Context is King Lessons from Online Communities October 14, 2008 F. Randall Farmer

1: The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning. 2: The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting .

1: The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

2: The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting .

“ Content is King” Bill Gates Jan, 1996 “ [User Generated] Content is King” c. 2003+ “ Context is King” vs. “Attention”

“ Content is King” Bill Gates Jan, 1996

“ [User Generated] Content is King” c. 2003+

“ Context is King”

vs. “Attention”

Collective action – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Sense of place – The community is said to exist apart from any individual member. What causes the transformation from a web site (or online game) to a community? User Generated Content in Context

Collective action – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Sense of place – The community is said to exist apart from any individual member.

What causes the transformation from a web site (or online game) to a community?

User Generated Content in Context

Community Platforms are Not intended to create uniform communities Not a “menu” of random mix & match choices But are tools for building per-context custom communities in the quickest possible way There is no “one-size-fits-all” community solution

Community Platforms are

Not intended to create uniform communities

Not a “menu” of random mix & match choices

But are tools for building per-context custom communities in the quickest possible way

There is no “one-size-fits-all” community solution

Organized around an individual Autocratic (I am in control) Purpose: Self-expression Generally small Members are the focus Autocratic (owner in control) Purpose: Sense of belonging, membership Generally large Organized around a subject Democratic (i.e. all in control) Purpose: Knowledge Base Community Size Profile, Blog Avatar, Karma Me “ Who I Am” We “ Where we Connect ” It “ What we Talk About” 1 <100 > 1000 Social Network Groups Message Boards Ratings & Reviews Polls, Chat, Tagging

Organized around an individual

Autocratic (I am in control)

Purpose: Self-expression

Generally small

Members are the focus

Autocratic (owner in control)

Purpose: Sense of belonging, membership

Generally large

Organized around a subject

Democratic (i.e. all in control)

Purpose: Knowledge Base

Profile, Blog

Avatar, Karma

Social Network

Groups

Message Boards

Ratings & Reviews

Polls, Chat, Tagging

A person/user A group of people/users An network entity A collection of entities A “site” [or group of them!] Language?

A person/user

A group of people/users

An network entity

A collection of entities

A “site” [or group of them!]

Language?

News Feeds Reverse Chronological List of Events Blogs Reverse Chronological List of Posts Intuition We could combine these into one stream to make it easy for the user! Context Error! The context for a blog post is “What I think is interesting enough to share for comment with my [context]” The context for a news feed is stuff I did on the network Example: A set of photos from a trip vs. a single photo User research indicated customer discomfort with this idea Solution: Don’t cross the streams!

News Feeds

Reverse Chronological List of Events

Blogs

Reverse Chronological List of Posts

Intuition

We could combine these into one stream to make it easy for the user!

Context Error!

The context for a blog post is “What I think is interesting enough to share for comment with my [context]”

The context for a news feed is stuff I did on the network

Example: A set of photos from a trip vs. a single photo

User research indicated customer discomfort with this idea

Solution: Don’t cross the streams!

Yahoo! Sports Considering a blog posts surfaced everywhere by tag-search approach Example News item mentions two sports clubs and a specific player injury with all UGC posts generated appearing surfaced by auto-generated tags Context Error There is no global sports context for UGC Posts are written assuming a specific audience

Yahoo! Sports

Considering a blog posts surfaced everywhere by tag-search approach

Example

News item mentions two sports clubs and a specific player injury with all UGC posts generated appearing surfaced by auto-generated tags

Context Error

There is no global sports context for UGC

Posts are written assuming a specific audience

… continuing the sports example… The correct context for the post is one of: The specific team page chosen by the user The specific player page The user’s blog/email client Or my fantasy sports league list or group Best Practice Provide a way for the user to address UGC Tagged content is like email’s Subject: line We need to make sure postings have an equivalent To:

… continuing the sports example…

The correct context for the post is one of:

The specific team page chosen by the user

The specific player page

The user’s blog/email client

Or my fantasy sports league list or group

Best Practice

Provide a way for the user to address UGC

Tagged content is like email’s Subject: line

We need to make sure postings have an equivalent To:

US TV Redesign TV had not been updated since initial launch. PM had previously run Y!Movies US Strategy Assertion: TV is like Movies because the media are similar Plan: Treat each program much like a movie, featuring ratings and reviews UGC Result: The page of 1,000 stars Context Error TV is not like Movies – users want to talk to each other about their favorite episodes, characters. They want to create their own extensions to TV content Instead of Ratings and Reviews, the correct platforms would be Message Boards and/or Wikis

US TV Redesign

TV had not been updated since initial launch.

PM had previously run Y!Movies US

Strategy

Assertion: TV is like Movies because the media are similar

Plan: Treat each program much like a movie, featuring ratings and reviews UGC

Result: The page of 1,000 stars

Context Error

TV is not like Movies – users want to talk to each other about their favorite episodes, characters. They want to create their own extensions to TV content

Instead of Ratings and Reviews, the correct platforms would be Message Boards and/or Wikis

Best Practice Match user desires with the correct platforms configured in the correct contexts and test with the customers The Bad News It is easy to get context Wrong The Good News Leverage these tools to get it mostly right Consulting with social media experts Review competitive designs/sites Customer research

Best Practice

Match user desires with the correct platforms configured in the correct contexts and test with the customers

The Bad News

It is easy to get context Wrong

The Good News

Leverage these tools to get it mostly right

Consulting with social media experts

Review competitive designs/sites

Customer research

Consumers Producers Provider (You!) Maximized value creation

Me We It

Focusing on some of the ‘bad’ ones (Those that harm your desired quality of service) Personal advantage or social position Financial gain Ego gratification/Status Malice against another user Spite your site Boredom/Personal Challenge

Focusing on some of the ‘bad’ ones (Those that harm your desired quality of service)

Personal advantage or social position

Financial gain

Ego gratification/Status

Malice against another user

Spite your site

Boredom/Personal Challenge

A group of metropolitan electronics merchants conspire to rate their online stores “five star” A movie PR firm plants positive user reviews and ratings for new movies online TODAY WITH JUST AN HOUR OR SO LEFT. WHO DID THE DUMB PEICES OF SHITMKT MAKERS THINK THEY WERE DOING HOLDING IT AT 43.60 MOST OF THE DAY 43.70., THEN THEY TRIED TO HOLD IT AT 43.20, THEN 42.80 AND 42.90. DAY SHORT POSITION JUST HAD TO WAIT THE SCARED PUSSIES OUT. PANIC SELLINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG ISSSSSSSS GREATTTTTTTT. – Msg 466840 on YHOO Message Board Chess players open multiple browsers (or create robots) to play against themselves to advance their rating

A group of metropolitan electronics merchants conspire to rate their online stores “five star”

A movie PR firm plants positive user reviews and ratings for new movies online

TODAY WITH JUST AN HOUR OR SO LEFT. WHO DID THE DUMB PEICES OF SHITMKT MAKERS THINK THEY WERE DOING HOLDING IT AT 43.60 MOST OF THE DAY 43.70., THEN THEY TRIED TO HOLD IT AT 43.20, THEN 42.80 AND 42.90. DAY SHORT POSITION JUST HAD TO WAIT THE SCARED PUSSIES OUT. PANIC SELLINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG ISSSSSSSS GREATTTTTTTT. – Msg 466840 on YHOO Message Board

Chess players open multiple browsers (or create robots) to play against themselves to advance their rating

Don’t believe you can design the community content quality problem away at all the Product, Engineering and UED level You’ll need the help of your users There are more of them then there are of us Collectively, they’re smarter and faster than us The customers aren’t always playing the same game we think they are Design as lightweight as possible and for modularly, to quickly adapt to emergent use patterns

Don’t believe you can design the community content quality problem away at all the Product, Engineering and UED level

You’ll need the help of your users

There are more of them then there are of us

Collectively, they’re smarter and faster than us

The customers aren’t always playing the same game we think they are

Design as lightweight as possible and for modularly, to quickly adapt to emergent use patterns

. com == .world Most users understand the difference and choose .com or .local on purpose per available service. For example: 360.yahoo.com was huge in Vietnam before there was a localized version. This significantly changed the migration plan. As some American’s see BBC World Service as “international news”, those outside the US see Yahoo!/Google News (and other services) much the same way. Don’t cross the .com and .local streams: .local content on the .com front page confused and even upset non-US users. .local == specific value Many international users create .com email address on purpose – making an affiliation to the global community. Do you have a .us email address? .local addresses provide nation and/or cultural affiliation. Don’t assume you know better and auto-redirect users.

. com == .world

Most users understand the difference and choose .com or .local on purpose per available service.

For example: 360.yahoo.com was huge in Vietnam before there was a localized version. This significantly changed the migration plan.

As some American’s see BBC World Service as “international news”, those outside the US see Yahoo!/Google News (and other services) much the same way.

Don’t cross the .com and .local streams: .local content on the .com front page confused and even upset non-US users.

.local == specific value

Many international users create .com email address on purpose – making an affiliation to the global community.

Do you have a .us email address?

.local addresses provide nation and/or cultural affiliation.

Don’t assume you know better and auto-redirect users.

Don’t cross the streams. Correct context is critical to your success. Use the right tools/platforms for the right job. Context is hard. Even when you have the tools and expertise to manage community context you often fail to leverage them fully. Build in the right order. Start with your users where they are and build out advanced functionality just-in-time as their engagement increases. Don’t present advanced features to novices. Be nimble. The users set context more often than we do. Iterate often. International contexts aren’t limited to .locals. - Consider language as a context. Win, win, win. Or go home.

Don’t cross the streams.

Correct context is critical to your success.

Use the right tools/platforms for the right job.

Context is hard.

Even when you have the tools and expertise to manage community context you often fail to leverage them fully.

Build in the right order.

Start with your users where they are and build out advanced functionality just-in-time as their engagement increases. Don’t present advanced features to novices.

Be nimble.

The users set context more often than we do.

Iterate often.

International contexts aren’t limited to .locals.

- Consider language as a context.

Win, win, win.

Or go home.

F. Randall Farmer [email_address] http://www.habitatchronicles.com http://randy.thefarmers.org

F. Randall Farmer

[email_address]

http://www.habitatchronicles.com

http://randy.thefarmers.org