Old-timers built the community, and regulars make it what it is today. Site managers need to find ways to recognize the contributions of those first users by acknowledging their seniority.
Bootcamp Buddies, the unofficial Weight Watchers online support community, is great at acknowledging status. A simple EZ-board-type site, you can quickly identify which users have been members for a while and which ones are newbies, by checking their status level. And you don’t have to work too hard to move up.
By contrast, the OmniGroup online community, where users can chat about the company’s Mac productivity applications, has no levels at all. You can only tell if a poster is another user or an employee, making it hard to tell if that other user is experienced and how knowledgeable he or she is. And the Mr. Excel message boards (yes, a community of Excel enthusiasts) merely lists the number of posts the user has created.
Also be sure to maintain those “rewards” as the community evolves. Resetting everyone's post count to "zero" after a redesign is a sure way to create a backlash. Conversely, don't make it too difficult to achieve status. It shouldn't take 10,000 posts to get from "newbie" to "bronze."
3. Letting in the Crazy
You want to get as many people participating in your community as possible, but they don't want to spend their time with jerks. Have clear terms of use and enforce them. Remove problematic users who are abusive or who cross the line and take online grievances offline. TheKnot.com may have some technical issues, but it's serious about enforcing its usage policy, which is well-defined. The site's account deletions have at times seemed arbitrary, but it gets the crazy out and then some.
4. Excessive Advertising
Depending on the type of site, you may rely on advertising to keep it running. But temper it. People are there to ask questions and discuss topics. Throwing random popups or overlays will send people packing.
5. Unsolicited Audio and Video
Giving users audio or video they didn't ask for is a bad idea in general, but it's especially bad for community sites. Some people spend a lot of time on community sites and often while at work. If the boss can hear them browsing, that's certainly going to be a participation killer.
If you really feel that video will add value to your users' experience, include it. But let them opt in instead of forcing them to wait for the whole thing to load and then rush to hit "pause" before the video starts playing.
Community sites were among the first websites and are obviously here to stay, as we increasingly turn to online sources for information and even just to find someone to talk to. Keep these tips in mind when building your community site, and you'll create a comfortable haven for your users.
More Community Management Resources from Mashable:
- How 7 Startups Are Building Their Online Communities
- HOW TO: Manage a Sustainable Online Community