Community Builders [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/advanced-social-sciences-for-community-builders-video2013-10-23T18:00:49.000Z2013-10-23T18:00:49.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KIqQR7YuZdQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p>On Tuesday, Richard Millington joined us to explain 16 social science concepts that are relevant to community builders. Hit play on the recording above to learn more about the advanced social sciences that underpin our work as community builders and get insight into how you can leverage these concepts to influence behavior and build bigger, better, and more active communities.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1282037?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1282037?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-center"></a><em>(Click image to view larger size)</em></p>
<p>Unlike <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/community+management+talks" target="_self">past presentations</a>, there is no direct connection between the themes discussed outside of the fact that they are all concepts sprung from the social sciences. I found this non-narrative approach refreshing and at the end of the hour was left with the urge to research and find out more about the <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=social+identity+theory&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=" target="_blank">Social Identity Theory</a>, <a href="http://www.behaviormodel.org/" target="_blank">BJ Fogg's Behavior Model</a>, roles and labeling effects, and the new best friend theory. On Richard's recommendation, I added <a href="http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Situationist</a>, <a href="http://www.spring.org.uk/" target="_blank">PsyBlog</a>, and <a href="http://gpi.sagepub.com/" target="_blank">Group Processes and Intergroup Relations</a> to my reading list; if you're interested in the topic, you should do the same! Scroll on for key takeaways shared on Twitter and add your own thoughts in the comments below. </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Don't overload your community with unused features... focus on what people are actually using <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NingTalk&src=hash">#NingTalk</a></p> — Crystal Coleman (@thatgirlcrystal)
<a href="https://twitter.com/thatgirlcrystal/statuses/392688591056285696">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>For <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23communities&src=hash">#communities</a>, major goals are too daunting, smaller, achievable goals elicits more productive engagement <a href="https://twitter.com/RichMillington">@richmillington</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ningtalk&src=hash">#ningtalk</a></p> — Catherine Shinners (@catshinners)
<a href="https://twitter.com/catshinners/statuses/392694353241862144">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>"The Vocal Minority Believe that they speak on behalf of everyone" - <a href="https://twitter.com/RichMillington">@RichMillington</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NingTalk&src=hash">#NingTalk</a></p> — Alethe Denis (@Leafies42)
<a href="https://twitter.com/Leafies42/statuses/392688181822255104">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>People become the expectations of them. If you give people roles & implied characteristics, they will adopt those tendencies. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NingTalk&src=hash">#NingTalk</a></p> — Allison Leahy (@zapleahy)
<a href="https://twitter.com/zapleahy/statuses/392693191205351424">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Communities that last the longest have the strongest sense of community. - <a href="https://twitter.com/RichMillington">@RichMillington</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NingTalk&src=hash">#NingTalk</a> <a href="http://t.co/hx4nw8ifiH">pic.twitter.com/hx4nw8ifiH</a></p> — Ning (@Ning)
<a href="https://twitter.com/Ning/statuses/392687032423575552">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Inspiring, Enlightening & Motivational! Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/RichMillington">@RichMillington</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Ning">@Ning</a> for a great <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NingTalk&src=hash">#NingTalk</a></p> — Penni Shelton (@PenniShelton)
<a href="https://twitter.com/PenniShelton/statuses/392711001562296320">October 22, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"></blockquote>
<hr>
<p>For more community management best practices, <a href="http://www.feverbee.com/ning.html" target="_blank">download</a> half of <em>Buzzing Communities: How to Build Bigger, Better, and More Active Online Communities</em> for free, then thank <a href="http://twitter.com/richmillington" target="_blank">@RichMillington</a>!</p>
<p>Advanced Social Sciences for Community Builders is part of the <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/community-management-talks" target="_self">Ning Community Management Talks</a> series. Past presentations cover topics including strategies for generating activity, managing growth, facilitating member engagement, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/metrics-and-measurement-for-community-health-video" target="_self">metrics and measurement for community health</a>, and the science behind it all. </p></div>Metrics and Measurement for Community Health [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/metrics-and-measurement-for-community-health-video2013-10-08T15:40:00.000Z2013-10-08T15:40:00.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Jb_EeBqp8s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3">If you want to increase the number of members who are participating in your community,</span><span class="font-size-3"> where should you focus your time to get the best results? Should you be promoting your community on Facebook and Twitter, or reaching out to members privately by email?</span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3">If 50 community members are complaining about a site change, what should you do? Should you revert back to the original design, should you survey members to find out more, or should you do nothing at all?</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3"><span class="font-size-3">The answers to these questions and more are in your community's data. You must collect data to understand h</span></span><span class="font-size-3">ow successful your community engagement efforts are and wha</span><span class="font-size-3">t is or isn't working in your community. </span></span><span class="font-size-3">A data-driven community manager would look at which channels are giving them the members that actually convert to regular participants of the community. She would recognize the complaints, but would soon realize t<span class="font-size-3">hat what members get riled up about can actually be irrelevant to what they're doing. </span></span><span class="font-size-3"><br /></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Once you start gathering data, you will begin to track and learn how your community is progressing through its lifecycle. From there, you can design interventions to increase engagement, improve the sense of community, and make your community a success. Measuring data is a critical part in knowing where you are now, it can help you:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><font size="3">Deal with unseen problems</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Respond properly to vocal minorities</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Allocate your time</font></li>
<li><font size="3">Optimize your tasks</font></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">I</span><span class="font-size-3">n the recording above, FeverBee</span><span class="font-size-3"> founder and community consultant Richard Millington reviews the many <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/measuring-an-online-community-master-your-data-to-gain-an-unfair-" target="_self">important metrics you can gather data around</a>, including: <span class="font-size-3"><br /></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>New visitors</b>. This shows whether your outreach is successful. Always compare it to the previous month and six months ago. You should also analyze where these visitors arrived from and track how many of each progressed into active members. You can also track the success of each different source of members (where does the best quality traffic come from?)</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>New visitors to new registered members</b>. This shows whether your website is optimized for converting a curious visitor into a member and whether you're attracting the right sort of visitors. You can go further and measure their progress through each stage of the registration form.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Percentage of members who make a contribution</b>. This shows whether you are converting those that register into participants within the community. If this is low, you might be just collecting lurkers.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Members active within the past 30 days</b>. This shows whether you are gaining or losing active members. When this number starts to drop, you have a serious problem and a limited amount of time to correct course.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Contributions per active member per month</b>. This is an activity per member ratio. If this drops, members are less engaged in the community and this could lead to more members leaving. This might also show if a small number of members are dominating the discussions.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Visits per active member per month</b>. This shows how often members visit the community. The less frequently members visit, the more likely the contributions will drop and the number of active members will depart. This may also show the popularity of events held in the community.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3"><b>Content popularity</b>. Each piece of content can and should be measured. How many people read it and how many responded to it. This will indicate which content items are most popular and which should be discontinued.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In addition to quantitative metrics, you may want to gather information about the the sentiment in your community. Feel free to use this <a href="http://bit.ly/18EEHrS" target="_blank">Sense of Community Index</a> to <span class="font-size-3">survey your members on an annual or bi-annual basis.</span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">For more community management best practices, </span><a href="http://www.feverbee.com/ning.html" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">download</a><span class="font-size-3"> half of </span><em style="font-size: 12pt;">Buzzing Communities: How to Build Bigger, Better, and More Active Online Communities</em><span class="font-size-3"> for free, then thank </span><a href="http://twitter.com/richmillington" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">@RichMillington</a><span class="font-size-3">!</span></p>
<hr />
<p>Metrics and Measurement for Community Health is part of the <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/community-management-talks" target="_self">Ning Community Management Talks</a> series. Past presentations cover topics including 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>
</div>Upcoming Webinar: Metrics and Measurement for Community Healthhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/upcoming-webinar-metrics-and-measurement-for-community-health2013-09-24T19:04:22.000Z2013-09-24T19:04:22.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281949?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281949?profile=original" width="302" class="align-right" height="259"></a><span class="font-size-3">You shouldn't be guessing what is or isn't working in your community. You should be gathering and analyzing data about your community's health. Metrics can paint a vivid picture about whether your existing, active members are more or less engaged in the community, and they can highlight anything that might be a cause for concern.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">If you want to answer questions about how healthy your community is, begin by gathering data. <a href="http://click.et.ning.com/?qs=0dabfa53cca88cb2f91419bf0caaaf4631f091f1ae6401816e44e0bfe0cbf9f4"><font color="#75AF2D">Join us October 1st</font></a> at 11am Pacific time to find out how to capture and interpret the data that will tell you if you have a healthy community.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">At the end of this webinar, you will be able to determine the difference between metrics for return on investment (ROI) and metrics for community health, identify key data points that you should collect to track community health, and turn this data into actionable insights about your community. </span><a href="http://click.et.ning.com/?qs=0dabfa53cca88cb2f91419bf0caaaf4631f091f1ae6401816e44e0bfe0cbf9f4" target="_blank"><br></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>Tuesday, October 1st at 11am PDT</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/135349318" target="_blank"><img src="http://creators.ning.com/images/signupnow.png" class="align-center"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">(find your <a href="http://everytimezone.com/#2013-10-1,360,6bj" target="_blank"><font color="#75AF2D">local time here</font></a>)</p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong><big>Key Takeaways</big></strong></span></p>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3">The difference between metrics for ROI and metrics for Community Health</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Key data you should collect to track and determine Community Health </span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">How to turn this data into actionable insights about your community </span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">How lurkers add value to your community </span></li>
</ul> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong><big>About the Presenter</big></strong></span></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 on <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com" target="_blank"><font color="#75AF2D">Cultivating Community</font></a> 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 October 1st at 11am 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>The Online Community Lifecycle [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-online-community-lifecycle-video2013-08-29T23:29:06.000Z2013-08-29T23:29:06.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><p><span class="font-size-3">Over the past few decades, the concept of an online community lifecycle has been developed by academics and refined by practitioners, but there still isn’t a single agreed upon lifecycle. Some focus heavily on the launch period and others are not associated with any metrics. This is what prompted FeverBee to dig into the subject and redefine <a href="http://course.feverbee.com/lifecycle20.png" target="_blank">The Online Community Lifecycle</a> based upon initial research by <a href="http://isl.cgu.edu/publicationpdf/16_ACM_CSUR_2006-0042_Online_Communities_Iriberri_and_Leroy_temp_online.pdf" target="_blank">Leroy and Irriberi</a> and their own experience. The result is an lifecycle that can be recognized as a progression through four phases: <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-online-community-lifecycle-stage-one-inception" target="_self">inception</a>, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-online-community-lifecycle-stage-two-establishment" target="_self">establishment</a>, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-online-community-lifecycle-stage-three-maturity" target="_self">maturity</a>, and <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-online-community-lifecycle-stage-four-mitosis" target="_self">mitosis</a>. Tied to each phase of the lifecycle is an objective, specific tasks, and data-based indicators of development. Watch the recording of Richard Millington's presentation below to learn more.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LGspJjUUWvE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Online communities develop along a relatively fixed path. They start small and steadily grow larger, and they have different needs at each of these various stages. If you've watched the video, you now know how to measure the progress of a community and use those measurements to identify what you should be doing in your community. Your goal, and the goal of every community manager, is to <i>progress your community through the lifecycle</i>. If you achieve this, you maximize what your community can be, the benefit it brings to your organization, and the benefits that members gain from the community. </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3">What phase of the community lifecycle is your community in?</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">What activities do you prioritize, and have these priorities shifted over time?</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Does The Online Community Lifecycle align with your understanding and experience? Is there anything you would add?</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Join the discussion over on the <a href="http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/the-community-lifecycle-the-discussion" target="_blank">Ning Creators network</a> or share your response as a comment below.</span></p>
<p></p>
</div>Upcoming 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>Influencing 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>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>Create Content That Your Community Will Love [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/content-and-community-webinar-recording-with-richard-millington2013-05-15T14:59:50.000Z2013-05-15T14:59:50.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208229?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-0a99ba80-a4d5-11a9-528a-4fb5903d9b53" style="font-size: 12pt;">Publish content that your community will love and you may never be a victim of writer's block again. </b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This sounds like a paradox, but it is the reality of creating a terrific content strategy.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span class="font-size-3">With media consumption on the rise, it's increasingly important to publish stories that are hyper-relevant to your audience. For a community manager, this effectively means creating content about your community. "<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The best content for an online community is content about the community," <a href="http://www.feverbee.com/" target="_blank">Richard Millington</a> explained in his recent <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/community-management-talks" target="_self">Community Management Talk</a>. <span>Your community wants to know about its most popular discussions, trending topics, and influential members. </span></span>Watch the full presentation on Content and Community below, and read on to discover the key concepts this recording contains.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><iframe width="740" height="463" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/66199737" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A community manager is like a brand journalist. She must tell the story of her community, and do it in an organized, consistent manner.<span><br></span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><span class="font-size-3">What does terrific content do?</span></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/the-secret-of-awesome-content" target="_self">Terrific content</a> increases participation, establishes a social order, fosters sense of community, and creates a narrative for members to follow. <span> Before you dive right in and begin to create an arsenal of content, you must define your writing style. Take on a tone that is compatible with your community's demographic. For example, if you're writing for scientists, you can incorporate a scholarly vernacular. Conversely, if you are managing a community geared to teens, you will want to adopt more laid back lingo. Whichever slant you take, make it dependable. </span></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><span class="font-size-3">Soliciting guest contributions</span></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span class="font-size-3">Guess what? All that terrific content doesn't have to be created by the community team. <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/20-conversation-starters-that-will-get-your-community-talking" target="_self">Encouraging contributions</a> from your members will provide them with a sense of influence and remove much of the burden. To f</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">acilitate member contributions, set up an email address for members to submit news and opinions. Call them out when their story is published and link back or refer to it when the opportunity arises. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can generate additional outside interest in your community by inviting more established professionals to contribute their thoughts on a topic, as well. While it stands to reason that members of your community are invested and motivated to share knowledge, subject matter experts can be swayed by the same tenets of social psychology -- the desire for recognition and the opportunity to improve their personal brand. For ideas on how to solicit expert contributions, Richard recommends reading Tim Ferriss' lengthy article <a href="http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2012/12/18/hacking-kickstarter-how-to-raise-100000-in-10-days-includes-successful-templates-e-mails-etc/" target="_blank">How to Hack Kickstarter</a> -- it's full of useful tips that will help you build relationships with <span>influential people<span>.</span></span><br></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>The end goal</strong></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span class="font-size-3">The line between editorial, advertorial and commercial content is thinly drawn, but the end goal of any content strategy remains the same. The posts you write for your community should inform, inspire, delight, entertain, and add value. Keep this top of mind, and your community will show its thanks through higher engagement and increased activity.</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></p>
<p></p>
<p><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>Content and Community 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 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. Richard's previous webinars with Ning cover topics including 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. 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>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>Converting Newcomers Into Active Community Members [Video]https://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/converting-newcomers-into-active-community-members2013-04-22T20:54:47.000Z2013-04-22T20:54:47.000ZAllison Leahyhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208149?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><div class="description_wrapper">
<div class="description" data-expand-tooltip="Click to expand description" itemprop="description">
<p class="first"><span class="font-size-3">Some community managers wait for visitors to stumble upon their community, then throw the kitchen sink at them to keep them active. This approach seems like it might be helpful, but it can actually overwhelm newcomers and scare activity away. According to a <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jaime/ArguelloCHI06.pdf" target="_blank">study</a> on the foundation for successful online communities, 68% of members will post just one message. Research also shows that many prospective members will sign up for a community just to gain access to the information there. They don't even anticipate involving themselves in the conversation -- the social and emotional aspects of the community. As community managers, our challenge is to help newcomers overcome any social fear of participation. We must motivate them to contribute by engaging</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> them from the start, then continuing to encourage collaboration and its related affinities. There are plenty of tools and techniques to help us dial it in.</span></p>
<p class="first"><span class="font-size-3">In the following webinar, FeverBee's <a href="http://www.feverbee.com" target="_blank">Richard Millington</a> reviews key elements of the conversion process and shares a data-based approach for crafting the ideal new member experience. Watch this presentation to learn how to optimize a new member's journey from registration through the first major milestones and how to combine social and technological processes to boost conversion rates. (The Q&A is available <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/optimizing-the-new-member-experience-q-a-with-video?context=category-community+management+talks" target="_self">here</a>.)</span><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IhHjS8BolvQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Not for the faint of heart, this lesson requires you to roll up your sleeves and dive into community data using stratified sampling techniques to better understand your current conversion ratios. You will be tasked with using Google Analytics and community metrics to:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Find the number of unique, new IP address (visitors) and compare that with how many new members registered for your community within the previous 30 days. (Hint: 9% is average for new communities that do not apply any of these optimization techniques.)</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Calculate the number of newly registered members that convert into active participants within the first 30 days.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Generate a systematic sampling of 100 registered members within the past month and find out whether those members made contributions and/or where they dropped out.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Identify when and where members drop out, so you can pinpoint when and where you should intervene in order to keep members on target to hit milestones that will help them through their first three months -- the point at which newbies transition from participants into regular, long-term members of the community.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Now that you have an idea of how many (or few) members stick with you to create and comment on a few posts, it's time to make some changes! There are many tools at our disposal, and we can plan a variety of interventions to increase initial participation. We can...</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Tinker with the notification system by modifying its subject line, altering the content, adjusting the number of messages or the time they are delivered,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and changing who the notes come from.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Increase community response time, so that anyone who posts a comment or new discussion will receive a response within 12 hours.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Modify the characteristics of each response to align with that particular member's journey.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Create more robust new member guidelines and include more pointers on how to participate, and information on the culture and history of the community.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Get creative and iterate.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">What kinds of programs do you have in place to make your new member journey <span>that prepares newcomers to participate and motivates them to remain active?</span></span></p>
<p> </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>Converting Newcomers Into Active Community Members is the fifth in a series of Community Management Talks with <a href="http://feverbee.com" target="_blank">FeverBee</a> founder Richard Millington, who has already shared strategies for generating activity, managing growth, <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/content-and-community-webinar-recording-with-richard-millington" target="_self">creating content</a>, facilitating member engagement, and the science behind it all. Richard has spent the last 10 years mastering a range of social sciences, refining key community management skills, learning how to use and apply data, collaborating with over a hundred different organizations, and amassing a collection of case studies to tackle every situation. </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>
</div></div>