Comments on: Community building: Be personal or don’t bother

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:55:24 +0000

Sending messages to people who have been active in awhile is a great idea.

Man, this site has just an amazing amount of quality community building content.

By: Edward

Edward — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:26:07 +0000

Thank you, Martin. This really helps as I often feel caught in the middle. Something to work on!

By: Martin Reed - Blog Author

Martin Reed - Blog Author — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:55:59 +0000

Edward – You need to use your personal judgement (remember, every online community is different). I give different levels of information out about myself depending on the community I am in.

At Just Chat, I give little personal information away and keep myself more behind the scenes as I have a great team of staff that are the face of the site. In Female Forum, I give more information away and get more personally involved in the community, but I am careful not to get involved in conversations that are more personal or sensitive (it is a community for women, after all).

It’s great if you can be seen as a friend – just be careful that this doesn’t lead to accusations of favouritism though, and don’t use any perceived friendship as an excuse for failing to treat certain members as you would any other. You need to be independent and neutral. Give away what you are comfortable with sharing, but remain professional.

Remember – what you say will remain forever. Even if you delete what you wrote, people will remember and it will probably end up in the Web archive anyway.

By: Edward

Edward — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:19:54 +0000

I agree, Tom. I think it’s good to have a rapport early so your job is easier when you have to put on your moderator hat.

Martin – do you have any thoughts on this? i.e. striking a balance between being the business owner who is profiting from the community (so having some decorum) and being a “friend”? Should you offer opinions or just be a non-opinionated presence?

By: Rona

Rona — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:49:06 +0000

I agree a hundred percent that it still pays off to have a touch of something personal in everything and everyone we interact with even in these contemporary world. A smiling emoticon is totally different from a real smile after all…

By: Forest

Forest — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:50 +0000

Ive noticed with one of my main blogs that is not targeted to a specific niche that no matter how personal I get or helpful I still have people leaving all the time…

Some of my smaller targeted niches get less work from me and people seem to hang around…. uphill struggle at times but worth it

By: Amish

Amish — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:49:31 +0000

I have just left one forum for precisely the reason that I believe that I did not get the attention and response that I deserved from the Administrator. A particularly vicious commentator had been bugging me for a while and my approach to the Administrator did not elicit the response that I wanted. There may well have been other motives, but my quitting will also mean that I shall inform some of my friends that I have left the forum for the reasons mentioned above. Some of them are also likely to leave.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:14:22 +0000

Exactly, Jeremy. Users like to feel important. Getting a simple message from who they see as “the big man” gives them that warm fuzzy feeling that they crave.

Be careful though, don’t dish out verbal rewards & personal thank yous too often. You’ll de-sensitize them.

You want to keep it as a ‘special’ thing that always gives them that warm, fuzzy feeling.

I thank people personally very rarely. But when I do it, they are over the moon about it for weeks – and it really rubs off in their posts.

Be personal. Just don’t go overboard.

By: Jacques Groenewald

Jacques Groenewald — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 10:23:03 +0000

This is completely true and one of the things that I preach on my blog too. If your blog or website is gonna read like a school book, people are gonna lose interest and leave. As easy as that. Be personal, be creative, have your readers in mind and you will succeed. Keep up the good posts

By: Jeremy L

Jeremy L — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:02:06 +0000

I recently started taking a more personal approach on my forums, and it’s made a BIG difference. People have responded so positively to simple gestures from me. Whether it’s a simple Welcome message when members join, or a Thank You message for helpful posts, both give people a sense of acknowledgment that goes a long way in a community environment.

It’s a practice I wish I would have started sooner!