If you don’t already read Rich Millington’s blog, FeverBee, you should. He recently published an Online Community Building Manifesto (PDF link). He says:
There aren’t any answers in this manifesto. Instead it’s something better, it’s a call to change how we approach online communities.
It’s a short manifesto, and I encourage you to read it. What resonated the most with me was the focus on the social aspects of online communities. In my experience with community building, both within companies and with clients, companies find the software / technology to be the easy part. Installing a piece of software and getting it up and running is something companies do every day. Where they get tripped up is in the people portion of the online community equation: psychology, sociology, motivation, and other more social concerns.
Take a look at the manifesto, and send your comments to Rich. He’d love to have your feedback.
Great review Dawn!
Interestingly, I felt inspired to pen a blog in a similar vein, though not as detailed on psychology and sociology:
http://blogs.open.collab.net/oncollabnet/2008/12/like-any-compan.html
This sprang from another blog I was reading recently from the Department of the Navy’s CIO office.
Keep up the good work here – read your blog regularly!
Thanks.
-Guy Martin
-Open Source Community Manager – CollabNet, Inc.
Hey Dawn, great tip, great blog, I’m subscribed to FeverBee now! Thanks.
Deb Bryant
Public Sector Communities Manager – OSL
Dawn,
ok great i feel your energy, so what have u done about engaging this spirit, im building a female centric community any suggestions?