Comments on: New Year’s resolutions for online community managers

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:42:00 +0000

That’s a very good inspirational list you got there. In the past I hosted a few internet forums and the fell flat, If I would have implemented the things you said, and made myself follow the guidelines above, who knows how the forums may have taken off!

By: Dave B

Dave B — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:24:33 +0000

One nice touch is if you know key members birthdays. I short note on or right before their birthday is remembered by the member.

By: Nicole Price

Nicole Price — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:03:36 +0000

Tom, after my recent experience, I came back here to read your comment and have forwarded a link to the manager of a forum with which I am in dispute. I hope that he understands the ‘vote to kick’ and put in something similar!

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:15:46 +0000

I’ve made a few resolutions for this year. I’ve promised to listen to my users more, to design the site with the users in mind – and not with revenue or search engines in mind. I’ve promised to get back to basics when it comes to dealing with users. I’ve promised myself to behave more like the community leader. These are promises I intend to keep.

The brand new FC is up and runnin. Within 2 days I’ve already got 200 genuine users signup to the new site. They’re loving it. The forums are buzzing already, people are happy we’ve got ChatBlazer back and rid of Parachat. Personally I liked Parachat, but my regulars never took to it.

I’ve promised to trust my users more, give them more communal responsibility. ChatBlazer has a fantastic new feature, if X amount of users ‘vote’ to kick someone, they get auto-kicked.

So if someone is causing trouble, instead of full grown adults having to run off and find a babysitter, instead, they can come together as a community and deal with it themselves by right clicking on their name and clicking “vote to kick”, and then ignore.

So my main resolution is to bring users together more with a feeling of community. A closer community means less fights and of course, a stronger community.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:23:04 +0000

Great post you have here! I think community managers should be a friend to everyone, great or small. To be approachable and to always be available, always there to lend a helping hand or even a shoulder to cry on.

By: William Olsen

William Olsen — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:47:16 +0000

Very good thoughts and suggestions there. I think the important one is learning. Never ever stop learning. What ever the focus of your Online Community is, you need to keep researching, reading and learning.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:00:04 +0000

Completely agree with point 1. I know this will sound bad (especially to those struggling to build new communities) but after several years of success it is very easy to fall into the trap of resting on your laurels. There are a couple upstart communities that have stolen a chunk of market share (I take full responsibility). Time to get back to work!

By: Nicole Price

Nicole Price — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:08:08 +0000

Leila, contacting a human being in these times of digitalized communications, is a pipe dream. I can not access anyone to attend to my banking problems or my mobile phone’s billing, leave alone any community’s human face. Linked in is a particularly difficult one!

By: Tommi Heinonen

Tommi Heinonen — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:16:34 +0000

CM´s should be more accessible to the ordinary browsers like me. And by being around makes the community more active.

By: Mr Woc

Mr Woc — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:36:54 +0000

Hi there

Some good thoughts that and great minds must think alike as I was just thinking about my communitys and how they needed livening up, I have even been thinking about how easy my sites are to use.

I plan to make some positive changes to all my sites in the coming months !

I would like to wish everyone a happy new year too !

Woc