On this, the third ever Community Manager Appreciation Day, we here at Headstream thought it would be appropriate to launch our first in a new series of blog posts all about communities.
Here at Headstream we have broken down how we view communities into three distinct areas. Each of these will be the subject of their own blog post in the near future for us to go into more detail. From how you go about finding them to holding the relationships with large groups of people. These types of communities are:
De-Centralised
This is the overall online community for a specific topic. Made up of each individual, their profiles, fan sites, forums, Twitter accounts and Facebook pages etc. This is often the starting point for activity to discover who is out there and what they are saying.
Centralised
The communities that either exist in specific places, whether it is the owned websites of a company or those that regularly comment on a fan forum/Facebook page. These are the core set of fans of a brand or product that are already advocates. They are the first in line to praise and critique activity and products.
Campaign
This is when a community is brought together under the banner of a specific campaign and once the campaign is finished the members move on. Campaign community individuals fall under both de-centralised and centralised communities. The ultimate goal would be to get those who aren’t already to begin to be part of a community that is run by the brand itself.
Viewing the different types of communities in these three specific ways helps us explain and understand the types of individuals. There is one thing that connects them all and that is the relationship that they hold with the brand. Whether a professional blogger or a casual Tweeter; holding a strong and positive relationship with that individual is the most important aspect of any ongoing community management.
What do you think? Have we nailed it with the ways we look at online communities or perhaps you think there are other ways? Sound off in the comments below.
Do communities on sites like moneysavingexpert.com and mumsnet fall into one of these categories?
Yes, they would come under “centralised” as they are already together in one place. – Sam
Yes, they would come under “centralised” as they are already together in one place. – Sam