SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYour

Business
SomeBasicRulesofThumb

NutsandBolts

YouandYourCommunity

August2009

1SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Introduction

SocialtechnologieshavechangedtheInternetlandscapefromoneinwhichthecontentisprimarily
providedbyasingleentitytoonewheretheaudienceactivelyparticipatesandcontributestothe
content,insomecasescreatingthecontentalmostentirely.Thismeansthatthemodeofinteraction
haschangedfromaninstrumentalenvironmentwhereconsumerscomelookingforinformation,to
anemotionalenvironmentwhereconsumersdeveloptiestoacommunityanditsmembersasthey
interactwitheachotherinanareathathasbeencreatedforthem.

Previously,editors,publishersandmanagersmadechoicesanddecisionsthatdeterminedwhatconͲ
tenttheuserswouldget.Inthisnewenvironment,thechoicesanddecisionstheymakeonlyforma
skeletonuponwhichusersbuildthecontent.Sitescanbearchitectedinawaytoencouragecertain
typesofbehavior,andonecandesigntheinteractiontosupportspecifictypesofcontent,butno
longerdoescontrolremaincentralizedfromstarttofinish.Thejobofdesigninganenticingskeleton,
abeaconthatattractsuserstoyouandencouragesthemtodancetogether,iscriticaltosuccess.
Ensuringthattheirtunematchesyourownisequallyimportant.

Sohowdoyougoaboutbuildinganonlinecommunitythatwillallowyoutoregaincontroloveryour
messageandinformation,whilesimultaneouslyengagingyourconsumersandkeepthemcoming
back?Webelievethathavingastrategy,propercommunitystructure,andactivepresenceinthe
communitycanhelpyouknowyouraudienceandhelpyouachieveahighreturnonyourinvestment.
Establishingthisrelationshipwithyourconsumerswillbeginafeedbackloopthatbeginswithyour
presenceinthecommunityandendswithloyalcustomers.Turningrelationshipsintocustomers,
feedbackintoinnovations,andknowledgeintomonetization:thisisthecruxofthesocialmedia
process.

Ripple6createsaffinitybasedcommunitiesfocusedongroupsofusersratherthanindividualstocreͲ
ategroupinteractions.WedrawfromourextendedcommunitybuildingexperienceandrecentsucͲ
cesseswithFortune500marketersandpublishers(includingProcter&Gamble,Unilever,PostFoods,
GannettCo.andMeredith)toprovideuniqueinsight.Wehavestrategicallydesignedaplatformto
improveuserexperience,incorporatebestpracticesasstandards,anddelivertrueopportunitiesfor
conversationsandconnectionstoflourishinthisnewenvironment.

ThispaperdetailssomeofourkeylearningsaswehavedesignedandimplementedonlinecommuniͲ
ties.Wepresentseveralrulesofthumbforthestrategicplanningphase;somepracticaltipsonarchiͲ
tectinganddesigningasitethatwillfosterasenseofcommunityamongyourmembers;andanumͲ
berofbestpracticesfororganizationslookingtoenter,interactwith,andsuccessfullymanagethe
communityonceitisrunning.



2SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Somebasicrulesofthumb
BuildingacommunityisnotassimpleasputtingupawebsitewithdisͲ
cussiontopicsandhopingthatpeoplecomeandinteractthere.While
youcaneasilydrivepeopletoyourcommunitythefirsttime,toreally
besuccessfulyouneedtogetthemtocomeback.Youneedthemto
beengagedwitheachotherandestablishrelationships,whichinturn
leadstotheirengagementwithyou.Thatisthegoal,afterall!EngageͲ
mentstartswiththeconsumer:meetoneoftheirneedsandprovidea
placeforthemtoeasilyinteract,andyouwillachieveyourgoalsinreͲ
turn.AgoodcommunitystrategywillhelpyoudiscoverwhatyourconͲ
sumerswant,andagoodimplementationstrategywillhelpyoubuild
theskeletoninwhichtheywillinteract.

3SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 AudienceIsKing:DeliveringaConsumerReturnonInvestment(CROI)
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsand
expectations.

Justasyouareconcernedaboutthereturnonyourinvestment(ROI),soareyourpotentialusers.
ConsumerROI(CROI)isdirectlyattachedtotheneedthatyouaretryingtomeet.Areyougoingto
provideuserswithaspacetogetsupportandinformationfromothers?Areyougivingthemaplace
wheretheycanbeentertained?Cantheymakenewfriends?

Countingpageviewscannolongerbethebasisformeasuringsuccess.Successinthisworldmeans
notjustattractingusers,butkeepingthemcomingbackregularlyandinteracting,sharingandcreatͲ
ingcontent.Theirparticipationandengagementarethemostimportantcomponents.Whereasthe
mediaworldformanyyearsthrivedontheadagethat““contentisking,””thecurrentandfutureof
medianowincludesandrequirestheparticipationoftheaudience.Theyareking.

Thecommunitycreator’’sgoalistogetthemtoinvesttheirtimeandenergyͲͲandeventuallytheir
emotions––intothecommunity.Iftheycometoseeyoursiteasa““home,””thenyouhavesucceeded;
ifyouaremeetingtheirneeds,notjustyourown,thenyouhavesucceeded.CreateandfosterrelaͲ
tionshipswithyouraudiencethatwillleadtolongtermloyalty.

Belowisasamplingofmetricswe’’vedevelopedtounderstandthedegreesofmarketersuccessina
BrandCommunity™™(aproprietarysolutionwe’’vecreatedformarketersandbrandstoparticipatein
existingcommunitiesandsocialnetworks).

x ShareofVoice(SOV).HowmuchattentionisthecommunitycapturingincontextofeveryͲ
thingthatsurroundsit?Isitconsistentwithorabovethosethingscompetingforattention
andparticipation?

x Engagement(PV/Visit).Turnthewebmetricsintosomethingthatismeaningful.Areyour
usersjustcomingbackoraretheycomingbackanddivingdeep?

x ActiveMembership.Doesahighpercentageofyourmembershipcomebackeveryweek?
Everyday?Multipletimesperday?It’’snotacommunitywhentheyjoinbutneverreturn.

xActiveDiscussions.Eachweek,arepeopleinteracting?Itcanbemeasuredindiscussions,
conversations,uploadsorotherparticipatoryelements.Youwanttoseeusersgenerating
content,becauseitmeanstheyarevestedinthecommunity.

Thebusinessofbuildingacommunity(likeabusinessventure)shouldalwaysbedonewithstrategic
objectivesandareturnoninvestmentinmind.That’’sBusiness101.Tobuildasuccessfulcommunity,
however,youmustalsoconsidertheaudience,whattheywillgetfromthenetwork,andhowyou’’re
goingtomeasurewhetherthatishappeningornot.TheConsumerROI––what’’syours?


4SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 CommunitiesFormonTheirOwn,andHowtoBestEnableThem
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsand
expectations.

Peoplenaturallyformintogroupsandcommunities
throughinteractionwitheachother––thisisabasictenet
ofhumanexistence.Inonlinecommunitiespeoplewill
developawayofinteractingwitheachotherwithinthe
structureofthesite.AstheylearntonavigatethephysiͲ
calcommunity,theywillbegintodevelopmodesofinͲ
teractingwitheachotheraswellaswiththecontent. Tointroduceherselfinamoderatorled
 group,ourmoderatormentionedthat
Whencreatingthecommunity,itisyourjobtocreatethe shewascurrentlyreadingaparticular
book.Nearly75%ofthegroupmemͲ
skeleton––thephysicalcommunity––thatwillhousethe berswhosubsequentlyintroduced
userinteractions.HowyouchoosetoarchitectandstrucͲ themselvesmentionedaparticular
book(orlackofinterestortimetoread
tureyoursystems,thefunctionalitythatyouenable,and books)intheirownintroductions.
thewayyouinteractwithyourusers,willallaffectthe
rangeofpossibleinteractions.Themoreeasilythatthese
interactionscanhappen,theeasieritwillbeforcommuͲ
nitymembersthemselvestocreatethepsychological
community.Takearational,methodicalapproachtofaͲ
cilitatingconnectionsandtherewillbebothrationaland
emotionalreasonsthatthemembersconnectthemselvesandformbonds.Overtime,thiswilltransͲ
lateintobondswithyou.

DailyChat&Watch––AuserintheGuidingLightcommunitystarts
agroupforthecommunitytochatdailyaboutthecurrentepisode
aswellastheirday.Prettysoon,amajorityofsitememberssit
downdailyinthisgrouptowatchtheshowtogetherandchat.

5SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Herearetwooperationalmeasures(plusexamples)thathelpensureacommunitywillprogressas
itscreatorswouldlikeitto.

1.Segmentthecommunityintogroupstructuresratherthanindividualrelationshipnetworks.
FocusonmanyͲtoͲmanyinteractionsratherthanoneͲtoͲoneinteractions,thusfosteringasense
ofmicroͲcommunitywithinthelargercommunity.Thisapproachhasnumerousbenefits,among
them:

x Groupinteractionsfacilitateexchangesandconnections.Asinreallife,youmeet
peoplethroughfriendsandgroups,notalwaysona1:1basis.Thisstructuremimics
reallife.
x Smallergroupsprovideaspaceforuserstointeractaroundtopicsthatinterestthem,
aswellastocreatetheirowngroupswithothersimilarmembers.Thesegroupsmay
varysignificantlyfromtheoverall““communitytheme,””buttheyprovideunderlying
bondsthatholdittogether.
x Smallergroupsareeasierfornewmemberstobreakintoandfeelcomfortable.This
clusteringofindividualsintoamosaicofgroupswillalsoenableyourcommunityto
scaletogreatsizes,withoutsacrificinganintimateandmorepersonalfeelforthe
user.

MixingBowl(www.mixingbowl.com),aMeredithproperty,aggregatesmembersaroundrecipe
groupscenteredonvariouscookingrelatedcategories.Thiskeepstheir““socialcookbook””thrivͲ
ing.Thesegroupsdon’’tjustslicethepaletteintodifferenttastes(French,Italian,Barbecue),but
theycoverlifestylesandmore,includingthosecreatedbyusersthemselves(““BakeSaleFavorͲ
ites””or““DinnersAnyoneCanMake””).ThisgiveseveryuseranopportunitytocreateanexperiͲ
encethatisuniquelytheirown,withconnectionsandbenefitsdrivenbytheirownsenseofthe
community.

2.Createwaysformemberstoimmediatelybecomeapartofthesesmallergroups,sothat
they’’llbemorelikelytomakenewconnections,seevalueinthoseconnections,andreturn.Use
thetechnologyatyourdisposaltosuggestthesegroupsandconnections.Makethisapartof
theeverydayexperienceforuserstoconsiderconnectionswherethereislikelytobeareturn
ontheirinvestmentoftime.

MixingBowlalsousesSmartGrouptechnologytobringfreshnewmembersintothesegroups.
EverynewmemberatMixingBowlisgivensuggestionsforrecipegroupsthattheyshouldjoin
basedontheintereststheyindicateintheregistrationprocess.Thisallowsthemtoimmediately
joingroups,begininteractingwithothersandcreateconnectionswithmembersofthecommuͲ
nity––allaroundthetopicsthataremostinterestingtothem.




6SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 TheMechanicsofInteraction

Keepinmindthat,operationally,thewaythatyourmoderatorsanddiscussionleadersbehaveonthe
sitewillalsoaffectthewaymemberswillbehave.Onlinecommunitiesdevelopnormsandaculture
inthesamewayasofflinecommunitiesdo.Forexample,communitymembersbeginbydiscovering
acommoninterest(motherhood),thenstartinteractingbasedonthatcommoninterest.Mothers
whouseclothdiaperingoverstoreͲboughtdiaperscanformsmallergroupsaroundthattopic,both
geographicallyandtopically.Thisgroupmaymeetoffline,ormayformapsychologicalcommunity
online,creatingshareofmindevenwhenusersarenotactivelyparticipatinginthecommunityand
drivingthemtoreturnwithahighfrequency.



7SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Nutsandbolts:whatyoucandoto
movethingsalong

WhileitistruethatyourcommunitywillformaroundtheinteracͲ
tionsofcommunitymembers,youcanarchitectanddesignthe
physicalcommunityinsuchawayastoencouragespecifictypesof
behaviorandoutcomes.Whilethebehavioryoudesirewilldependa
greatdealonthestrategythatyouhavelaidoutforyourcommuͲ
nity,wehavefoundthatthereareafewthingsthatareuniversalto
helptheformationofpsychologicalcommunities.Itisnolongera
caseof‘‘ifyoubuildit,theywillcome.’’Nowyouhavetokeepthem
there,souseeverymeansavailabletoyoutomaketheenvironment
welcoming. Wehavefedthefeedbackfromourcommunitiesand
clientsbackintoourplatformtodevelopwhatwebelieveisahighly
effectivearchitecturalstrategytobuildingcommunity. 

8SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
Incentivizebehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage,butdon’’tcreatecompetition.
Designyoursystemsothatitencouragesspecificbehaviors,alignedwithyourcommunitygoals.

Yourgoalinthecommunityistogetpeopletointeractwitheachother,andoneoftheeasiestwaysto
dothisistoprovideincentivesforspecifictypesofbehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage.Youcanuse
pointsystemstotallyupthesebehaviors,oroffercontestsorcompetitionsto‘‘win’’things.

Threetypesofincentivesthatweuseinourcommunitiesare:

StatusIncentives:Providetheuserswithachangeofstatusalongwithanindicator
ofstatus,whichelevatesthemintheeyesofthecommunity.
Thisisanincentivetotheego,moreorless.Youcanprovide
themwithpoints,newtitlesortags,awardsortrophiesthatthey
canputintheirsignaturesandprofiles,newprivilegesandfuncͲ
tionalityonthesite,etc…… 

VirtualIncentives:Similartostatusincentives,butnottiedtostatusinthecommuͲ
nity.Neopetsoffersneopointsforbehavior,whichallowsusers
to‘‘buy’’theirvirtualpetsavirtualgoodsuchasfoodoratoy.
Offeryourusersthingsthattheycanuseonthesiteorputin
theirprofileasareward. 

RealIncentives: Thesecanbeofferedifthereisroominyourbudgetforsuch
items.Offeryourusersareallifegoodorserviceinreturnfor
theirparticipation,orevenachanceatwinningarealincentive. 

Remember,however,thatapoorlydesignedincentivesystemcanresultincompetitionbetweenthe
members,orcontentthathaslittleornovaluetothecommunity.Welldesignedincentivesystemsare
nottoocompetitive,andpreventmembersfromseeingotherusersasthreatsratherthanallies.ConͲ
siderofferinggroupincentives,forbehaviordoneasagroup.IncentivesforsimplethingscansomeͲ
timescausememberstodothingsforthesakeoftheincentive,asopposedtomeaningfulcontribution.
Designyoursystemsothatitencouragesvaluablebehavior,andnotjustmorebehaviorofacertain
type.

MomsLikeMe(www.momslikeme.com)providestwomethodsofbehaviorinͲ
centives.First,userpostsaretalliedandthenumberisdisplayedbelowtheuser
avatarthroughoutthesite.Whenauserreachesacertainnumberofposts,they
receiveabadgethattheycanputintotheirsignatureorprofile.Second,discusͲ
sionleadersruncontestsaskingforusersubmissions(sometimesassimpleas
respondingtoathread,othersmorecomplex)forreallifeprizes.
TripforTwo!GuidingLightmembershadrealincentivestoparticipateinthecommunityand
invitepeopleintothecommunity.Foreachlevelachieved,a‘‘better’’reallifeprizewas
awarded,culminatingwithatriptovisittheGuidingLightstudioandmeettheactors.

9SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Encouragegroupinteraction
Getpeopletoidentifywiththecommunity,andthuswithyou.

Foryouronlinecommunitytosucceed,yourusersneedtointeractwitheachotheranddevelopa
relationshipwiththecommunityandthepeopleinit.Specifically,ifyouhaveabusinessreasonfor
creatingthecommunity,youneedpeopletoidentifywiththecommunity,andthuswithyou.Your
usersreturntothecommunityinordertotalktoothermembers,andyourjobascreatorandmanͲ
ageristomakethisaseasyaspossible.Ifyousucceedinthisyouwilllearnmuchaboutthepulseof
youraudienceandwhattheythinkandfeel,whichisinvaluableinthecompetitivemarketplace.

Ripple6believesintheimportanceofdevelopingaffinityͲbasedcommunities.Findthosethingsthat
driveuserpassionsandinteractionsoutsideoftheonlineworld,andyouwillhaveabetterchanceto
recreatethemonline.ThiscreatesawayforpeopletocomfortablyinteractandawayforcommerͲ
cialinterests––businessesthatservethosepeople’’spassions––toenterthecommunitywithreleͲ
vanceandbenefitsfortheusers

Designthecommunitywithaneyetowardthe
commonalitiesbetweenpeopleandgivethem 
somethingtobondover.Atthesametime, 
lessenyouremphasisonindividualrelationships 
––letthoseformnaturallythroughuserinteracͲ 
tionswithinthecommunity.Ingroups,userscan 
discoversimilarmembersandaddtotheir 
friendshipswithinthenetwork,fosteringthe

creationofhighlyͲengagedmicroͲcommunities.

Thiswebofrelationshipsleadsto‘‘stickiness’’
thatyouareafter;onceyouhaveyourcommuͲ GroupͲcentrictrumpspeopleͲcentric
nityyoucaninteractwiththem,learnabout
them,andreallygettoknowthemtoensurethatyouareprovidingthemwhattheyarelookingfor.
Notsomeoneelse.

Strategicallyselectingtheoveralltopicofyoursiteisjustthefirststeptowardestablishingcommon
interest.Clearly,userswillinitiallycometoyoubecauseoftheirinterestintheoveralltheme.But
fromthispoint,howyoustructurethesiteanddesigninteractionswithinthecommunitywillreinͲ
forceconnectionsbetweensimilarmembers,encouragegroupinteraction,andfosterthedevelopͲ
mentofmicroͲcommunities.Itwillalsocreatesocialcircleswithinyournetwork.


10SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Asacomparison,let’’slookatthestructuresofFacebook,theleadingsocialnetwork,andMixing
Bowl,anewandrapidlygrowingaffinitybasedcommunitythatwediscussedearlier.

Facebookhasarchitectedtheirsitetoemphasizetheindividualandtheindividual’’srelationships
withothers.WhenausergoestoFacebook,he/sheseesupdatesonhis/herindividualfriends’’inforͲ
mation;theseareallgroupedtogetherthroughtheirrelationshipwiththeuser,butnotwitheach
other.Interactionsbetweenusersandtheirfriendscanbewildlyrandom,andincreasinglyso,based
uponthesizeanddiversityofhisnetwork.TheseoneͲtoͲoneinteractionsaregenerallypersonal,and
notaplaceformarketerstostepinto.

MixingBowl,ontheotherhand,emphasizesgroupsofpeoplewithacommoninterest(intheircase,
aloveofcooking,recipes,typesofcuisineandfood).Asaresult,theinteractionsaremuchdifferent
andincludeconversationsbetweengroupsofpeople.Manypeoplecomeintotheseconversations,
andwhiletheyarestillpersonalandpassionate,thereisroomformoreparticipants.

CertainlyFacebookhasagroupfeatureandMixingBowlhasuserprofilesandprivatemessaging,but
thewaytheseareassembleddrivesthewaytheusersinteract.

11SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Makecontenteasilyaccessibleandfindable
Helpyouruserseasilyfindcontentthatismostrelevanttothemandwaysofgettingbacktocontent
thattheywanttoseeagain.

Conversations,groups,media,andanyotherkindofcontentorcontentstructuresinthesystem
shouldbeeasilyavailable.YourcommunityshouldbebuiltsothattheuserexperienceincludesmulͲ
tipleavenuesforaggregating,featuring,andfindingcontentoneachsite.Thisensuresthatitiseasy
foryouraudiencetofindwhattheyneed,whichmakesyouthefirstresourcefortheminthefuture.

Wefindthisimportantenoughthatit’’savitalcomponentofourplatform:multipleavenuestofindͲ
inginformationinacommunity.Wefirmlybelievethatinformationisthefirstkeytocommunity,so
whenbuilding,werecommendtheplacementofthese““accesspoints””inprominentplacesthroughͲ
outthecommunity,souserswillalwaysknowwheretofindthem.

Thefollowingareafewexamples:

KeyLearning Ripple6Innovation

Aggregatecontenttogetherinwaysthatwill
bemeaningfultotheuser:themostviewed
content,contentthattheyortheirfriends
haveparticipatedin,contentinthegroups
theybelongto,ornewestcontent.

Allowtheuserstosliceitanywaytheywantit.

Letthemputitintheirpocket.

Allowuserstosearch,save,shareandrecomͲ
mendcontentusingsimilarmethods.These
featuresshouldbedesignedtomirroreach
otherandreinforcethecommunityfeelofthe
content.

12SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Letthemshareitbothinsideandoutsideof
thecommunity.
















13SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Helppeoplefindeachother
Userinteractioniskeytodevelopinganemotionalconnectiontothecommunity

Ifinformationisthefirstkey,thepeoplearethesecondkeyto
SmartGroups——recommend
buildingcommunity.Helpthemfindeachotherbyfacilitating groupsformemberstojoinbased
interactionsbetweenthem.UserinteractioniscentraltodevelͲ ontheirpreferencesandprofile
opinganemotionalconnectionnotjusttoindividuals,butto information,tohelpthemmeet
groups,sobuildandshapeyoursitesothatinformationisnatuͲ peoplethatwillbesimilartothem
rallysegmentedandtheusersinvolvedinvariousinteractions
areeasytosee.FindcommonalitiesamongmembersandhighͲ
lightthem.ShowcasecommunitymembersandmicroͲ
communitymembers.Allowpeopletosearchforotherusers
withsimilarinterests.Providelinkstoprofiles,contextualinforͲ
mationaboutusers,andwaystocontacttheusers.

Insum,doeverythingyoucantoallowmemberstoconnect.ReͲ
memberthatengagementisthebestpathtoastrongROIwithin
socialmedia.Becomethesolutionforyouraudience,whatever
theirneeds,sothattheyturntoyoualwaysinthefuture.




FeatureUsersthatexemplifythecommunityandareactiveonthesite

14SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 AllowforScale:Startsmallandgrow
Startsmallandasyourcommunitygrows,allowittoexpandtoprovidenewspacesforthemembers
tointeractwitheachother.

Avoidthepitfallsthatoftenplagueonlinecommunitieswhenitcomestosizeandscale.Ahugesite
withnotenoughmembersisnobetterorworsethanonethatisverysmallbuthassomanymemͲ
bersthatitisimpossibletofollow.Themostsuccessfulcommunityisbuiltforitsstartingpointwith
aneyetowardexpansion.

Yourplatformmustallowforcommunitysegmentationastimeprogresses,sothatthecommunity
canexpandandyetstillbe‘‘small’’enoughformemberstofeelcomfortable.Feelingsofcommunity
(affinity,comfort,interaction)willnotoccurifagroupistoolargeorhastoomuchcontent.Design
yourcommunitytobeeasilyexpandablesouserscancutandslicewhattheywanttoseeveryeasily.
Youdon’’twantyourmemberstofeeltheyarealoneonthesite,butneitherdoyouwantthemtobe
crowdedtogetherwithnowheretogo.

Startsmall.Createthecommunitywith
aneyetowardtheexpectednumberof
initialmembers.Asthecommunity
grows,allowittoexpandtoprovidenew
spacesforthememberstointeractwith
oneanother.ThinkofitasacorralsysͲ
tem:whentherearetoomanyhorsesin
thecorral,theranchersopenagatetoa
newcorraltogivethemmorespace.

15SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Werecommendmultiplewaysofsegmentingthecommunity.

x SegmentingintohardͲcoded
categories––organizethetopics
ofthecommunityintocategoͲ
riesandletpeoplecongregate
there.Westartwithaselect
few(themostrelevanttothe
community)butallowforthe
creationofmore.AsthecomͲ
munitygrows,weaddmore
categorieswhereandwhen
appropriateandasyouseethe
need.
x EnabletaggingfunctionalitysothatthemembersofthecommunitycansegͲ
mentthecontentforthemselvesintovirtualcategories.Thisabilitytofurther
slicethecontentareasappliestothecommunityasawhole,sectionsofthesite,
andevengroupswithinthesite.
x Allowsegmentationwithingroupsorsections.Asthegroupexpands,werecomͲ
mendaddingnewtopicareasorareasfornewfunctionality.Ifacategoryistoo
broad,createsubcategories.Ifnewfunctionalityisneededtoseparateoutone
typeofinteractionfromanother,wecreateanewareaforthatfunctionality(for
example,we’’llsplitaforumintochatandtopicalareas).

Everytimeyoucreatenewsegmentsorsubtopics,youareenablingcertainmemberstocongregate
andconnectinaplacewherethereisno‘‘noise’’fromothertopicsandallowingthemtodetermine
whatisimportanttothem.Thisfostersfeelingsof““groupiness””withinthatsegmentandwilltransͲ
lateintoemotionalconnectionsforthecommunityasawhole.Emotionalconnections,asyouknow,
turnintopositivewordofmouthandlongtermbrandloyalty. 

16SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Youandyourcommunity

OnlinecommunitiesmaynotneedtheregularpresenceofacommuͲ
nitymanagerormoderatortothriveandfunction,butthatpresenceis
necessarytoestablishanyformofemotionallinkwiththeusers.The
userswanttoknowthattheirpresenceisacknowledged,thattheir
contributionsarebeingheard,andthattheyaremakingadifference.
Anyonecreatingorparticipatingmustrecognizethis.

Asaleader,influencer,moderatororsponsorofthecommunity,how
youpresentyourself,yourbehavior,andyourdirectionofthecommuͲ
nitywillallinfluenceitssuccess.Activelisteningandparticipationare
coretobeingconsideredagenuinememberandcreatingtherelationͲ
shipsthatwillmakethecommunityabusinesssuccessstory.

17SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Beanactiveauthenticparticipant
Acommunityrequiresuserstothrive;toattractusersyoumustconsidertheirneedsand
expectations.

Thefirstruleofparticipationisthatyoumustbereal.Don’’ttrytobesomethingthatyouarenot.If
thereistobeacompanyrepresentativeinthecommunity,theyshouldsaywhotheyareandwhat
theydo.Theyshouldaimtobeclearwhentheiropinionsandviewsrepresentthoseofthebrand,
andwhentheydonot.Avoidthehardsell(ortheappearanceofit).Rather,participateinthecomͲ
munityasareal,activemember.Ifthereisalargercommunitybeyondyourown,participateinthat
aswell.Becomeoneofthem.

Weencouragebrandrepresentativestoidentifythemselvesbyusingmanytools:creatingasignature
withtheircompanyaffiliationstated,creatinganintroductionthread,andremindingusersinposts
thattheyarearepresentativeofthecompanysponsoringthecommunity.Thisinformationshould
alsobeplacedinausersprofilesothatanymemberscaneasilyidentifythisuserasabrandrepreͲ
sentativeinsteadofanonͲaffiliatedcommunitymember.

 SuaveoperatesaBrandCommunity,called““LivingBeautifullyforLess.””LukeO’’Connorisa
 celebrityhairstylistandSuaverepresentative.HeregularlyinteractswithusersanddisͲ
 pensestipsaboutproductselectionanduse,haircareandstyletips,aswellascutandcolor
 suggestions.TheusersinthiscommunityviewLukeasanassettothecommunityandexͲ
 presstheirpleasureinbeingabletointeractwithhim.HeisaSuavebrandrepresentative
 anddoescarrytheSuavemessagetothecommunity,buthe’’scarefultodothisincontext
 andmakessuretoaddvaluewithhismessages,insteadofdetractingfromthevalueofthe
 community.









AnyrepresentativeofthebrandthatisactivelyparticipatingshouldtrytodosofromwithinthecomͲ
munity,creatingandmaintainingrelationshipswithmembersandbecomingapartofthecommunity
itself.Rememberthough,youwantthememberstointeractwitheachotherandnotsolelywithyou
––sodon’’testablishinteractionpatternsthatbeginandendwithyou.Establishinteractionpatterns
thatgetmemberstalkingwitheachother.

18SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 MixingBowlprominentlyfeatures
““CoolCookie””,thecurrentSeniorFoodEditor
ofmixingbowl.comandBHG.com.ShemainͲ
tainsaprominentpresencewithinthecommuͲ
nity,showingthatshe,andthebrandshe
represents,areactivelyinvolvedinthecomͲ
munity.Itisimportanttonotethatwhile
Heatherspeaksonbehalfofthebrand,she
alsomixesitupwithusersinthewaythey
wanttoseeanothermemberbehave.She
postsrecipes,reviewsothers,““friend’’s””memͲ
bersofthecommunityandjoinsgroups.IfusͲ
ershaveaproblem,theycometohertogetitresolved.

Thiswasrecentlyseenduringarecipecontest,whereusersrequestedtohavetherecipesubmisͲ
sionsdisplaychanged.Heathergatheredusersuggestions,broughtthesetoRipple6,andwetook
thisfeedbackandupdatedthesitetosatisfyuserrequests.Itisimportanttolistentoyourusers,
hearwhattheyaresaying,andreactinawaythattheyknowthey’’vebeenheard.

19SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Leadyourcommunitybyfollowingyourusers
Learnto‘‘read’’yourusersandpredictwhattheywant,andyoucanleadtheminadirectionthatthey
willhappilyfollow.

Communitymanagementandmoderationshouldbedonewitha
lighthand.Managersandmoderatorsmusttrusttheirusersto
selfͲpolicethemselves.Ripple6offersseveraluniqueabusemanͲ
agementtools.Ourcontentmanagementsystemallowsusersto
reportabusiveorquestionablecontenttoadministrators,and
providesauserpanelfortheadministratorstoviewreported
contentanddecideifthecontentshouldbedeletedorkept.Our
ratingssystemallowspoststhattheusersdeemmoreusefulor
interestingthanothercontenttobefeaturedandbubbledupto
thetop.

Thedesignofyourcommunitycanhelpthemoderator(andusͲ
ers)managethecommunity.OurCMSsystemisdesignedtohelp
managersbubbleuprelevantbitsofcontenttoprominentplaces
withinthecommunity,suchastheCarouselandToday’’sBuzz.
Thesetoolsdirectuserstofeaturedplaceswithinthecommunity,
allowingthenetworktoshowcasetopicsthatmembersormanagersfindappealingandworthwhile.
Furthermore,votingmechanismstoallowuserstovotecontentupordowntomakeitmorepromiͲ
nentonthesitewillallowthecontentthattheuserswanttoseetobubbleuptothesurface.

SystemtagsgeneratedbyAdministratorsprovidetheabilityto:
x Organize,control,andpublishrelatedwebcontentacrossthecommunity
x Publishandmanagetheplacementofeditorialandsocialcontent
x Createcontentlayers
x Linkorassociateelementswithanypost,suchasvideofeeds,images,orexternallinks

Enableyouruserstosharetheinformationthattheyfindmostinterestingandrelevanttothemwith
eachother.RippleTMisbuiltintoallRipple6Ͳpoweredcommunitiesforthispurpose.Thistoolallows
userstosharecontentwithintheircircleoffriends,savecontenttotheir‘‘hub’’withinthecommuͲ
nity,aswellassharecontenttootherpublicandprivategroupswithinthecommunity.Additionally,
theycanchoosetosharecontent
Homework
outsideofthecommunityandinvite
AskyouruserstohelpbygivingthemahomeͲ
workassignmentthatwillhelpthecommunity.To similarpeopletojointhecommuͲ
startadiscussionaboutsocialmediamarketingin nity.Letpositivewordofmouthdo
anewcommunity,weaskedmemberstogopostexamplesofsoͲ theworkforyouandhelpyoufind
cialmarketingoradvertisingthattheycameacrossanddiscuss newadvocates.
whattheydidanddidn’’tlikeaboutthem. 

20SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Strikeabalancebetweentoomuchandtoolittle
Whenitcomestoyourcommunity,youmusttrytostrikeabalancebetweendoingtoomuchand
doingtoolittle.

Wehaverealizedthatwhenitcomestoinformation,
content,moderatorleddiscussion,andnumberof
members––alloftheseareaffectedbysize.Too
muchinformationandcontentonyoursitewill
makeitharderformemberstofindthecontentof
interesttothem,andcansometimesburythemore
interestingcontent.Forexample,ifyouarerunning
aneditorialsitewithasocialnetworkwrapped
aroundit,fillingupthesitewithtoomuchofthe
editorialcontentwillcausethesocialnetworkto
neverbeengaged.Ontheotherhand,toolittlecontentorinformationwillgiveyourmembersno
reasontocomeback.Inthiscase,youwillneedtotakeanactiveroleinmakingsurethereisnew
contentforuserstoparticipatein,withoutoverdoingyourparticipation.

Toomanymemberscanalsohaveadeleteriouseffectonthecommunity.If
toomanypeopleareparticipating,itisunlikelythateveryonewillreadeveͲ
ryone’’scontributions,whichiscounterproductivetotheformationofcomͲ
munity.Memberswillsimplyreadtheoriginalcontentandperhapsreplyor
posttheirown,butignoreanyothercontributionstothetopic.Ontheother
hand,ifnobodyisparticipating,thenthemembersthatare(oryou)willbe
talkinginanechochamber.Strikeabalancebetweenthetwo.Decidewhat
youhopetoachievewithyourcommunity,andstructurethecommunityto
accommodatethis.

Ripple6moderatorsareintimatelyfamiliarwiththegiveandtakeofthe
sitesthattheyinteracton,andhavelearnedhowtogaugewhenacommunityneedsmoreinputor
lessinput.Knowingthepulseofthecommunityisthefirststeptounderstandingit.HavinganeffecͲ
tivemoderatorwhoknowswhattodowiththatinformationisthesecond.

Toomanycooksspoilthebroth
Asmalldenselyconnectedgrouphasabetterchanceof
beingacommunitythanalargerone.Don’’tfallintothe
trapofthinkingmoremembers=bettercommunity.
Thinkanyonereadsover100replies?
LessonLearned
4or5communitiesundergosomelevelofredesign
after90daystostrikeabetterbalance.

21SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Conclusion
Movebeyondtheinstrumentalandintotheemotionalrealm.

HowdoyoubuildanonlinecommunityandinteractwithyourusersinordertodevelopbothaphysiͲ
calandpsychologicalcommunity?Thisisthequestionthatwehaveaddressedhere.Ourworkwith
largewhitelabelsocialnetworksandbrandcommunitieshasgivenusinsightintohowtoarchitecta
siteandinteractwiththeuserstoencouragetheformationofemotionaltieswiththecommunity.In
today’’ssocialmediaworld,wewantourclientstomovebeͲ
yondtheinstrumentalandintotheemotionalrealm.WebeͲ
lieveagoodcommunitymustbothmeetaneedandprovide
somedeepermeaningforpotentialusersinordertokeepthem
invested.Wehelpourclientsthinkstrategicallyabouttheir
goals,thegoalsandneedsofthepotentialaudience,andmatch
themtogether.Then,webuildanonlinepresencethatwill
bringpeopletogether,gettheminteracting,andgivethema
reasontostay.

We’’vegivenyousomekeypointsandbuildingblockstoworkwithasyouconsidercreatingthistype
ofonlinecommunity.ThesedefinetheRipple6communitybuildingstrategy,andhavebeenrefined
overthreeyearsofexperienceinbuildingcommunities.

First,consideryourstrategy.Knowingyouraudienceiscrucial,
sincetheaudienceiskinginthisnewworld.Giveyourusers
poweroverthecontentanddirectionofthesite,butarchitect
thesiteandthecontentstructuresinsuchawaythatthey
moveinadirectionthatyouwantthemtomovein.Youcannot
forcethemtotalkaboutwhatyoufindinteresting,butyoucan
makeitinterestingforthemtotalkaboutit.MakeyourcommuͲ
nitythecenteroftheirworld,andbuildlongtermrelationships
asaresult.

Second,designandarchitectthesiteinsuchamannertofosterthetypesofinteractionthatwillcreͲ
atethatsenseofpsychologicalcommunity.Focusongrouplevelinteractionsandgetthemembersto
identifywiththesite.Giveincentivesforparticulartypesofbehaviorthatyouwanttoencourage,
butdon’’tmakeittoocompetitive.Helpyourusersfindthecontentandmembersthatarerelevant
tothembygivingthemmultipleavenuesintothecontentandmultiplewaystosliceupthecontent.
Mostimportantlythough,designthearchitectureofthesitesothatitiseasilyexpandable––you
don’’twantyourfirstuserstobealoneinanoverlyhugeemptysite,butneitherdoyouwantthesite
tobetooconfining.Makeiteasyforthemtointeractwitheachother,andwithyou.

22SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness
 Third,decidewhatyourowninteractionstrategywillbe.Youshouldhaveapresenceonthesitethat
isactive,authentic,andtransparent.Learntoreadyouruserbaseforhowmuchdirectiontheyneed,
andlearntowalkthatfinelinebetweentoomuchandtoolittle.Howeveryoudecidetointeractwith
yourcommunity,makesureyouarelisteningtothemandreactingtowhattheyaresaying.Your
communitywillfeelvaluedifyougivethemfrequentfeedbackandshowthemhowtheircomments
orideashavebeenused. Iftheyfeelvaluabletoyou,thenyouwillfeelvaluabletothem.

PsychologicalcommunityisvitaltothesuccessofanyonlinecommuͲ
nityorsocialnetwork.Helpyourusershelpyoubyprovidingthem
withtheskeletonandtoolstomakeconnectionswitheachother
andinteractwitheachotherinamannerthatmakesthemfeellike
theyarepartofsomething.Buildyourcommunityinamannerthat
makesyouraudienceintoanintegralpartofyourongoingstrategy.
Letthemhaveasayinhowthecommunitymovesforward.And
mostofall,havefun!

23SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness


Ripple6™™helpsmarketersandpublishersimplementtheirbusinessstrategythroughsocialmedia.The
companyprovidesanenterprisewhitelabelsocialmediaplatformtocreateconsumerengagements
andrelationships,enhancesocialmarketing,generateconsumerinsights,andfacilitatecommerceand
collaboration.Itiseasilycustomizedtoincorporateabrand'slookandfeelforintegrationintoanexistͲ
ingwebsiteortocreateanentirelynewsite.Ripple6awhollyͲownedsubsidiaryofGannettCo.,Inc.
(NYSE:GCI),isbasedinNewYorkanditslistofclientsandpartnersincludesP&G,MeredithCorporaͲ
tion,andGeneralMills.

Formoreinformation,gotowww.Ripple6.comorcontactmarketing@ripple6.com.


24SuccessfullyBuildingCommunitiesforYourBusiness