The Psychology of Community Management Harnessing the Social Sciences for Successful Online...
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The Psychology of Community Management Harnessing the Social Sciences for Successful Online Communities or How to Win Friends and Influence People on the
The Psychology of Community Management Harnessing the Social
Sciences for Successful Online Communities or How to Win Friends
and Influence People on the Internet
Slide 2
First things first 2
Slide 3
Which of these is more crucial for a successful Thanksgiving?
3
Slide 4
What do you consider success? 4
Slide 5
What constitutes success in a community of practice? High, yet
sustainable, activity levels Quality of engagement, not just
quantity A sense of community and camaraderie Technology that
doesnt impede the above goals 5
Slide 6
Members are people, too. 6
Slide 7
Motivation Opportunity Ability MOA (no, not the extinct
flightless bird from New Zealand) 7 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png
Slide 8
People are motivated with prizes, right? NOPE. Studies show
that extrinsic rewards reduce intrinsic motivationthis is known as
the overjustification effect. (Mark R. Lepper, David Greene and
Richard Nisbet, Undermining Childrens Intrinsic Interest with
Extrinsic Reward; A Test of Overjustification Hypothesis, Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology 28, 1973, 12937.) Motivation
8
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But you dont have to take my word for itthe numbers bear this
out. After each promo period (marked by an arrow), you see a dip in
engagement; that is, it doesnt stick. Motivation 9
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So, how do you actually motivate your members 10
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What intrinsically motivates people in a community?
Self-efficacy: the desire to make an impact Status-seeking: the
desire to be appreciated by others Belonging: the desire to be part
of a group Information gathering: the desire to secure resources
through learning Motivation 11 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
Slide 12
Motivation: Self-efficacy Appeal to self-efficacy with prompts
to share expertise and prowess. Older and more established users
tend to go for this appeal. 12
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Motivation: Self-efficacy 13
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Motivation: Status-seeking Appeal to status- seeking with
prompts to show off. Be careful not to go too far with this one! It
can get ugly. 14
Slide 15
Motivation: Status-seeking 15
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Motivation: Status-seeking 16 Digital ribbons for top users
Member scoreboard Call-outs in posts to active and helpful members
Member of the week slide
Slide 17
Motivation: Belonging Appeal to belonging with easy-to-answer
prompts that invite self-disclosure and reduce social fear. These
are great to get your newbies in! 17
Slide 18
Motivation: Belonging 18 Our Introduce yourself here thread is
pinned to the top of the front page, and a link is included in
every new members welcome message.
http://theloop.ppa.com/Communities/ViewDiscussions/ViewThread/
?GroupId=577&MID=12305
http://theloop.ppa.com/Communities/ViewDiscussions/ViewThread/
?GroupId=577&MID=12305 Some of our power users even come into
the thread to welcome newbies themselvesmaking that very first new
connection!
Slide 19
Knowledge self-efficacy, as a manifestation of intrinsic
motivation, is more strongly related to knowledge contribution
quality, whereas the other intrinsic motivation, enjoy helping, is
more strongly associated with knowledge contribution quantity. Lou,
J., Fang, Y., Lim, K. H. and Peng, J. Z. (2013), Contributing high
quantity and quality knowledge to online Q&A communities. J.
Am. Soc. Inf. Sci., 64: 356371. doi: 10.1002/asi.22750 19
Slide 20
Motivation Opportunity Ability MOA (no, not the extinct
flightless bird from New Zealand) 20 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png
Slide 21
Make your community a habit for your members. If they visit
frequently enough, eventually something will pique their interest,
and they will participate (or at least keep coming back).
Opportunity 21 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wistar_rat.jpg
Slide 22
How do you trigger members to participate? Make sure theyre
subscribed to your communities and receive emails. Change up
visible prompts frequently (Use pinning, etc.). Make sure that
questions are answered speedily. Opportunity 22 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wistar_rat.jpg
Slide 23
Opportunity: use eGroup subscriptions 23 The Daily Digest
creates a habit by inviting members to check in once a day. If
possible, auto-subscribe all members to the Daily Digest. However,
not all members like engaging in this way, so dont stop there!
Slide 24
Opportunity: Triggers 24
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Opportunity: Use your slidedeck as a trigger 25
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How do you build an activity habit? 26 Social proof: the
phenomenon in which human beings mirror the behavior of others in
an attempt to behave correctly in a given situation. What happens
when a member looks at the list of latest discussions and sees a
list of questions and other postings with zero responses?
Slide 27
27 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tumbleweed_in_Chelan_WA.jpg
Slide 28
How do you build an activity habit? 28 The single best thing
you can do for your community is ensure that all posts get a
response within 24 hours.
Slide 29
How do you trigger lurkers to become active users? 29
Slide 30
Motivation Opportunity Ability MOA (no, not the extinct
flightless bird from New Zealand) 30 CC Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png
Slide 31
Ensure that everyone who wants to contribute, can contribute.
Members can travel through your community, learn and grow with
others, and develop new skills and social bonds. Ability 31 newbie
poster power user ambassador
Slide 32
How is your help documentation? Are answers easy to find? Is
your community management team accessible and warm? Do people who
come to your community know what to do and where to go? Are there
conversations appropriate for every type of member? Ability 32
newbie poster power user ambassador
Slide 33
Ability: What are the rules? 33 Quick Start guide Frequently
Asked Questions Code of Conduct Help Library Tech Support
Community
Slide 34
*You* are part of your brand 34 Let the community managers
voice shine through to your members. Speak casually, tell jokes,
and share parts of yourself. Create a separate, sterile account for
formal announcements. You are a human being, not a marketing
engine. Dont sound like an ad for your organization! Write in the
first person. Build relationships with your members on an
individual basis. Try a relationship building daily exercise during
a slow month.
Slide 35
Ability: Warm vs. cold 35
Slide 36
Handling moderation issues 36 Only moderate when absolutely
necessary; conflict can be productive! Debates create activity.
Instead, produce positive, pro-social content that people will
mirror (social proof: be the change you want to see in your
community). Self- disclosure conversations are good for this.
Maintain extensive, easy to navigate help documentation (quick
start guide, FAQ, and Code of Conduct). Be a friend and ally!
Slide 37
Great questions to stimulate conversations 37 What was your
first _____? What is the craziest/worst/funniest thing that ever
happened to you while doing ______? Whats your favorite ________?
What advice would you give to a new ______________? What are your
top tips for ____________? What do you think of the new
_______________? THIS or THAT?
Slide 38
Sohow do you succeed? MOA: Give members the opportunity to
participate consistently, make sure they have the ability to share
high-quality information and perspectives, and offer motivation
based on the needs humans have as social organismswhile making sure
that your technology doesnt get in the way. 38
Slide 39
Resources 39 Scientists: books, blogs, and TED talks by
psychologists, behavioral economists, sociologists, and more.
Community management blogs: Feverbee.com, theCommunityManager.com
Check out great online communities and see how they manage their
member base: my favorite is Metafilter.com. And the old classic,
How to Win Friends and Influence People