Comments on: Giving back to the online community

By: Mentions in the Blogosphere 25 June 2007 » Online Community Building

Mentions in the Blogosphere 25 June 2007 » Online Community Building — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:36:29 +0000

[...] Pitlyuk calls out my article on giving back to the online community in his links of interest for 11 June [...]

By: Links Of Interest « David Pitlyuk

Links Of Interest « David Pitlyuk — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:45:58 +0000

[...] speaks his mind on giving back to the online community. Not only will his methods help others, but it will also help your own blog. I’m a big a [...]

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:07:44 +0000

Hi Andy, thanks for your comment. It’s a good feeling to know you have helped someone out, eh?

As for asking bloggers for assistance, I think they are amongst the people most likely to respond and offer help and advice online.

Good luck with your site; I look forward to reading more of your comments in the future.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 06:31:01 +0000

Hi Martin, good post. I’ve really got a kick out of advising people in forums and “Q&A” sites over the past few years too.

I’ve also just recently asked an influential blogger for help, and based on his reply it seems he’s happy to assist!

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:10:04 +0000

Hey Smiley – I am glad this blog is helping you achieve success with your online communities. Good luck, and keep at it!

By: Smiley

Smiley — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:36:04 +0000

Well, Martin, you’ve certainly given back enough to me.

I knew nothing about phpBB just a few weeks ago. I practiced on the Good Chat boards based on your Community Spark advice and you told me about the overall_header.tpl file on Just Chat.

I messed up quite a few times, but that goes with learning, huh?

I’ve just created brand new message boards tonight (just about to go to bed! Heh!) http://www.friendly-chat.co.uk & http://www.friendly-boards.co.uk

Using all your advice and they’ve turned out perfect to me.

I have a few mods I wanted, although I haven’t gone over-board, I have new menus at the top, got my advertising, even changed the agreement notice etc.

So, thank you for your excellent contributions & keep up the great work !!!

I hope to one day be in a position where I, too, can give back to the online community.

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:28:19 +0000

Hey Daniel – That sounds like a really interesting idea, depending upon what you specific aims are. People often forget that real, tangible products can be great promotional tools.

In the online world, such promotions really do stand out – people are offered free WordPress themes/plugins at many places online. I don’t know of anywhere that offers them on a flash drive!

By: Chicago 2016

Chicago 2016 — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 03:48:09 +0000

There’s always the opportunity for branded swag. I’m thinking of buying a bunch of 128 MB flash drives and loading up some of my favorite Wordpress plug-ins.

Good promotion?

By: Martin Reed

Martin Reed — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:15:56 +0000

Well, I guess there is no moral obligation to give back – it’s just something I personally believe in.

Giving can create a positive image but it also makes you feel darn good – perhaps I should start a crusade to spread the message of ‘giving back’!

By: Carl Pei

Carl Pei — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 21:38:09 +0000

I see what you mean, but I still don’t think one is morally obliged to give something back to the community.

People don’t give back to the community for free. For instance when Bill Gates donates money, he at least to some degree does it for a more positive image.

But being the nice guy that I am, I’m always looking for ways to give back to my communities. For instance on Meizu Me I’ve had quite a few contests, sometimes sponsored by me with prizes as expensive as MP3 players. However, I of course benefit from this. I “buy” a more positive atmosphere, loyalty, a larger fan base and whatnot.