A crowdsourced presentation about how online communities work with contributions from 30 planners, strategists, digital specialists and some of the most reknowned thinkers in social media strategy.
3. This is a presentation with a difference.
Because itâs written not by one person, but by many
Itâs a presentation about the power of online communities.
And since almost everything I have learnt about how online communities work
have come from being part of one, I figured it would be best if I let them tell you
how it all works.
So I put a post on my blog, and asked them to contribute one slide on what
they felt was important.
And almost 30 of them did. Planners, strategists, digital specialists, media
ownersâŠvery bright people all. So look out for the credits at the bottom of their
slides.
I have added my own slides to give context and cohesiveness to everyoneâs
thinking, but these are the words of the community.
So enjoy.
4. SO WHATâS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT ONLINE COMMUNITIES?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pogonophobia/
5. Source: Future Foundation: Entertainment Futures 2007 Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kicey/
SOCIAL IS BECOMING A
PART OF ALL MEDIA
STREAMS
Social dimensions are paramount to most people
âŠand most forms of entertainment
âThe desire to be part of a group that shares, cooperates, or acts in concert is a
basic human instinct.â Clay Shirky
6. Media brands are increasingly defined less by the platform and more by the community
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hankins/
8. THE RELATIONSHIP IS NO LONGER LINEAR
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timothyschenck/
9. In the old days,
hierarchy was
the network
http://www.flickr.com/photos/splorp/
Charles Frith, Punk Planning, BangkokâŠhttp://www.charlesfrith.com/
10. âThe other guys think
the purpose of communication is to
get information.
We think the purpose of
information is to
foster communication.â
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO Facebook
http://www.flickr.com/photos/differentperspective/114394347/
Jason Oke, Director, Strategic Planning, Juniper Park, CanadaâŠhttp://jasonoke.wordpress.com/
11. The internet is for people.
For people to form groups
Groups with shared purposes
http://flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/
David Cushman, Brando DigitalâŠhttp://fasterfuture.blogspot.com/
15. "Over and over again, connecting people with one
another is what lasts online. Some folks thought
it was about technology, but it's not.â
Seth Godin
Image: http://www.gapingvoid.com/
UNTIL YOU REMEMBER THAT ITâS NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
17. âAt some point the anonymity of the
internet transformed into a social
networking clearinghouse of daily
minutiaeâŠand most of us willingly opted in,
choosing the ease and comfort of virtual
intimacy over a lonely existence of real
world disconnectednessâ
(The Psychology of Sharing, Scott Lachut)
Image: Wollas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wollas/2571298396/
Jon Howard, Strategy Director, Quietstorm âŠhttp://jonhoward.typepad.com/livingbrands/
AND BEING HUMAN
19. Communities are like dysfunctional families.
Dysfunction is natural, not abnormal.
Stanley Johnson, Senior Creative, Wunderman, MelbourneâŠhttp://branddna.blogspot.com/
AND BEING HUMAN
20. Online communities arenât like the real world, they ARE the real world.
Being authentic and polite are the ONLY ways operate
As people change, so will the online communities they form - being
right isnât important, but being right there is
Predicting how we form and shape our communities online is
impossible. But it is safe to say that the future will be awesome.
Sam Ismail, Digital StrategistâŠhttp://www.samismail.com/
21. Higher repeat visits
More repeat custom
More loyal users
More loyal customers
Higher levels of interaction
More opportunities to interact
More useful site
Better customer experience
More content
More feedback, ideas
More traffic
More people talking about
your brand
More links
More word-of-mouth referrals
More authority
Something worth talking about
THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE
26. Listen when online communities speak :
they often perform the role of an oracle
Photo credit: John William Waterhouse, âConsulting the Oracleâ, 1884
(reproduction of original painting)
Anjali Ramachandran, Strategist, Made By many, http://one-size-fits-one.blogspot.com/
28. AND GET STUCK IN
http://slimgoodies.tumblr.com/
Encourage discussion, be a part of it
29. Community is not a place. Itâs about people.
People own their communities: brands donât.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/piet_musterd/1858568495/
Katy Lindemann - Naked Communications - kitschbitch.com
30. The community decides. You donât
John Dodds ⊠http://makemarketinghistory.blogspot.com/
31. âOne part anarchy, one part aristocracy,
one part democracy, one part monarchyâ
Jimmy Wales on the Wikipedia Community
32. 91 90
Every community has super-users â high authority, highly active
Know who they are
34. BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITIES
COMES FROM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PEOPLE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulpolux/
35. âOur focus should be not on emerging technologies
but on emerging cultural practices.â â Henry Jenkins,
Professor of Comparative Media, MIT and author of
Convergence Culture: When Old and New Media Collide
Faris Yakob, Chief Tech Strategist, McCann Erickson New YorkâŠhttp://farisyakob.typepad.com/
36. Pic by skeddy in NYC on Flickr (CC Licence)
If you want to know what technology will change the world, watch young mothers and don't watch
teenage boys - young mothers have no time for any technology that isn't useful and doesn't work.
Clay Shirky, 2005
Dan Thornton, BauerâŠhttp://thewayoftheweb.net/
38. Media owners shouldnât lose sight of what theyâre really
good at: Delivering content
Will Humphrey, Strategist, Lowe London âŠhttp://wannabeadman.blogspot.com/
39. BUT THE VALUE EQUATION IS CHANGING
Content = Attention
Content, tools, services
= Attention,
participation,
interaction, content
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wespionage/
40. Graeme Wood, Client Planning Director, Zed Media ... http://graewood.blogspot.com/
âContent isn't king.. If I sent you to a desert island and gave you the choice
of taking your friends or your movies, you'd choose your friends -- if you
chose the movies, we'd call you a sociopath. Conversation is king. Content
is just something to talk aboutâ
Cory Doctorow
SO CONTENT IS NO LONGER KING, IT IS NOW THE ENABLER
41. SO SUCCESS WORKS DIFFERENTLY
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8998965@N05/
42. Make it as easy as possible for your fans to find it and spread the word
If the web is a mass of conversations,
then get talked about
Create content and services that are worth passing on
CREATE CONTENT THAT IS REMARKABLE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldflints/
44. Itâs like having a beer with millions. Still need
a good gag or a story for anyone to care.
Jim Dowling, Managing Partner, Cake GroupâŠhttp://jimdowling.typepad.com/
45. How Community Engagement Models work:
Brand Benefit
Information and
Reduced cost to Serve
BRAND
NARRATIVE
(Being interesting)
DATA
THROUGH DIGITAL
CHANNELS
Leading to
Behavior Change
Customer Benefit
Involvement
BRAND
UTILITY
(Being Useful)
Mark Hancock, Strategy Director, Agency.comâŠhttp://www.holycow.typepad.com/
47. VIDEO DIDNâT KILL THE RADIO STAR
âŠBUT SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED
COMMUNICATIONS FOR GOOD
48. âą 3 million online donors
âą 6.5 million online donations âŠ$500m
âą Almost 2x as much as McCain
âą Of these 6m were $100 or less
âą Average online donation $80
50. The âPurpose Ideaâ: What are you for?
Mark Earls, Author of HERDâŠhttp://herd.typepad.com/
51. COMMUNITIES CAN AFFECT REAL, POSITIVE CHANGE
Niko Herzeg, Holland âŠhttp://ontimewithnowheretogo.blogspot.com/
Daniellaâs story
http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2009/01/neighbors-neighborhoods.html
52. Thousands of people from around the world create, upload, share,
discuss and purchase original LEGO creations online every day
Thousands of people from around the world create, upload, share,
discuss and purchase original LEGO creations online every day
They probably wouldnât all fit around this tableThey probably wouldnât all fit around this table
http://www.flickr.com/photos/misbehave/
Willem van der Horst, Strategist, iris DigitalâŠhttp://icecream4everyone.blogspot.com/
53. The Power of Online Communities
The Power of Online Co mutinies
Simon Kendrick, ITV âŠhttp://curiouslypersistent.wordpress.com
Dell HellMotrin Moms Whole Foods DisclosureApple Stock Crash
56. 3. It means you get digitalâŠthe nuances and potential of social media.
And how it works. Because youâre doing it, not looking at it.
5. But most of all, it shows youâre bothered. You have an opinion. Youâre not afraid
to express it. You're passionate about your subject. And real passion is rare indeed.
4. Itâs by far the best way to network
FIRESTARTERS: 5 REASONS BLOGGING IS WORTH IT
1. You start fires. Blogging forces you to come up with new stuff. To be interesting.
2. It means you understand the value of connection. And are connected.
To great thinking and other interesting people.
57. Eaon Pritchard, Head of Digital, Geronimo ⊠http://www.eaonpritchard.blogspot.com/
59. Without online
communities my
brain would
starve
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spinksy/2951033544/in/set-72157607291515677/
Matt Moore, Innotecture, Australia âŠhttp://engineerswithoutfears.blogspot.com/