The document outlines a 5-phase usage lifecycle for increasing user interactions on a social network called The Werkcafe. The phases are: 1) unfamiliarity, 2) first visit, 3) repeat visits, 4) signup, and 5) active use. For each phase, strategies are provided to lower hurdles for users to progress to the next phase, such as optimizing content and design to encourage return visits and sharing value to promote signups. Community managers are also instructed to foster trust, commitment and a sense of belonging among active users.

1. Case: The Werkcafe
Goal: Increase interactions on a social
network
1. Tasks of Community Managers
2. Usage Lifecycle
3. Visibility
4. First visit
5. Repeat visit
6. Sign up
7. Active use
8. External circumstances

2. Tasks of
Community managers
- Keep the morale high
- Enforce the rules
- Quickly reward good behavior and punish bad behavior
- Greet new members and help them get started
- Deal with complaints, compliments, feedback, and questions
- Search for trends and share them with the team
- Evangelize the website and community
- Remain patient at all times
- Stay on topic
- Set the right example ( write a lot, use proper language )
- Ask questions
- Don't interrupt users' conversations unnecessarily
- Ask the community for cooperation and for help
- Regularly give valuable gifts
- ...

3. Usage Life Cycle
The five phases of the Usage Life Cycle
for a community website are:
1. Unfamiliar with website
2. First visit
3. Repeat visit
4. Sign up
5. Active use

4. Usage Lifecycle Phase 1
Unfamiliar with the website
Someone discovers
the website
Visibility

5. Lowering the hurdle
Increase visibility with:
- Great content
- SEO
- Special events

6. Usage Lifecycle Phase 2
First visit
First visit to the
website
Interest

7. Lowering the hurdle
Make a good impression with your landing page
- Fast
Visitors will leave your website if it takes too long to load.
- Well designed
A great design makes you look more credible to new visitors.
- Best content first
Save your visitors' time, don't make them search for the good
stuff.

8. Gradual engagement
People first scan a page before deciding what to
read. Gradually engage them in your article with:
1. Catchy title
2. Nice, descriptive image on top
3. Subtitles and lists
4. Each story has a beginning, middle, and end
5. Write conversationally
6. (internal) Links
7. Finish with a question to trigger interaction

9. Usage Lifecycle Phase 3
Repeat visit
Return visit
Value

10. Lowering the hurdle
Communicate value
- Show what the website can do
- Keep improving the best content
- Remove low quality content
- Highlight the uniqueness of your content

11. Usage Lifecycle Phase 4
Signup
Signup
Attention &
Interaction

12. Lowering the hurdle
Grab on to interested visitors and don't let go
of them:
- Greet and reassure new members
The web is full of false information, con men, frauds, and bullies. Make
clear that that you are not one of them.
- Give gifts
Time is valuable, give your members something in return for their time.
- Follow ups
Out of sight, out of mind. Make sure you are not forgotten.

13. Why do we share online?
Image from XKCD web comic

14. Other reasons for sharing are:
- Reputation
Allow your members to grow within the community.
- Reciprocity
Personally interact with your members. The will reciprocate you with
their time and trust.
- Efficacy
Allow your members to make a meaningful contribution.
- Belonging
Make them feel that they are a part of the group

15. Things we like to share are:
- Ideas that confirm what we already believed in
- Ideas that surspize us
- Ideas that clarify something we already knew
- Things we find valuable
- Useful tools
- Fun stuff like photo's and video's
- Stuff that makes us look good

16. C + R + I / S = Trust
C = Credibility
Make sure your credentials are visible.
R = Reliability
Be true to your word
I = Intimacy
Dare to show your (vulnerable) human side
S = Selfishness
Never put your own interests over those of your users

17. Usage Lifecycle Phase 5
Active use
Active use
Commitment

18. Lowering the hurdle
Really involve members in the community:
- Ask them what they need
- Give them a chance to make a valuable
contribution
- Show them that their actions have real impact
- Showcase the success stories of the
community

19. Overlap self-image
The appearance of the website must reflect the
target audience values and needs
Target audience The Werkcafe needs to
wants to: be seen as:
Feel useful and valued Useful / Valuable
Feel proud Proud
Receive support Strong
Have trust Reliable
Have focus On-topic
Have security / stability / structure Consistent / Structured
Feel togetherness / Belonging Tight community

20. External circumstances
Number of searches for “werkloosheid” in Google from 2004 to now