Lawrence Clarke

Here’s some facts aggregated from a number of sources (supplied on request) taken at the beginning of this year. They identify the type of people and the amount of real use people get from the most famous platforms in the business throughout the ‘western’ world (Europe, North America and Oceania/Australia).

Some of the best comic material comes from listening in to conversations on the local bus. A journalist’s best source is the trusted insider to conversations and events as they unfold before they become public. In business, having access to timely information, often gleaned from conversations round the water cooler, can profit the individual and potentially damage her company.

Rituals are personal routines – the time of day I brush my teeth – or more interestingly shared activities – the time of day I sit down and join my family for a meal. In a community sense rituals are universally acknowledged and shared.  These rituals are needed to provide structure, predictability and character to the community to which the individuals feel they belong.

Previously we have exercised ourselves over the meaning of ‘social media’ and the importance of a ‘social media policy’.  With that as background it was clear from a recent talk I gave on ‘Creating an integrated social media strategy’ at the TFM&A show that there were plenty of people looking for answers.

Stories get our attention. Good stories are easy to remember. Story-telling is the oldest form of human interaction, and helps convey meaning, values and custom. If we ignore the power of story-telling in building our online communities we are missing one of the most powerful conversational assets. Yet how many sites looking to engage with their audience demonstrate an awareness of this natural form of interaction?

On the outside it’s surprising how many businesses rely on the continuing buying habits of their customers when times are hard. For many the assumption is that inertia will prevail despite the economic gloom. On the inside it’s understandable. After all many business models are based on our inertia – our reticence to change.

All online communities cost. There is a cost to specify and build or configure an existing application, the cost of hosting and the cost of ongoing maintenance. These are tangible costs, often fixed, that those responsible for budgeting across the organisation understand and for which there are precedents. But as discussed under What is an online community? pricing the technology does not provide the true cost of an online community.

A nod of the head, a shared glance, a warm smile, the soft timbre of the voice, a light touch on the arm, a hint of perfume – the subtle nuances of everyday conversation can never be replaced by a stark screen and the clatter of a keyboard. So why should I give up some of my precious time to join your ‘online community’?

Publishers exist because authors and journalists cannot afford to manufacture, distribute and sell their creations. The publisher will bear the costs in exchange for taking the lion-share of the rewards. It’s not surprising that any book publisher stands or falls by backing ‘best sellers’ or any controlled-circulation magazine publisher needs to mail out to a significant proportion of the target audience as defined by its advertising clients.