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08/18/2001 Archived Entry: "18-August-2001 -- Building an Online Community: Just Add Water"

Building an Online Community: Just Add Water -- "This rule could go for any site really, but it's important to have the best possible writing, design, photography, etc. that you can, and update as often as possible. This is where community sites can excel over single person operations. With a diverse enough membership, you can have an expert artist, fantastic writers, great photographers, and senior programmers to build the best community site imaginable, and everyone pitching in can update the content on a frequent basis." (Comments: I've tried to build a WebWord community a few times. It just can't gain traction. The wheels just spin in the mud. Maybe it is my tone or personality. Maybe people just want to be spoon fed. Maybe people just don't have time. Maybe WebWord isn't the right place for a community; not all sites need a community. In any event, it is a mystery to me.)

Replies: 5 comments

you need a forum, easy to use and navigate. start there.

Posted by jota @ 08/21/2001 10:50 AM EST

Hi John-

Re: Can't get traction

Don't beat yourself up too much. I believe your goals (a thriving community) are contrary to your choosen topic matter. Usability is a big, diffuse field. No one agrees on anything. The issues are no longer cutting edge. Throw a rock and you hit two or more usability web sites.

I've created a couple successful techie communities, and others that were less than successful. The common success factors seem to be: chose an emerging area of interest, begin with a narrow focus, and have an opinion.

But are you sure you want a community? Be really sure about this. All communities follow a maturity lifecycle (digital or real world). Eventually, the area of interest becomes diffuse, people wander off in search of other shiny objects, and you're left holding the fort. Of course, like any good party, there's always those that who stay long past their welcome.

I don't know if this will help you any... The world is filled usability blowhards. WebWord is one of just two sites that I visit on a regular basis. So you're doing something right.

Cheers, Jason Osgood

Posted by Jason Osgood @ 08/20/2001 04:13 PM EST

I agree with Mike - the content and presentation of WebWord great, however I receive the email updates and simply go from the email to the link, skipping the visit to the site. Rarely do I actually visit webword.com (only when the links aren't in the email!), but every day I check out most of the stories you list. So while there may not be a "community" at the site, I would argue that doesn't diminish the usefulness or quality of WebWord at all. and actually, this is the first time i've ever posted a comment here too...

and ditto on keeping up the good work - thanks!

sarah

Posted by Sarah @ 08/20/2001 01:14 PM EST

Could it be that the probable audience for this site (HCI professionals) already have two good 'communities' in the form of the UTEST and CHI-WEB newsgroups?

Just a thought.
Stu

Posted by stuart kruse @ 08/20/2001 03:43 AM EST

I have also wondered why I don't see many comments on your news items. You had a strange spike with the Ireland story, but other than that it's been pretty quiet.

I don't think it's your content or manner of presentation - both are of high quality and usefulness. This site seems to get a lot of hits, too. Perhaps it is because of the nature of your content. You link to sites where comments on that story are taken at that story's site - posting comments on your site would be redundant. Perhaps I'm off, it's just a thought after all.

When all is said and done it comes down to this: has the goal of your site been met? If so, then don't worry about placing a checkmark next to every item in the standard list of "successful site requirements".

Keep up the good work.

Posted by Mike @ 08/19/2001 07:01 PM EST

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