网络社区怎样才能火起来

    开过博客的人肯定都知道，最多只需一个小时就可以建好个人空间，然后便可以开始和全世界分享我们的高见。但谈到打造一个能吸引人们定期访问并有所贡献的空间，我们中的大多数人可能都做不到，这也情有可原。因为它实在太困难了。

    很多优秀的公司和组织都已建起了自己的网络社区。有些效果很好，有些则不怎么样。

    以美国退休人员协会（AARP）为例，这个组织的网站的确提供了会员权益、组织倡议等方面大量的免费信息，但它同时也为会员提供了参与这个网络社区的机会，与志同道合的人建立起联系。起初，参与者们只是互相交流看法和信息。任何人，无论是否是会员，都可以注册并加入到“退休规划”、“老年创业”等具体的话题小组，也可以新建一个群组。

    随着参与者之间的关系进一步深化，他们开始从对话转为线下活动。比方说，美国退休人员协会某个群组内的单身旅行者已从互相交流旅行经验发展到共同规划行程。在这个阶段，他们已不是随机组合，而是互相协作。

    如今，“网络社区”这个词往往用得比较宽泛，可以包括任何汇聚客户或受众的网站，即使参与者对社区并没有贡献，参与者之间也没什么互动。我们这里所说的“网络社区”指的是那些拥有强大生态系统的网站，公司能组织、培养这些生态系统。这些网络社区的良好运行离不开参与人数的不断增加以及参与者之间广泛而持续的互动。

    公司为什么要重视这些网络社区呢？一个原因是这些社区可以提升公司客户关系产生的价值，并能帮助延长客户关系的寿命。但是，从更广泛的层面上来讲，网络社区可以成为很有价值的工具，帮助了解客户使用公司产品和服务的情况，以及需要做什么样的改进或调整才有意义。很多公司为了取得重点人群的意见反馈都不惜重金，但虚拟社区不正是全天候活跃的重点人群吗？

    打造一个有效的虚拟社区绝非易事。最重要的是要深入了解潜在社区成员尚未得到满足的需要，而不是仅仅把它当作一个营销的机会。因此，无怪乎虽然有那么多人尝试打造这样的社区，但成功者寥寥无几。

    很多公司聘请像LiveWorld这样的咨询公司来建立和管理它们的网络社区。例如，十年前EBay把网络供应商们聚到一起建了一个群组，鼓励它们交流组织拍卖、打造网络业务的成功之道。如今，它已发展成为一个成熟的社区，人们可以在这里讨论家庭、工作和其他兴趣爱好等等。

    As anyone who has started their own blog certainly knows, it takes all of an hour (if that) to create your very own space to share your most brilliant ponderings for the entire world to see. But when it comes to building a space online that people want to visit regularly and contribute to, well, most of us never get there, and for good reason. It's really hard.

    Plenty of smart companies and organizations have put together their own online communities. Some are pulling this off brilliantly; others, not so much.

    Take AARP, for example. True, the organization's website has a sizable amount of free information on member benefits and its advocacy work. But AARP also offers members the opportunity to participate in an online community where they can connect with others who have common interests. At first, participants share ideas and information with each other. Anyone, member or not, can register to join topic-specific groups such as "retirement planning" and "seniors as entrepreneurs" or start a new group.

    As participants' relationships deepen, they begin to move from a conversation to actually working together. For example, single travelers in one AARP group have moved from exchanging tips to planning trips together. At this stage, they are not randomly connecting but collaborating.

    The term "online community" is often used loosely and includes any sites that aggregate customers or an audience even though there is very little contribution by the participants or interaction among them. We use the term in a much more specific way, to highlight a potentially very powerful form of ecosystem that businesses can organize and nurture. These communities require extensive and sustained interaction among a growing number of participants to function well.

    Why should companies care about these online communities? For one, they can increase the value derived from, and the lifespan of, a company's customer relationships. But more broadly, online communities can become valuable tools to understand how customers use a company's products or services and what kinds of improvements or changes might make sense. Companies pay a lot for focus groups and yet virtual communities represent a kind of 24-7 focus group.

    Building an effective virtual community is no simple task. Most importantly, it requires a deep understanding of the unmet needs of potential community members rather than simply approaching it as a marketing opportunity for the company. It is no wonder that so many have tried to create these communities and yet so few have succeeded.

    Many companies hire consultants like LiveWorld to build and moderate their communities. EBay (EBAY), for example, started a group a decade ago by bringing together online vendors and encouraging them to exchange tips on running auctions and how to build successful online businesses. It has since grown into a full-blown community where people talk personally about their families, work, and other interests.