The #1 Way to Build a Community
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Over the weekend I attended a few sessions at Podcamp Singapore and the Digital Media Festival. The one thing that struck me the most was the idea of going where the people are.
At DM Fest, the topic came up when I was talking to someone just after a session about communities. I was asking his opinion about whether it made more sense to use your own logins if you’re trying to build a community, or to try and leverage technologies like OpenID so people can use other accounts to join. The answer was a pretty obvious one.
At Podcamp Singapore, the topic came up in both the sessions I attended. Coleman talked about choosing the right medium - text, audio or video. As you can imagine, one of the main factors discussed was about audience preference.
The other session I attended was by Amsie from Curious Foodie, who shared her journey on blogging. During the session, the discussion went on a very nice (in my opinion) tangent when the owner of fourcardflush, a poker blog, asked for advice on how to build the local online poker community - the poker community in Singapore is largely unseen online. The suggestions? To go out into the offline community, take part in the games, and build from there.
3 very different sessions, with different focuses and applications. But the common general theme is quite prevalent.
The easiest way to build a community is to go where the people are. Don’t just try to pull them to where you are. Go to where they are, join them, and build relationships first. Then do you thing, and they will follow.
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Tags: audience, blog, community, OpenID, podcamp singapore, singapore
Liveblogging Podcamp Singapore
Nov 1, 2008 Announcements, blogging
I’m attending Podcamp Singapore, and will be experimenting with live blogging using CoverItLive. I’ll be liveblogging the two afternoon sessions. I haven’t decided which of the sessions I’ll attend, but yeah.
You’ll be able to watch the live blog of the two sessions here. One will be from 2-3pm and the second from 3-4pm. The topics of the sessions will be announced when I decide which one I’ll be attending.
[?]Tags: blog, conference, coveritlive, live blog, podcamp singapore, singapore
Thank You For Reading
Oct 6, 2008 Announcements, Random, blogging
Last week, I posted that this blog had hit 100 subscribers for the first time (according to Feedburner).
I’m still really grateful for all of you who read and subscribe. And I’m still really honored that you’d take the time to read what I have to say. Same to those of you who follow me on Twitter, or on any other network. Thank you for giving me your time and attention. I really appreciate it, and I’m glad to have you here.
That said, I probably don’t know some of you, and I would really like to change that. So if you’ve been reading my blog, please drop me an email, or leave me a comment or something. Or join the Blog’s Network on Facebook. Introduce yourself, say hi, tell me your story, anything. I’d love to connect with you. Or even if we’ve connected before, feel free to drop me a line at any time.
I’m always open to connecting with you guys, and I’m always willing to (try to) help you in any way I can. So yeah, connect with me. I’d love to hear from you.
[?]Tags: blog, connect, social network, thanks
There’s No Such Thing As Bad Press
Sep 26, 2008 Random
Brad Shorr from Word Sell, Inc shares six reasons why business blogs should welcome negative comments.
All are really good reasons, but here’s one that I want to point out specially.
Fifth, negative comments in and of themselves are unlikely in and of themselves to drive business away. Other readers are more interested in your response to a negative comment than the comment itself. For example, the comment “How come your sales rep never calls on me?!$*” by itself doesn’t look good. However, if you respond with, “We are extremely sorry about that. It is never our intention to ignore any customer. You will be hearing from your rep this afternoon, and we hope it’s not too late to rebuild our relationship,” you may find yourself actually attracting new business and turning indifferent customers into evangelists. Of, you could choose not to blog, and risk having customer tell twenty of his friends how unresponsive you are.
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Bad comments are not just bad comments - they are opportunities for you to respond and build new relationships.
In today’s world, you can monitor and track whatever is said anywhere. And as such, I think that Brad’s point can be applied to anything that’s said about you, not just comments on your blog.
As long as people are talking about you, it can work in your favor. Even if it’s bad, it’s a chance for you to jump in and contribute to the conversation. It’s a chance for you to correct any mistakes - be it on the report’s end or on your end. It’s a chance for you to build new connections.
There’s no such thing as bad press, just opportunities to respond.
How do you respond to the negative things that are said about you?
Tags: blog, Comment, Conversation, opportunity, Respond
Thinking About the Blog Experience
Sep 22, 2008 blogging
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the whole experience of blogging and reading blogs. In general, I would think that most people just read blogs, maybe leave a comment, then move on. We’ve all heard that blogs are a conversation, but are they really? Yes, conversation can happen on blogs, but is the platform really the best for conversation? I have my doubts.
So, here’s what’s been on my mind. How would you make your blog more interactive? Not gimmick-interactive, but really interactive, the kind of interaction that builds relationships and community and dialog. I’d say it goes all the way into the fundamental blog experience, and redefining (or tweaking) that experience slightly.
One thing that’s on my mind, for example, is comments. Currently, comments are practically always on the bottom of a post. It’s almost like a footnote/appendix. Why not have comments more as “notes in the margin” instead? Maybe have a side margin (like another sidebar, that can be toggled on/off), where the comments run alongside the post, so that comments can be more ‘in context’ - you can comment specifically on a certain paragraph, for example, and people can see that comment at the same time as while they read the paragraph. There are probably technical details to consider, but that’s just one idea that’s been on my mind, and I think it could help provide more flow to conversations on a blog.
Or why not have an easy way for other bloggers to embed your post or part of it? Something sort of like Clipmarks, but a functionality provided by the blog itself, so that people without the Firefox plugin can also embed it.
What do you think? Are there ways which we can redefine the fundamental blog experience to really make it more interactive and easier for conversation? Or ways to make it more of an experience, something more immersive, rather than just something people read for a minute and leave?
Or do you think that it doesn’t matter and that blogs are fine as they are? Whatever it is, I’d love to hear your opinions.
*note: This post is cross-posted (with slight modifications) from the discussion I started on Seth Godin’s Triiibes Network
Tags: blog, Comment, Conversation
We All Have Something Valuable to Say…
Sep 6, 2008 Technology
I really believe that - that everyone has something valuable to say, and something to contribute on at least some topics. And I love how the web provides a means for us to be heard. Especially in recent times, it’s so easy to step up and have your say on any topic.
You can start a blog, or create a Squidoo lens, for example. You can edit Wikipedia. You can Twitter, or comment on blogs. It’s now so easy to make a contribution and have your voice heard online.
Now, thanks to a Help A Reporter (a free service by Peter Shankman), that ability to have your voice heard is stretching to print
The playing field is being leveled, and we’re all being given more and more opportunities to show our expertise, and let our voice be heard.
The platforms are there - and increasing. Are you making use of them?
Thanks to Seth Godin for pointing out the service.
Tags: be heard, blog, help a reporter, squidoo, twitter, voice, wikipedia
What Happens After They’ve Come?
Jul 6, 2008 Marketing, blogging
Stowe Boyd has a really good post on what new social applications have to do.
So, my New Social App, open the door, invite me in, and tell me up front what you can do for me. But don’t forget to serve drinks and give me a friendly tour. If all you want is registered guests at your party, I’ll be there like every other edgling that gets an invite. But if you want more than zombies standing in the corner dribbling ice cream, make sure I know why your ice cream’s the best, show me the ropes, and make sure I’ve got a personal reason to stay and love you.
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It’s a very important point that we often miss. And again, it’s a lesson that stretches beyond just social applications.
It’s not just about getting new people in - new customers for your product, new readers for your blog, etc. What you do after they’ve entered the door is just as - if not more - important.
[?]Tags: blog, customer relations, Marketing, social media
