The 3 Pillars of an Online Group

Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody

Chapter 11 Review

Most online marketers are striving to build successful communities around their brands. Everybody is looking for the "secrete sauce" that will get people interested and keep them engaged. Until recently, I was sure that one-size-fits-all model for building online communities didn't exist. And those who claimed they had a proven way to make brands "big" on the web were just looking to get a quick buck at the expense of people who knew little about the principles of the Web 2.0.

As it turns out, the secrete sauce does exist. What's unfortunate, though, is that even with the knowledge of what makes an online community successful, most brands will still get it wrong. So, here it is, the 3 Pillars of an Online Group:

1. Plausible promise. According to Shirky, this is the "essential piece that convinces a potential user to become an actual user." What is it that your brand - and, most importantly, the community behind it - has to offer. I'm really into rock climbing. So, let's say I want to promote a new climbing shoe line designed especially for women. Female climbers face different challenges than male climbers. So, my community might be based on the plausible promise that the female members will become better climbers (please note, I'm not going to promise them that they will become world-class climbers. The promise has to be plausible). By participating in my community, female climbers will gain access to information that will help them deal with women-specific rock climbing challenges, like climbing during and after pregnancy, meeting fellow female climbers, developing proper training routines and climbing techniques and such.
2. Tools. The next key is provide group member with the right set of tools to participate. Members of my community will be able to create personal profiles, find other climbers based on location, organize events and climbing trips, share their knowledge through forums and blogs, upload and comment on photos, create subgroups (like Climbing after Pregnancy or Female Climber of Tampa groups). In addition there will be a branded blog loaded with useful information. Keep in mind that the tools you provide must be "designed to fit the job being done" and they "must help people do something they actually want to do."
3. Bargains. As Shirky puts it, a bargain "helps clarify what you expect of others and what they can expect of you." The bargain for my female climber community is that members can expect to receive a sound advice and support from fellow members in exchange for sound advice and support. Proper language and other communication and media standards might also be part of the bargain. What's important to remember is that the bargain has to be "a part of the lived experience of interaction."

In theory, these 3 pillars of a successful online community sound pretty simple. In practice, however, it's hard to get all of them right. Deep insight into your target audience's needs and motivations and understanding of the different social tools will certainly make the job easier.