How does peer support and social identity relate to building a community? These two elements are what researchers believe are likely motivations for continued community participation among users. While gathering information is often a key driver for initially getting members to a community, this is not what will keep them coming back and becoming active participants. When launching a successful community, companies need to act more like facilitators than as dictatorial owners. Listen to what the users like and want, then play the facilitating role as they build and grow the community.
So now, let’s talk objectives. With any new venture, whether it is starting a new social media network to try to become the next start-up sensation or something as simple as creating a new app for the iPhone – you have to have an objective. You set an objective for your venture and also for the people who will be using what you are creating. The same goes for building a community. Two sets of objectives must be managed in online communities: 1) those of the company and 2) those of the members. If this worries you, don’t let it. Managing this balance is simplified because the two sides usually have very complementary objectives.
According to research by McMillan and Chivas in Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory, people’s sense of community is determined by four elements:
- Membership
- Influence
- Integration and fulfillment of needs
- Shared emotional connection
Members want to feel as if they belong and as if they matter. They want to feel as if they are making a difference and they want to sense that their needs will be met through the group. These are just a few of the key messages that McMillan and Chivas conveyed in their work. This study supports that notion that relationships are a critical enabler in a community for meeting business objectives. However before any deep relationship can begin to form, an emotional connection has to form first. Once an emotional connection is formed, they become passionate evangelists for the company’s brand, whom others are willing to listen to and follow in their footsteps. It’s really simple math; this equation demonstrates what happens:
Community Members + Emotional Connection = Fierce Community Supporters
Given all of this, a key factor in building a world class community is to design the community to foster that sense of community. Here are some examples of how to do that.
- Allow members to affect the type of content by featuring materials highly rated or viewed by members versus what you company thinks is most important.
- Provide a channel for members to exert their influence on the direction of a community by establishing an advisory board, polling members for their opinions and then executing on the feedback given.
- Meet a broader spectrum of members needs than what is core to your company’s interest by adding content from other sources, providing places in the community for expanded discussions, or allowing community members to provide some of the community leadership.
Companies that design their communities in this way have stronger, more sustainable communities that are better able to fulfill the company’s objectives.
