Designing and Enabling Communities Christina Wodtke PublicSquare | http://www.publicsquarehq.com

Me?

You What do you want?

Jargon Check Social Media Social Software The Social Web The Social Graph Communities Web 2.0 UGC Twitter Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Flickr

Social Media

Social Software

The Social Web

The Social Graph

Communities

Web 2.0

UGC

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

MySpace

Flickr

What is community, really?

Social XXX Usenet Forums Email Mailing lists Groupware Social Networks Services Social Software Social Media Social Software can be loosely defined as software which supports, extends, or derives added value from, human social behavior - message-boards, musical taste-sharing, photo-sharing, instant messaging, mailing lists, social networking.

Usenet

Forums

Email

Mailing lists

Groupware

Social Networks Services

Social Software

Social Media

Credit Tim O’Reilly

David Armano: graphic Tim O’Reilly quote and list

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)

Webb/Butterfield/Smith Model Based on Matt Webb , Stewart Butterfield ’s and Gene Smith’s writings

The Social Web is a digital space where data about human interactions is as important as other data types for providing value Community is when those humans care about each other.

Where is all this happening?

Where does community happen? Blogs LiveJournal, Blogger, Typepad, WordPress Wikis JotSpot (Google), Wikispaces Social Networks Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Social Media Ohmynews, Newsvine, Flickr But not so much in Tagging & Social Bookmarks del.ico.us Social Filtering Digg, Reddit, StumbledUpon

Blogs

LiveJournal, Blogger, Typepad, WordPress

Wikis

JotSpot (Google), Wikispaces

Social Networks

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,

Social Media

Ohmynews, Newsvine, Flickr

But not so much in

Tagging & Social Bookmarks

del.ico.us

Social Filtering

Digg, Reddit, StumbledUpon

When do I have to do something about all this?

When? Are you waiting for Web 4.0?

Credits: Tim O’Reilly’s The Facebook Application Platform and compete, a a site for web metrics

MySpace: 170 million unique users Blogger: 18.5 million unique users Classmates: 12.9 million unique users YouTube: 12.5 million unique users (65.000 uploads a day) MSN Groups: 10.6 million unique users 55% of US teenagers use social networking sites

MySpace: 170 million unique users

Blogger: 18.5 million unique users

Classmates: 12.9 million unique users

YouTube: 12.5 million unique users (65.000 uploads a day)

MSN Groups: 10.6 million unique users

55% of US teenagers use social networking sites

Now No time like the present

Why?

Trebor Scholz http://collectivate.net

8 days after a video was posted showing how to pick the lock in 30 seconds using a pen Kryptonite recalled 380,000 locks

Your users have something to tell you. If you don’t give them a way to communicate, they will find one. Trebor Scholz http://collectivate.net

“ I could go on with the benefits of building relationships rather than SEO campaigns, such as: Longevity and customer retention, not to mention repeat customers Bug tracking and community policing (ie. Flickr’s ‘Flag this photo as “may offend”?’) Amplified word of mouth Built in market research Buying ads is bloody expensive” Tara Hunt

“ I could go on with the benefits of building relationships rather than SEO campaigns, such as:

Longevity and customer retention, not to mention repeat customers

Bug tracking and community policing (ie. Flickr’s ‘Flag this photo as “may offend”?’)

Amplified word of mouth

Built in market research

Buying ads is bloody expensive”

Joshua Porter “ HOLD ON A SEC...are social features economically viable? Direct contact with people who make you successful Amplify customer opinion Data, data, and more data Reduce support costs Engender Trust to form lasting relationships”

“ HOLD ON A SEC...are social features economically viable?

Direct contact with people who make you successful

Amplify customer opinion

Data, data, and more data

Reduce support costs

Engender Trust to form lasting relationships”

How?

Psychology Reference: bokardo.com

The Social Web is built here, from love and esteem

O’Reilly Report on Facebook The Facebook Application Platform

Motivation for hours (and hours and hours) of work

Motivations Social connectedness Psychological well-being Gratification Material gain

Social connectedness

Psychological well-being

Gratification

Material gain

Kollock’s 4 Motivations for Contributing Reciprocity Reputation Increased sense of efficacy Attachment to and need of a group

Reciprocity

Reputation

Increased sense of efficacy

Attachment to and need of a group

Reciprocity

What's the motivation of behind these people actually interacting and participating? … people want to share with the community what they believe to be important …. and they want to see their name in lights. They want to see their little icon on the front page, their username on the front page, so other people can see it. Reputation

Increased sense of efficacy

Attachment to and need of a group

The New Third Place? “ All great societies provide informal meeting places, like the Forum in ancient Rome or a contemporary English pub. But since World War II, America has ceased doing so. The neighborhood tavern hasn't followed the middle class out to the suburbs...” -- Ray Oldenburg

“ All great societies provide informal meeting places, like the Forum in ancient Rome or a contemporary English pub. But since World War II, America has ceased doing so. The neighborhood tavern hasn't followed the middle class out to the suburbs...” -- Ray Oldenburg

Pro VS Con Pleasure of creation New friendships, romance Share their life experience Archive their memories Effective job hunting (weak ties research) Contribute to the greater good Social enjoyment Maximum convenience Intrusion into the Personal Market research, Ads, content swindled away Commodification of intimacy (dating sites) Spam Collective intelligence reinforces mob behavior It’s good to go outside Ease of contact on SNs may erode social skills

Pleasure of creation

New friendships, romance

Share their life experience

Archive their memories

Effective job hunting (weak ties research)

Contribute to the greater good

Social enjoyment

Maximum convenience

Intrusion into the Personal

Market research, Ads, content swindled away

Commodification of intimacy (dating sites)

Spam

Collective intelligence reinforces mob behavior

It’s good to go outside

Ease of contact on SNs may erode social skills

Marketing Sneaks In

"The debate keeps getting framed as if the only true alternative were to opt out of media altogether and live in the woods, eating acorns and lizards and reading only books published on recycled paper by small alternative presses" Convergence Culture , Henry Jenkins Tim O’Reilly’s Hippies.

Strategize a community exercise Presence Conversations Sharing Relationships Groups Reputation Identity

“ Strategy is knowing what not to do” Michael Porter

Break... please be back at 2:45 pm...

Webb/Butterfield/Smith Model Based on Matt Webb , Stewart Butterfield ’s and Gene Smith’s writings

1.) If you were going to build a piece of social software to support large and long-lived groups, what would you design for? The first thing you would design for is handles the user can invest in. Clay Shirky, A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy http://shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html

Identity Identity Avatar Profile Activity Collections

Identity

Avatar

Profile

Activity

Collections

Identity is Context Based Facebook- Personal LinkedIN - Professional

Presence

Presence Presence Status History Statistics Signs of Life Company

Presence

Status

History

Statistics

Signs of Life

Company

Presence Presence Status History Statistics Signs of Life Company

Presence

Status

History

Statistics

Signs of Life

Company

2.) Second, you have to design a way for there to be members in good standing. Have to design some way in which good works get recognized. The minimal way is, posts appear with identity. You can do more sophisticated things like having formal karma or "member since."

Reputation

Relationships

3.) Three, you need barriers to participation. This is one of the things that killed Usenet. You have to have some cost to either join or participate , if not at the lowest level, then at higher levels. … anyone can read Slashdot, anonymous cowards can post, non-anonymous cowards can post with a higher rating. But to moderate, you really have to have been around for a while. Missing block?

Groups Groups Norms - Vilification - Veneration - Rules Jargon & In-Jokes Collective Choices

Groups

Norms

- Vilification

- Veneration

- Rules

Jargon & In-Jokes

Collective Choices

Norms Missing block?

Vilification Veneration

Veneration

Conversations

4.) And, finally, you have to find a way to spare the group from scale. Scale alone kills conversations, because conversations require dense two-way conversations. [Dunbar] found that the MAXIMUM number of people that a person could keep up with socially at any given time, gossip maintenance, was 150. This doesn't mean that people don't have 150 people in their social network, but that they only keep tabs on 150 people max at any given point.

Sharing

Presence Conversations Sharing Relationships Groups Reputation Identity Self Community Activity Rules & Repercussions Purpose/ Passion? Co-Creation? Planning? Caretakers? Collectively Rate? Publish?

Rules & Repercussions Purpose/ Passion? Co-Creation? Planning? Caretakers? Collectively Rate? Publish?

Design a community exercise Presence Conversations Sharing Relationships Groups Reputation Identity

Simple (hard) Steps Have a compelling idea Seed Someone must live on the site Community manager or you Make the rules clear (and short) Write a good TOS Punish swiftly and nicely Reward contributions Spread the work out Adapt to Community Norms Apologize publicly, swiftly and frequently Simple good software that grows with group

Have a compelling idea

Seed

Someone must live on the site

Community manager or you

Make the rules clear (and short)

Write a good TOS

Punish swiftly and nicely

Reward contributions

Spread the work out

Adapt to Community Norms

Apologize publicly, swiftly and frequently

Simple good software that grows with group

Does Software Matter? Robin Miller , Cofounder of Slahdot Joel Spolsky , Joel on Software

Probably not

Your take? Christina Wodtke http://www.slideshare.net/cwodtke http://www.publicquarehq.com

Where I store my acorns (of knowledge, ‘cause I’m squirrelly) http://www.slideshare.net/cwodtke http://del.icio.us/cwodtke/SocialMedia http://www.eleganthack.com/blog http://www.boxesandarrows.com/person/9-cwodtke

http://www.slideshare.net/cwodtke

http://del.icio.us/cwodtke/SocialMedia

http://www.eleganthack.com/blog

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/person/9-cwodtke

Patterns Self Identity Avatar Profile Activity Recommendations Presence Status History Statistics Signs of Life Keep Company Reputation Rules Ratings Community Relationships Add/remove friends Define relationship Initiate relationship Groups Norms Vilification Veneration Interaction Jargon Collective Choices Rules Actions Conversations Public Private Caretakers Sharing Things Activities Progress Secrets http://social.itp.nyu.edu/shirky/wiki/?n=Main.PatternLanguage http://barcamp.org/BarCampBlockSocialMediaDesignPatterns

Self

Identity

Avatar

Profile

Activity

Recommendations

Presence

Status

History

Statistics

Signs of Life

Keep Company

Reputation

Rules

Ratings

Community

Relationships

Add/remove friends

Define relationship

Initiate relationship

Groups

Norms

Vilification

Veneration

Interaction

Jargon

Collective Choices

Rules

Actions

Conversations

Public

Private

Caretakers

Sharing

Things

Activities

Progress

Secrets