A presentation I gave on community management to Haas Business School in 2007.

1. Online Communities
Haas Business School, September 20, 2007
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2. Byrne Reese
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4. • “Computer Scientist” (I hack)
• “Anthropologist” (I studied it once)
• Product Manager
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8. Why do Online
Communities Matter?
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9. Why do Online
Communities Matter?
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10. Collectively, we are
smarter.
(most of the time)
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11. They give us a sense of belonging
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12. They give us a heightened
sense of responsibility to one another
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13. They allow us to accomplish things we
couldn’t accomplish on our own
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14. They bring
meaning
to our lives
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15. Ok, so why do Online
Communities Matter?
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16. Community
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17. Communication
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18. • Community is how we get stuff done
• Community allows us to accomplish things
greater then ourselves
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19. And from a
product manager’s
view:
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20. Communities...
• Allow us to connect with the audiences we
care about
• Help build affinity for our products
• Foster greater product advocacy
• Provide us with valuable product feedback
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21. Building Communities
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22. Communities are not things
Communities are organisms
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23. Community Biology
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24. Rule #1:
Give them a place to
take root
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25. Or they might show up where
you don’t want them
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26. Or they might show up where
you don’t want them
Like in your backyard.
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27. Or they might show up where
you don’t want them
Like in your backyard.
When you are out of town.
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28. Keep in mind...
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29. Some environments are more suitable than others
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30. Where they take root may surprise you
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31. Helping Communities to Thrive
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34. Inputs
&
Outputs
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35. INPUT
Information
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36. OUTPUT
(magic)
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37. OUTPUT
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38. Community Culture
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39. “The values, traditions,
norms, customs, arts,
history, folklore, and
institutions that a group
of people share.”
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40. norms
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41. rules
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42. • Norms define what is acceptable and
unacceptable
• Norms provide the means for the community to
keep its members in check
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43. They allow you to step in and take action if necessary
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44. Stories from the Trenches
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45. Go with the flow
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46. Don’t force your community
to adapt to your product.
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48. Adapt your product to your
community.
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50. Use communities strategically
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51. + Ads =
See Also: Giving Communities a Place to Grow
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52. Don’t wait for communities to find their own home.
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53. Give them a place of your choosing to call home.
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54. Community is a feature
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55. Know how community can
attract or repel
future customers and users
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57. vs.
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58. Things to be mindful of
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59. “If you build it, they will come.”
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60. Believe it or not, you are not God.
Even in the communities you start.
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61. Remember: you are dealing with people
who are emotionally invested
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62. • Be sensitive
• Be fair
• Be honest
• Be transparent
• Be humble
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63. And what ever you do...
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64. Don’t feed the Trolls
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65. Thank you.
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66. byrne@majordojo.com
http://majordojo.com
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