Tara Hunt @ FOWA Feb 07

building online communities Tara ‘miss rogue’ Hunt, Citizen Agency

summary

summary 1. What makes a community?

summary 1. What makes a community? 2. Examples of communities

summary 1. What makes a community? 2. Examples of communities 3. Common community themes

summary 1. What makes a community? 2. Examples of communities 3. Common community themes 4. Setting fertile ground for your own community

What makes a community?

community Community can include the dimensions of geographic location, psychological ties and/or people working together toward a common goal.

virtual community A virtual space supported by computer-based information technology, centered upon communication and interaction of participants to generate member-driven content, resulting in relationships being built up. (Lee & Vogel, 2003)

characteristics of a virtual community

characteristics of a virtual community • personal homepage/proﬁle (ie. url.com/ people/missrogue)

characteristics of a virtual community • personal homepage/proﬁle (ie. url.com/ people/missrogue) • personal content creation

characteristics of a virtual community • personal homepage/proﬁle (ie. url.com/ people/missrogue) • personal content creation • ability to interact with others’ content

characteristics of a virtual community • personal homepage/proﬁle (ie. url.com/ people/missrogue) • personal content creation • ability to interact with others’ content • ability to ‘friend’ and share content

succession

succession visitor

succession visitor customer

succession community visitor customer member

beneﬁts of community

beneﬁts of community • heightened customer loyalty

beneﬁts of community • heightened customer loyalty • self-policing

beneﬁts of community • heightened customer loyalty • self-policing • ampliﬁed word of mouth

beneﬁts of community • heightened customer loyalty • self-policing • ampliﬁed word of mouth • better feedback

benefits of community • heightened customer loyalty • self-policing • amplified word of mouth • better feedback • stronger & more interesting filters on content

Examples of communities

3 levels of community

3 levels of community 1. Lightweight Social Processes

3 levels of community 1. Lightweight Social Processes 2. Collaborative Information Structures

3 levels of community 1. Lightweight Social Processes 2. Collaborative Information Structures 3. High End Collaboration

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation.

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • DIGG

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • DIGG • Last.fm

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • DIGG • Last.fm • Craigslist

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • • DIGG Del.icio.us • Last.fm • Craigslist

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • • DIGG Del.icio.us • • Last.fm Amazon • Craigslist

lightweight social processes Low-barrier social involvement like voting and the recording of personal participation. • • DIGG Del.icio.us • • Last.fm Amazon • • Craigslist Netvibes

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact.

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • Flickr

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • Flickr • YouTube

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • Flickr • YouTube • Threadless

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • • Flickr Facebook • YouTube • Threadless

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • • Flickr Facebook • • YouTube Odeo • Threadless

collaborative information structures Core product enhanced by a social component, deeper participation to interact. • • Flickr Facebook • • YouTube Odeo • • Threadless Developer networks

high end collaboration Groups utilizing systems to make sense and share complex materials and data.

high end collaboration Groups utilizing systems to make sense and share complex materials and data. • Wikipedia

high end collaboration Groups utilizing systems to make sense and share complex materials and data. • Wikipedia • Lostpedia

high end collaboration Groups utilizing systems to make sense and share complex materials and data. • Open Source • Wikipedia projects • Lostpedia

high end collaboration Groups utilizing systems to make sense and share complex materials and data. • Open Source • Wikipedia projects • Lostpedia • Couchsurﬁng

3 levels of community 1. Lightweight Social Processes 2. Collaborative Information Structures 3. High End Collaboration

Common community themes

communities studied

communities studied • Flickr - photo sharing community

communities studied • Flickr - photo sharing community • Twitter - sms community

communities studied • Flickr - photo sharing community • Twitter - sms community • Wordpress - developer community

communities studied • Flickr - photo sharing community • Twitter - sms community • Wordpress - developer community • Threadless - art-based apparel community

communities studied • Flickr - photo sharing community • Twitter - sms community • Wordpress - developer community • Threadless - art-based apparel community • BarCamp - geek conference community

common themes

common themes • sense of fun/play

common themes • sense of fun/play • keeping the dialogue going

common themes • sense of fun/play • keeping the dialogue going • “wouldn’t it be awesome if...” development

common themes • sense of fun/play • keeping the dialogue going • “wouldn’t it be awesome if...” development • maximized the power of word of mouth

more common themes

more common themes • simple platforms for building on

more common themes • simple platforms for building on • compelling stories

more common themes • simple platforms for building on • compelling stories • rewarding of community members

“Have Fun” • Founders having fun, very public about the necessity of fun (the necessity to enjoy one’s work)

“I just wanted to create a company that would be as much fun and as fulﬁlling as possible. Fun in work to me means a lot of freedom, and ton of creativity, working with people I respect and like, and pursuing ideas that are just crazy enough to work. I don't want to have to worry about getting buy-in from executives or a board, raising money, worrying about investor's perceptions, or cashing out.” ~ Ev, Twitter ~

“Have Fun” • Playful messaging and images on the site

twitter’s 404 message

wordpress

keeping the dialogue going

keeping the dialogue going • Personal use of the product

Twitter

keeping the dialogue going • Involved personally in customer support

Wordpress

Wordpress From the Future of Web Apps in San Francisco:

Wordpress From the Future of Web Apps in San Francisco: “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to answer your own customer support emails.”

Wordpress From the Future of Web Apps in San Francisco: “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to answer your own customer support emails.” - Matt Mullenweg

keeping the dialogue going • Greeting new customers & introducing them to others

Flickr

Flickr “The Flickr team spent a lot of time greeting every user that came to the site, offering them help on how to get engaged with the rest of the community....online community-building is just like being the host of the party - if guests come to a party, and they don't know anyone...they'll leave.”

Flickr “The Flickr team spent a lot of time greeting every user that came to the site, offering them help on how to get engaged with the rest of the community....online community-building is just like being the host of the party - if guests come to a party, and they don't know anyone...they'll leave.” ~ from Christine.net ~

“wouldn’t it be awesome if...” • Take an experimental approach to development

Threadless

Threadless “We basically make all of our decisions to work on a new project after we hear the phrase, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if...” It doesn’t mean everything works, but many things do” ~ Jake, Threadless ~

BarCamp

BarCamp “Everyone was complaining that they hadn’t been invited to FOO Camp, but we thought, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to just have our own?” Nobody thought we could do it. We had 6 days. No location. No people. No food. But it didn’t matter. If it was just the 6 of us in my living room, it would be great.” ~ Chris, BarCamp ~

“wouldn’t it be awesome if...” • Throw away the business plan and learn to embrace the chaos

Flickr

Flickr \"We started the company that produced Flickr to build an online game. Flickr was a side project. It got more popular and then it took over the whole company but it certainly wasn't what we intended to do, so there wasn't any real business plan when we started.\" ~ Stewart, Flickr ~

Google

Google “The Googley Approach to Business \"It's a place where failure coexists with triumph , and ideas bubble up from lightly supervised engineers, none of whom wory too much about their projects ever making money.\"” from Fortune Magazine Article, \"Chaos at Google\"

the power of word of mouth

the power of word of mouth • Built-in a variety of ways to share early on: blog, rss, copy & paste urls (Flickr)

the power of word of mouth • Built-in a variety of ways to share early on: blog, rss, copy & paste urls (Flickr) • Participants are media creators: podcasting, blogging, irc, wiki, etc. (BarCamp)

the power of word of mouth • Built-in a variety of ways to share early on: blog, rss, copy & paste urls (Flickr) • Participants are media creators: podcasting, blogging, irc, wiki, etc. (BarCamp) • Instead of adding more features, added more on-ramps: jabber, email, web-based, etc. (Twitter)

involving community in decisions

involving community in decisions • Listen to your users & be ﬂexible (Flickr)

involving community in decisions • Listen to your users & be ﬂexible (Flickr) • Let the community create the content & make the decisions (Threadless)

involving community in decisions • Listen to your users & be ﬂexible (Flickr) • Let the community create the content & make the decisions (Threadless) • Put the audience in charge (BarCamp)

simple platforms to build on • Google Maps versus Yahoo! Maps

simple platforms to build on

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik]

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik] • Tools, resources, or techniques

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik] • Tools, resources, or techniques • Built by experts

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik] • Tools, resources, or techniques • Built by experts • Usable by non-experts

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik] • Tools, resources, or techniques • Built by experts • Usable by non-experts • Combine with other building blocks

simple platforms to build on • Building blocks [by Tantek Çelik] • Tools, resources, or techniques • Built by experts • Usable by non-experts • Combine with other building blocks • Build larger blocks from smaller blocks

simple platforms to build on

simple platforms to build on • Make your platform simple and extensible (Wordpress)

simple platforms to build on • Make your platform simple and extensible (Wordpress) • Provide a simple, but rich API (Flickr)

simple platforms to build on • Make your platform simple and extensible (Wordpress) • Provide a simple, but rich API (Flickr) • Keep it simple and document it openly (BarCamp)

simple platforms to build on • Make your platform simple and extensible (Wordpress) • Provide a simple, but rich API (Flickr) • Keep it simple and document it openly (BarCamp) • Focus on one function well (Twitter)

simple platforms to build on • Make your platform simple and extensible (Wordpress) • Provide a simple, but rich API (Flickr) • Keep it simple and document it openly (BarCamp) • Focus on one function well (Twitter) • Keep it to the torso (Threadless)

compelling stories

compelling stories • Twitter (the birth of Obvious)

compelling stories • Twitter (the birth of Obvious) • Flickr (GNE to photo sharing)

compelling stories • Twitter (the birth of Obvious) • Flickr (GNE to photo sharing) • Wordpress (Matt, the wonder kid)

compelling stories • Twitter (the birth of Obvious) • Flickr (GNE to photo sharing) • Wordpress (Matt, the wonder kid) • Threadless (Jake and Jake just loved art)

compelling stories • Twitter (the birth of Obvious) • Flickr (GNE to photo sharing) • Wordpress (Matt, the wonder kid) • Threadless (Jake and Jake just loved art) • BarCamp (6 days, no resources, story of will)

community rewards

community rewards • Flickr: free pro accounts, anniversary parties, schwag

community rewards • Flickr: free pro accounts, anniversary parties, schwag • Twitter: featured members, blogging

community rewards • Flickr: free pro accounts, anniversary parties, schwag • Twitter: featured members, blogging • Wordpress: featuring developers

community rewards • Flickr: free pro accounts, anniversary parties, schwag • Twitter: featured members, blogging • Wordpress: featuring developers • Threadless: as they make more $$, so do their artists

community rewards • Flickr: free pro accounts, anniversary parties, schwag • Twitter: featured members, blogging • Wordpress: featuring developers • Threadless: as they make more $$, so do their artists • BarCamp: more privileges as leaders emerge

Setting fertile ground for your own community

motivation

motivation \"What keeps them logging in as a regular part of their routine? Because there is a benefit to the person that makes a real difference in their lives....if it helps you find your next job, or connects you with a new friend, or fulfills that need to have good conversation with a bunch of bright people, then it becomes a real bargain.\" ~ John Coate, Cyberspace Innkeeping: Building Online Community, 1993

sense of community

sense of community 1. Feelings of membership

sense of community 1. Feelings of membership 2. Feelings of inﬂuence

sense of community 1. Feelings of membership 2. Feelings of inﬂuence 3. Integration and fulﬁllment of needs

sense of community 1. Feelings of membership 2. Feelings of inﬂuence 3. Integration and fulﬁllment of needs 4. Shared emotional connection

sense of community 1. Feelings of membership 2. Feelings of inﬂuence 3. Integration and fulﬁllment of needs 4. Shared emotional connection (McMillan and Chavis, 1986)

feelings of membership

feelings of membership • arise from the creation of community boundaries

feelings of membership • arise from the creation of community boundaries • perception of emotional safety

feelings of membership • arise from the creation of community boundaries • perception of emotional safety • sense of belonging to and identiﬁcation with

feelings of membership • arise from the creation of community boundaries • perception of emotional safety • sense of belonging to and identiﬁcation with • use of common symbols, language, etc.

feelings of membership

feelings of membership • includes: personal proﬁle pages, 'friending', deﬁning groups within the larger group (groups), invitations to groups

feelings of membership • includes: personal proﬁle pages, 'friending', deﬁning groups within the larger group (groups), invitations to groups • allow for lots of personal & group expression

feelings of membership • includes: personal proﬁle pages, 'friending', deﬁning groups within the larger group (groups), invitations to groups • allow for lots of personal & group expression • greet new members and introduce them to others with similar interests

feelings of inﬂuence

feelings of inﬂuence • being able to inﬂuence group (voice heard)

feelings of influence • being able to influence group (voice heard) • being able to be influenced by group (learning)

feelings of influence • being able to influence group (voice heard) • being able to be influenced by group (learning) • feedback responsiveness

feelings of influence • being able to influence group (voice heard) • being able to be influenced by group (learning) • feedback responsiveness • rule enforcement and creation by members

feelings of influence • being able to influence group (voice heard) • being able to be influenced by group (learning) • feedback responsiveness • rule enforcement and creation by members • maintenance of norms within the group

feelings of inﬂuence

feelings of inﬂuence • includes: forums, chat, comments, blogging, personalized mail

feelings of inﬂuence • includes: forums, chat, comments, blogging, personalized mail • create many ways in which members can connect and platforms for expression

integration and fulﬁllment of needs

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • feeling of being supported by others

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • feeling of being supported by others • rewards of being a member, such as status, expertise

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • feeling of being supported by others • rewards of being a member, such as status, expertise • shared values

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • feeling of being supported by others • rewards of being a member, such as status, expertise • shared values • feeling of competence within group

maslow’s hierarchy of needs

maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1. Physiological

maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1. Physiological 2. Security/Safety

maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1. Physiological 2. Security/Safety 3. Social

maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1. Physiological 2. Security/Safety 3. Social 4. Self-Esteem/Ego

maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1. Physiological 2. Security/Safety 3. Social 4. Self-Esteem/Ego 5. Self-Actualization

integration and fulﬁllment of needs

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • includes: status rewards, featuring members, vips, karma points, etc.

integration and fulﬁllment of needs • includes: status rewards, featuring members, vips, karma points, etc. • 'in crowd' knowledge - acorns, tricks, traditions & rituals

shared emotional connection

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience • high quality, frequent interaction

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience • high quality, frequent interaction • discrete/shared events/history and crisis

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience • high quality, frequent interaction • discrete/shared events/history and crisis • personal investment of time and resources

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience • high quality, frequent interaction • discrete/shared events/history and crisis • personal investment of time and resources • the effect of honor and humiliation

shared emotional connection • relationships, shared history & experience • high quality, frequent interaction • discrete/shared events/history and crisis • personal investment of time and resources • the effect of honor and humiliation • spiritual bonds

shared emotional connection

shared emotional connection • can't be created, but shared experiences with members can help (continual, deep interaction with community)

shared emotional connection • can't be created, but shared experiences with members can help (continual, deep interaction with community) • ofﬂine meetups, celebrations and developer days help

in conclusion

in conclusion Fostering healthy communities is complicated, time consuming and requires dedication to your members, but the rewards are high and long term.

licensing:

Photo of Matt Mullenweg: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jluster/3392263/ Slide with Photos from Threadless CommunityNext presentation Kitty on Twitter Shot from Twitter.com/error Flickr’s Clogged tubes screenshot of my own Hello Dolly! Album cover: Wikipedia Cute dog waiting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsgreg/90724994/ Thanks to: Chris Messina (for all sorts of stuff), Blaine Cook (Twitter), Stewart Butterfield (Flickr), Jake & Jeffrey (Threadless), Matt Mullenweg (Wordpress), Léon van Gurp (Masters Thesis Student in the Netherlands, who pointed me to some of these resources), David Weinberger (whose O.J. quote I probably stole used), PARC’s amazing research on collaborative networks, and everyone who reads my blog and helps me through these lessons daily.

Tara Hunt @ FOWA Feb 07

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