1. Community Management
that Works

2. Colleen Young @colleen_young

6. How to build an online community
“...if you can enable an environment in
which people can share, they will and the
benefits will entice others to join.”
~ Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project

7. A group of people who share a
strong common interest, form
relationships and interact online.
What is an online community?

8. People may form a community around
a common:
• interest
• place
• action
• practice
• circumstance
Types of communities

9. • Understand and establish your domain
• Build a sense of community
• Develop a strategy according to the
community’s lifecycle stage
Wenger E. et al., 2002.
Blanchard and Markus, 2004.
Iriberri A. and Leroy G., 2008.
Ingredients to success

10. is the strong common interest that
inspires people to participate in and
contribute to the growth of the
community.
Domain

11. • Membership: a feeling of belonging
• Identity: goals of members match those of the
membership as a whole.
• Influence: members feel they can influence and
be influenced by the community
• Attachment: members share an emotional
connection.
McMillan and Chavis, 1986
Blanchard and Markus, 2004
Sense of community

12. Motivations change
People may join a community for
one reason, but they contribute
for another.

13. Iriberri A. and Leroy G., 2008.
Millington R. FeverBee.com, 2013.
2.
Establishment
3.
Maturity
4.
Mitosis
Death
1.
Inception
The community life cycle

14. • Focus on growth
• Develop relationships with potential
members
• Nurture an active core group
• Foster tone and style
The community reaches critical mass when > 50% of growth and activity is
generated by members.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.
Inception 1.
Inception

16. “...this forum [is] like a
big cozy blanket when I need
someone to lean on ...”

17. • Focus on activity
• Deepen sense of community
• Broaden outreach
• Create content for and about the
community
50 to 90% of growth and activity is generated by members.
Establishment
Millington R. FeverBee.com.
2.
Establishment

20. • Focus on scaling the community
• Maintain sense of community
• Assess and optimize processes
• Co-create content and develop collective
value
More than 90% of growth and activity is generated by members.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.
Maturity 3.
Maturity

21.  3.5 years
 10,500+ participants
 126,000 tweets
 166 chats
Wednesdays at 1 pm ET
Last Wednesday of the month at 9 pm ET
Health Care Social Media Canada

22. Design by @AlainaBCyr | Data collection by @Colleen_Young & @AlainaBCyr using symplur.com
Data from Sept 2010 to Oct 2012 Complete infographic

23. Social network analysis of #hcsmca
Gruzd A, Haythornthwaite C
Enabling Community Through Social Media
J Med Internet Res 2013;15(10):e248
URL: http://www.jmir.org/2013/10/e248/

24. • Focus on division and expansion
• Monitor for subcommunity
developments
• Consult community
• Conceive and establish new community
Repeat life cycle process for each new community.
Millington R. FeverBee.com.
Mitosis 4.
Mitosis

26. Sustainability:
• Growth
• Activity
• Sense of community
In order to:
• Grow
• Improve
• Report value
Measure for success

27. #hcsmca
Wednesdays at 1 pm ET
Last Wednesday of the month at 9 pm ET
Healthcare Hashtags
www.symplur.com
Community Management That Works:
How to Build and Sustain a Thriving Online
Health Community
http://www.jmir.org/2013/6/e119/
Resources

28. www.theprincessmargaret.ca
@colleen_young
@hcsmca
@ELLICSR
colleen.young@rmp.uhn.on.ca
www.colleenyoung.com
Questions