Build Your Site`s Popularity Organically - Building a Community
(Page 2 of 4 )
Everyone would like to build an online community, but it’s easier said than done. A good first step is to think of your website not as a corporate brochure, but as an opportunity for you to communicate with customers. Please keep in mind the word “communicate” – not feed them sales talk. Most web surfers are hypersensitive to that these days.
So how do you build a community? Start by knowing why your site exists in the first place. Use a slogan if you must. At Developer Shed, for example, our slogan is “Tools for Geeks,” and we take pride in providing the information users need to get their jobs done. What you need to keep in mind is this: what benefit do users get from participating in your community? What are you offering them that they won’t find anywhere else?
Once you do know what your goal is, stick with it. This doesn’t mean you can’t change or shift your focus; in fact, you’ll probably have to, to meet the needs of the community. But you still need to have a plan to refer to, and to guide your actions. If you don’t, your users might start pursuing their own agendas – and those might not fit in well with yours.
It’s fairly easy, at first glance, to just set up a blog, forum, wiki, or other system that can receive input from multiple users; that’s a matter of getting the right software. But the point is the content and the people who provide it – think of it as the difference between having an empty house and a home. The difference is the people. You can attract interested web surfers through search engines, word of mouth, and submitting links to other sites. If you’ve ever participated in other online communities, your experience will serve you in good stead here. You’ll know that the trick is getting the good ones to stay. Fortunately, if your community is healthy, that issue will take care of itself.
Next: Some Hallmarks of a Healthy Community >>
More Website Promotion Articles
More By Terri Wells
/ 25 
