[Hidden-tech] Social Networking Site v. Forum v. Listserv v. Blog

[Tish Grier]

Hi Jon,

Having developed online communities for over 3 years now (and having participated in them for about 12 years) I can safely say that moderation is an important consideration.  

Whatever option you decide to take--blog, listserve, Google or Yahoo group, Ning network, Facebook page--you will need to have a presence/person as community leader. Lots of listservs that start out low-traffic and don't attract trolls or flamewars for awhile, so that may be the least problem.  The bigger problem is stimulating the group to respond. Even if lots of people register, don't expect folks to just jump in and start interacting. Nobody likes to be the first one on the dance floor.  You'll need someone who will be comfortable in that role, as well as someone who understands the weird little mores and interactions of online communities.  

Community development is a pretty new field.  Some folks who do it used to be community managers--but it's different.  It's not just observing conversations when they happen or writing blog posts-- it's actively participating, motivating participants, and keeping the peace.

I recently wrote about the 7 traits of community developers at my blog:

http://spap-oop.blogspot.com/2008/06/seven-habits-of-highly-effective.html

There are good links at the end to help.


Best,
Tish Grier
Online Community Developer for Placeblogger.com 
and social media consultant
  


--- On Sun, 6/22/08, Jonathon Podolsky <producer at wholehealthexpo.com> wrote:

> From: Jonathon Podolsky <producer at wholehealthexpo.com>
> Subject: [Hidden-tech] Social Networking Site v. Forum v. Listserv v. Blog
> To: hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
> Date: Sunday, June 22, 2008, 9:29 PM
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