January was a tremendous month for online community blogs. It was quite a job to go through all of the material and pick the top five, but here they are:
1. How To Convert Newcomers Into Regular Members
One of the greatest challenges an online community manager faces is getting new visitors to stick around and participate. More than just a blog post, Richard Millington has drawn up a detailed guide on how to draw people in and get them involved. He sets down five “golden rules” for converting visitors into active members of the community. Every community manager should read this. Really.
(Also this month, Richard posted How To Build An Online Community: The Ultimate List Of Resources, an index of his past blog posts along with helpful community management resources.)
2. Being a Cool Kid: Key Steps to Getting “In” With Your Community
If you’re a community manager coming into a community that’s already established and active, you may find yourself on the outside looking in. You need more than admin rights to lead a community. You need to be accepted by the group. This two-part blog post from Lyn Muldrow of Metaverse Mod Squad compares this situation to being a freshman in high school seeking social acceptance and provides tips on how to become part of the in crowd.
3. 5 Steps to Ensure Your Members Don’t Run Away With Your Community
I’m one of those people that subscribe to the notion that the members own the community. Cecilia Edwards of Telligent writes that member ownership of the community has several benefits, but reminds us that “community ownership can turn into community hijacking.” She has some tips for finding the sweet spot between coercive community management and an online version of Lord of the Flies.
4. 6 Ways to Kickstart Engagement for 2012
If your new year’s resolution was to do a better job keeping your community engaged, Amanda Allan of Spark Boutik has put together a nice list of ways you can keep the conversation flowing. Though it’s aimed more at social media managers, managers of traditional online communities will find this list useful.
5. How To Get Started As An Online Community Manager
Looking to break in to the community management space? Sue John has some great tips on how to get started, along with links to useful community management resources.
Honorable Mention: Don’t tell my mum I’m a community manager, she believes I play piano in a brothel
Photo credit: Alan Campbell
Thanks so much for including me. I am honoured! 🙂
Dave, thanks for including my post among your top five.
Thanks for having me, I’m flattered!