Online Communities Handbook: Building Your Business & Brand On The Web

DESCRIPTION

Successful online communities don't just happen by themselves. They're the result of a carefully excuted strategy, solid design, and patient nurturing. Though they may seem like a lot of work, the benefits an online community can bring to your brand make the efforts worthwhile.

This book will provide you with the essential tools to build online communities. You'll learn how to:

identify the business objectives for your online community

develop a community strategy to recruit and retain members

create brand loyalty, bring in new business, and offer value to customers that your competitors cannot imitate

take advantage of free advertising opportunities

use communities to gain market insights and establish a direct line to your customer base

In addition, you'll discover the risks and costs of an online community project, how it can end up saving your company money, and even how it can become an important new revenue source of its own.

You'll also be inspired by exclusive interviews, where people who manage thriving online communities share the lessons they've learned and the secrets of their success.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Part 1 Online Communities 1

1 What's An Online Community? 3

What's An Online Community? 4
Features Of An Online Community 9
Types Of Online Communities 12
The Power Of Online Communities 17
The Chapter In A Nutshell 17

2 What Can An Online Community Do For Your Company? 19

Business Benefits Of An Online Community 20
What's The Downside? 31
Preparing For Success 37
The Chapter In A Nutshell 37

3 How To Set Up Your Community 39

Define Your Community Strategy 40
Get Started 42
Analyze Your Competition 44
Define The Role Of Your Brand 44
Plan Your Website 48
Plan Your Infrastructure 56
A User-Centered Approach 58
The Chapter In A Nutshell 59

4 Member Recruitment 61

Recruitment Strategies 62
Registration 71
Launch Strategy 75
The Chapter In A Nutshell 77

5 Motivating Your Members 79

Get The Most Out Of Your Members 80
Managing the Membership Lifecycle 92
The Chapter In A Nutshell 97

6 Care And Feeding Of Your members 99

Community Management 100
Who Can Be A Community Manager 100
What A Community Manager Does 101
What A Community Manager Needs 105
Efficient Community Management 111
Peer Management 113
A Well-Managed Community 114
The Chapter In A Nutshell 115

7 Monetizing Your Community 117

Profiting From Your Community 118
Saving Money With Your Community 119
Earning Money With Paid Subscriptions 120
Earning Money With E-Commerce 122
Earning Money With Advertising 123
A Project That Pays For Itself 127
The Chapter In A Nutshell 127

8 Growing Your Online Community 129

Measuring Success 130
Keeping Your Website Fresh 131
Keeping Community Management Fresh 132
Adapting YourInfrastructure 133
Recruiting More Members 134
Internationalizing 134
An Asset For Your Company 140
The Chapter In A Nutshell 140

9 Social Networks As A Platform For Your Brand 143

What's A Social Network? 144
Why Market On Social Networks? 145
What Can Your Brand Do On A Social Network? 149
Are Social Networks Right For Your Brand? 153
Chapter In A Nutshell 155

Part 2 Real World Lessons 157

10 Ciao.com 159

Interview 163
Lessons Learned 166

11 11870.com 169

Interview 173
Lessons Learned 177

12 M Power World 179

Interview 183
Lessons Learned 185

13 Pro-Age Netzwerk 187

Interview 191
Lessons Learned 192

14 Xing 195

Interview 199
Lessons Learned 205

15 Ecademy 207

Interview 211
Lessons Learned 216

16 Minube.com 219

Interview 223
Lessons Learned 227

17 Toprural.com 229

Interview 233
Lessons Learned 236

18 Interview With Leesa Barnes 237

Interview 239
Lessons Learned 248

Web 2.0 Glossary 251

Index 2