This document discusses identifying and collaborating with very important participants (VIPs) in online communities. It identifies five types of community members based on their participation levels, including community leaders who contribute high effort insights early on. The document suggests three challenges to identify VIPs: looking at natural moderator behaviors, triangulating with co-moderators, and finding blind spots. It also discusses how to collaborate with co-moderators and close knowledge and culture gaps to fine-tune conclusions. The key takeaway is that VIPs may in fact be considered co-researchers who can provide important insights.

1. By Anouk Willems
Research Innovation Manager
@AnoukW1
How to collaborate with Community
Very Important Participants
Online Community VIPs

2. ARE THERE
VIP’S IN
COMMUNITIES?
WHO ARE THEY?

3. Hi! I’m Anouk
Utrecht, The Netherlands | Research
Innovation Manager | Marketing |
Co-creation | Mobile communities |
Gamification | Co-researchers

5. Who’s on board..

6. WHO IN
OUR COMMUNITY?
participates

7. Thread Dynamic
Cognitive
Effort
10%
47%
17%
25%
High
Low
Early Late
Ø = Participation Intensity
% = Community share1%
?
5 MEMBER
PROFILES
identified
N=1595 comments,
63 members

8. Insights? High level of cognitive effort
Timing? FiPo*
Frequency? High
Size? 1%
Motivation? Give recognition
COMMUNITY LEADER

9. Insights? High level of cognitive effort
Timing? Early
Frequency? High
Size? 10%
Motivation? Give recognition
INSIGHTFUL INITIATOR

10. Insights? Medium level of cognitive effort
Timing? Middle
Frequency? Medium
Size? 47%
Motivation? Encourage them
MIDDLE MESSENGER

11. Insights? Low level of cognitive effort
Timing? Middle
Frequency? Low
Size? 25%
Motivation? Give personal attention
SPARSE SPORADIC
?

12. Insights? Medium level of cognitive effort
Timing? Late
Frequency? Low-Medium
Size? 17%
Motivation? Challenge reflection
REFLECTIVE REPEATER

13. Topic
Launch
Informal
Moderation
Formal
Moderation
Informal
Moderation²
Info-structuring Hypothesis validation
& Illustrations
Moderation & Analysis Flow
DIFFERENT MEMBERS,
different motivations

14. SO,
ALL MEMBERS
ARE
IMPORTANT…

15. ..BUT ONLY SOME
ARE ALLOWED
backstage

16. THEY ARE VERY
PARICIPANTS
involved

17. Participant
HOW TO TURN A
PARTICIPANT
INTO A ‘VIP’
Community VIP

18. ACCEPT OUR
challenge

19. 3 CHALLENGES TO
IDENTIFY YOUR
VIPs

20. Natural
MODERATOR
BEHAVIOR

21. WHO IS OUR
co-moderator?
Time spend; 2x more time
Language 51% more social words
Personality: Higher self-efficacy

22. TRIANGULATION
WITH co-moderators

23. “
“
I really enjoyed being a
co-moderator. It really felt
like I was playing an
important role and that I
was being heard. Thank you
for asking me to do that. I
would love to do it again.
CO-MODERATORS
LOVE IT!

24. HOW TO
COLLABORATE WITH
co-moderators?

25. 3 CHALLENGES TO
IDENTIFY YOUR
VIPs

26. FINDING OUR
blind spots
1/ Generation Gap
2/ Knowledge Gap
3/ Culture Gap

27. CLOSING THE
generation gap

28. Knowledge gap
CROWD INTERPRETATION
GAME

29. 3 CHALLENGES TO
IDENTIFY YOUR
VIPs

31. FINE-TUNING
CONCLUSIONS TO
CLOSE THE culture gap

33. SO,
ARE OUR VIPS
co-researchers

34. 3 TAKEAWAYS

35. Questions?
Anouk@insites-consulting.com
+31 10 742 10 35
Anouk Willems
Research Innovation Manager
Thank you!