This article from ZDNet, which follows on the heels of a recent Deloitte, Beeline Labs, and Society for Communications Research study about the word of mouth value in online consumer communities, offers up twelve best-practices for managing these kinds of communities. Some of the tips include: putting the community members first, understanding the differences between online consumer communities and other social media animals, the importance of having community management systems activated, and the importance of finding the right metrics.
The full story at ZDNet:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=190%2090
Scott Bauman 6:45 am on August 1, 2008 Permalink
The study has gotten tons of chatter going in the blogosphere, but, if anything, it has caused a bit of confusion. Not all online communities are alike and that part of the discussion/analysis is missing. I’d like to see a more in-depth study that looks at public vs. private communities, the major differences and, ideally, how both could be part of an enlightened strategy. I’d like to engage people in that discussion ASAP before the dust settles. I’m on twitter as sbauman and you can email me at sbauman@greenoughcom.com. Disclosure 1: I represent Communispace. Disclosure 2: I am interested and invested in this topic anyway as a marketing professional.