community content - Cultivating Community2024-03-29T09:43:35Zhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/feed/tag/community+content20 Fantastic Content Ideas For Your Online Communityhttps://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/20-fantastic-content-ideas-for-your-online-community2013-05-20T14:30:00.000Z2013-05-20T14:30:00.000ZRichard Millingtonhttps://cultivate.ning.com/community/RichardMillington<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2208292?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span class="font-size-3">The best content for any online community is content about the community. Too many communities focus on advice or industry news. You should focus on community people and activities. Here are 20 fantastic ideas you can use:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><ol><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Week ahead.</strong> Write a weekly piece about what members can expect in the week ahead.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Events preview.</strong> Write an events preview, include predictions from members, short snippet of interviews and other material that involves a broader group.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Events review.</strong> Review recent events. Let others contribute their opinion. Members can reflect on the event together.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Predictions.</strong> Invite members to make predictions about the future, everyone loves to do it.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Interview members.</strong> Members interviews should be cornerstone content. It creates engaged readers for life, encourages referrals and gives people means to compare themselves to others.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Interview VIPs.</strong> VIPs are usually eager to talk to connected groups of people. Mumsnet has interviewed no less than two Prime Ministers. Who is a VIP in your industry?</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Product reviews.</strong> What products are members likely to be using in the future? Can you review some?</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Member achievements.</strong> Who has achieved something fantastic this week? Ask members to submit their achievements.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Gossip column.</strong> Risky, but often popular. Invite members to submit topical gossip and publish it as a weekly column. Go easy on the venom, heavy on the fun.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Member of the week/month.</strong> Like the above, but a member of the week/month tends to be popular. Use promiscuously.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Statement from the community.</strong> On a frequent basis I’d ask members to contribute to a statement from the community. i.e. We’re furious bank fees are going up, please input on what you would like in a statement from the community.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>People on the move.</strong> Who is moving? It might be people changing jobs or people moving house or any relevant ‘move’. Hard to resist this sort of content.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Latest news.</strong> Overused in most communities, but often useful. What’s the latest news in your topic?</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Job vacancies.</strong> Any jobs available? Reach out to recruiters or compile a job tips page. Any information that would encourage people to participate in the job vacancies page.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Competition.</strong> I 'usually' hate competitions. When they’re done right they’re really a lot of fun.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>VIP spotted.</strong> Has any member spotted a VIP at an event recently, submit it here.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Opinion pieces.</strong> Give people in your community a chance to give their opinion in a rotating-authorship opinion section. Everyone gets a turn.</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Guest columnists.</strong> Will any relevant business in your sector write a guest column?</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Advice section.</strong> Summarize the latest advice, what’s the general consensus of the online community?</span></li><li><span class="font-size-3"><strong>News round-up.</strong> What is the round-up of the news this week? It’s a simple place a member can visit to see what’s new without trawling various sources of industry news.</span></li></ol><p><span class="font-size-3">What other content could work for your community?</span></p><p> </p><p>(<i>Image: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gazeronly/5864748047/" target="_self">Destined to Gossip Forever</a>, a Creative Commons <a rel="nofollow" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en">Attribution (2.0)</a> image from torbakhopper's photostream</i>)</p></div>