What’s Your Key to Community Building?
I’ve been noticing a bit of a trend lately with building community in the online world. It seems that some people believe that community is something that can be attained though purchase, either by cash, free merchandise or other means of artificial manufacturing. Whether it’s T.G.I. Friday’s recent free burger campaign or brands creating their name as a trending topic on Twitter by offering free merchandise, these methods may gain temporary attention, but most likely won’t create lasting loyalty, relationships or community.
Cash for Comments
One example of this trend recently came to my attention on the site Blogging for a Living. A post appeared there on Thursday that stated they are giving away cash as a reward to the person who leaves the most comments on their blog during the month of October, in an effort to rebuild a damaged community. Apparently, the blog used to have tremendous traffic, but a few bad apples with negative attitudes scared away the established community and hurt the reputation of the blog. Although I can sympathize, I don’t think a community can be bought back with the chance of winning a $50 prize for comments that are unlikely to have substance to them. After all, it’s clear that the motivating factor for the reader in this case would be the cash, not community building.
Focus on the Meaning of Community
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, community is: “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” It’s important to keep that in mind when establishing a community. It’s the commonality, that sense of relating to what is being said, or an opportunity to express and share ideas or gain insight and opportunities that keeps people coming back.
Finding a Solution That’s Right for Your Community
If your blog’s focus is on finding and giving away great products or passing on savings, then material giveaways are relevant to your community, because your community would naturally consist of people who are looking for giveaways or savings. That is the common interest or goal.
If your blog, for example, is intended to serve as a community for freelance writers, then the “giveaway” should be information, resources, opportunities, advice and commentary relevant to your community of writers. Everyone needs money, that’s true. Everyone enjoys getting free stuff, that’s also true. But if you have lost your community, then you have to earn it back, not buy it back.
How to build or re-build community in a meaningful way is the challenge. Maybe re-branding is in order; starting fresh to show your community that things have changed or providing an opportunity to engage a new group of people. Maybe inviting and promoting well-respected guest bloggers who share in the same community could help both your audience and theirs. Maybe inviting your readers to comment with suggestions on what they want from your blog would demonstrate your commitment to serving them and that you want them to be part of the process. Ask them why they left and what can you do to bring them back. Taking a hard look at what you do, how it could improve and having the willingness to change is key to evolution and growth in community building as well as brand building.
What is your key to community building?
Kristinia
wrote on October 3, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I have noticed this too, unless I’m reviewing something or giving it away, I barely get comments… I sometimes wonder if anyone is really reading the content at times? Feedburner states 330+ e-mail subscribers… but never do I have that many leaving comments.
Unfortunately we are becoming a nation of short attention spans, unless its flashy, controversial, or free no one really cares anymore?
Angela
wrote on October 3, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Wow, cash for comments. Haven’t seen that one yet.
Tine
wrote on October 5, 2009 at 9:02 am
My community happens to be pregnant women and their families who are interested in the benefits of natural birth…both at home and in the hospital. It’s interesting that most of my web traffic doesn’t come from search, but rather word of mouth and referring sites. It comes from “the community.” Facebook has been a great way to share new blog articles.
Mike
wrote on October 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I have to ask, have you spent much time at the FWJ network? It doesn’t seem as if you know much about community or the person who runs it. Judging by this and other blog posts you seem to be very quick to form opinions about people and things you know very little about.
Cheryl Andonian aka Momblebee
wrote on October 7, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Mike, I’ve spent a little bit of time on the site, and actually found a lot of it to be useful. I am speaking in particular about this one promotion to generate comments, not at all judging the site as a whole or the person who runs it. I still subscribe to the blog and will continue to check back on what is going on there. I was just surprised to see and disagree with the method of offering cash for comments as a community building tool. If you see differently, that’s fine. We are all entitled to have differing opinions, that’s what makes things interesting.
Cheryl Andonian aka Momblebee
wrote on October 7, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Kristinia: That’s a pretty good following…it may just be that many of your followers are mainly looking to participate in giveaways, rather than a conversation. I think there is so much going on out there that it’s difficult to get people to stop and converse in a meaningful way. Maybe reach out to your readers with a poll to find out why they come to your site and what might make them join in on a deeper level. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Angela: I hadn’t seen that approach before either. That’s why it jumped out at me. Trying an unconventional method to generating traffic is good, but generating traffic and generating community are two different things.
Tine: Sounds like you have a strong sense of who your community is and how to keep them engaged. Thanks for stopping by.
- Cheryl