Build Your Site`s Popularity Organically - Some Hallmarks of a Healthy Community
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User behavior is frequently surprising. That doesn’t necessarily make it “wrong” or unhealthy. For example, you may find that the topics you thought would receive a lot of interest and discussion from visitors just sort of sit there. Conversely, they may take an enthusiastic interest in discussing ideas you never thought were important or didn’t even know existed. Think of it as an educational experience, and enjoy the ride!
In a good community, the members will develop a sense of ownership. This can be helpful for you, as they will be willing to take on community responsibilities; some community members will be willing to act as moderators, for example. Moderators are fairly important to online communities once they reach a certain size. They help things run more smoothly, politely enforce rules, and sometimes even act as peacemakers between other community members having serious disagreements with each other.
The downside is that many users will like things the way they are – which means that you will get a lot of squawking and bad feelings (and possibly even lose users) when you want to institute changes. You can minimize the damage by being honest and open about your plans as early as possible. You might even hear from someone in the community who has a better idea for how to achieve what you’re trying to do!
Speaking of squawking and bad feelings, you will probably notice some members of the community that seem to hang around just so that they can complain about what you are doing wrong. Usually these will be a minority, and they sometimes do make good suggestions and honest criticisms. Pay attention to the ones that make sense; for the rest, you will probably need to develop a thick skin.
One of the best things you can do for you community is create very clear, simple rules. Post them in a prominent area of the community, where everyone can read them. You should start with a list of behaviors that are unacceptable, such as harassing or attacking other users, posting copyrighted materials, etc. Engaging in these behaviors should have clearly posted consequences, which can range all the way up to expulsion from the community. Refer to the rules when there is a dispute. Some people like to push rules as if it is a game; apply them calmly and consistently, and users will be less likely to try to get away with deliberately breaking them.
Once a community is developed, its members will link to it from their own blogs or websites as a place where they hang out. Writers who cover your field may check it out for interesting information. It goes without saying that you want these kinds of organic links. If you have not participated much in online communities and want more information about them, Google comes through surprisingly well when you put in the phrase “how to build an online community” (I tried it without the quotes). It may seem like you need to go through a lot of work for what sounds like a small return, but truly, the rewards are tremendous.
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