At Blacks Gone Geek, we believe that whether you looking for a job or starting a small business, you will need the same thing, an online presence, a web presence that brings legitimacy to you and your cause. Believe it or not, it has become really easy to get started with little or no financial investment. All it takes is a little time and know how and a passion for building an online following.
What is an Online Community?
An online community (also known as a virtual community, e-community) is an interactive group of people joined by a common purpose and interest by electronic forms of communication mediums such as newsletters, telephone, email, internet social network service or instant messaging. Electronic forms are instituted rather than face to face interactions, for convenience, social, professional, educational and other purposes. When used for computer networking, an online community is a powerful mechanism for marketing, product development customer retention and insight, and overall web presence. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks.,
In a survey conducted by Deloitte Services, LLP director of product innovation, Ed Moran noted, “ [Online] Communities can extend the edge …in truly transformative ways -- tapping into new talent, helping design products and services, providing customer support and, most importantly, building the brand with the customer,".
Deloitte also noted that the [online] community features that most contribute to community effectiveness are:
· 53%-Ability for community members to connect with like minded people.
· 43%-Ability for members to help others
· 41%-Community focus around hot topic or issue
What is social media?
Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that is intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences. The term also refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences. (Wiki) The goal of social media is people engaging with one another to share; thus providing an electronic platform for word of mouth marketing and networking that can deliver engaging and socially relevant products and services with cutting edge technology applications.
Online communities use social media to provide tools that foster intuitive conversations around topics that are identified by its users. Businesses rely heavily on social media for its products and services. They refer to it as user-generated content (UGC) which is defined as various kinds of media content, publicly available, which is produced by end-users; or consumer generated media (CGM) defined as a reference to posts made by consumers within online venues such as internet forums, blogs, wikis, discussion lists etc., on products that they have purchased, questions they have or problems they are trying to solve. (Wiki)
What is social networking?
Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Based on the six degrees of separation concept (the idea that any two people on the planet could make contact through a chain of no more than five intermediaries), social networking establishes interconnected Internet communities (sometimes known as personal networks) that help people make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be unlikely to have met otherwise. In theory, any individual can make contact through anyone they have a connection to any of the people that person has a connection to, and so on. The internet has the unparalleled potential to promote such connections is only now being fully recognized and exploited, through Web-based groups (such as online communities as social networking websites) established for that purpose.
Social networking facilitates the building of online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. (Wiki)
Social networking websites allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. Networking sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but the actual networking with others helps strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Most sites cater to diverse audiences, and attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.
How much time does it take to build and grow an online community?
Some of the strongest online communities have grown naturally in supportive environments. Craig's List grew out of one man sending out job notices and apartment listings to his friends. Now Craig's List is a nonprofit organization reaching 37,000 people daily (Knefel 1998). Echo, a famous New York City based virtual salon, grew from the mind and energy of one very dynamic woman and a close group of friends (Horn 1998). The most famous online community, The WELL, was started in 1985 by a very small group. 11 years later it had 10,000 members and over 250 quality conferences (Hafner 1997). As architects of online learning communities, it is important to remember to try and control the growth, not the group. You can create an environment and plant some seeds, but it's the members of a community that grow that community. Even the big companies who are said to be "building online communities" are really growing them by giving, or selling, the tools with which people can grow their own.
Most online communities grow slowly at first, due in part to the fact that the strength of motivation for contributing is usually proportional to the size of the community. As the size of the potential audience increases, so does the attraction of writing and contributing. This, coupled with the fact that organizational culture does not change overnight, means creators can expect slow progress at first with a new virtual community. As more people begin to participate, however, the aforementioned motivations will increase, creating a virtuous cycle in which more participation begets more participation. (Wiki)
Community adoption can be forecast with the Bass diffusion model, originally conceived by Frank Bass to describe the process by which new products get adopted as an interaction between innovative early adopters and those who follow them. (Wiki)
Why do we use a web centric model?
A web centric model is the switch in focus from outbound marketing (solicitation of the customer) to an inbound (customer initiated solicitation) marketing focus. The inbound marketing focus attracts the customer to a site for products, information and services needed. It offers the possibilities of a ‘one-stop shopping’ experience where traffic from one main (parent) site can be re-directed to several different outside sites. There are three key components of a successful web centric model that will be discussed: Content, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media.
Why build an online community?
Online communities allow members to form a strong bond promoting social interaction and an exchange of ideas between users in a virtual setting. The uses and purposes of online communities are infinite and respectfully defined by its members allowing diverse talents to converge and explore one or several different experiences. These communities provide products and services in an ever evolving world that allows people to get connected to new people and become connected to new people who may have been previously geographically unreachable.
Job seekers can post resumes, search for employment and find a wealth of help and information regarding their career and aspirations. They can also be found by potential employers by creating an avenue that gives an employer direct access to an individual. Efforts can be concentrated differently as the days of walking into an establishment to fill out an application and submit a resume are long gone.
Churches, non-profit and community organizations can provide a wealth of services to reach their membership as well as attract new people with an interest and curiosity for their followers.
Entrepreneurs can use social media to promote their businesses. You online community can be used to generate traffic to your website and your website can be used to convert leads into paying customers.
What are the steps to create an online community?
1) Establish your purpose products and services
2) Identify your target market
3) Determine how you will reach your target market.
4) Determine how you will attract your target market to your online community.
5) How will you make money (e.g. leads, conversions)?
6) Who is your competition and how can you learn from them?
7) Pick your team (webmaster, co-editor, moderator, etc.)
8) Select the components of your technical solution (website, blog, discussion forum, profiles, e-mail marketing solution)
9) Establish and monitor operational metrics, key performance indicators (KPI’s) and measures of success (e.g. number of community members, Facebook friends, etc.)
10) Generate traffic using inbound and outbound marketing techniques.