The Psychology of Community Management

1. The Psychology of Community Management Harnessing the Social Sciences for Successful Online Communities or How to Win Friends and Influence People on the Internet

2. First things first…

3. Which of these is more crucial fora successful Thanksgiving?

4. What do youconsider success?

5. What constitutes successin a community of practice? • High, yet sustainable, activity levels • Quality of engagement, not just quantity • A sense of community and camaraderie • Technology that doesn’t impede the above goals

6. Members are people, too.

7. MOA(no, not the extinct flightless bird from New Zealand) • Motivation • Opportunity • Ability CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png

8. Motivation • People are motivated with prizes, right? • NOPE. Studies show that extrinsic rewards reduce intrinsic motivation—this is known as the “overjustification effect.” (Mark R. Lepper, David Greene and Richard Nisbet, “Undermining Children’s Intrinsic Interest with Extrinsic Reward; A Test of ‘Overjustification’ Hypothesis, ” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 28, 1973, 129‐37.)

9. Motivation • But you don’t have to take my word for it…the numbers bear this out. • After each promo period (marked by an arrow), you see a dip in engagement; that is, it doesn’t “stick.”

10. So, how do you actually motivate your members…

11. Motivation Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs • What intrinsically motivates people in a community? • Self-efficacy: the desire to make an impact • Status-seeking: the desire to be appreciated by others • Belonging: the desire to be part of a group • Information gathering: the desire to secure resources through learning CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg

12. Motivation: Self-efficacy • Appeal to self-efficacy with prompts to share expertise and prowess. • Older and more established users tend to go for this appeal.

13. Motivation: Self-efficacy

14. Motivation: Status-seeking • Appeal to status-seeking with prompts to show off. • Be careful not to go too far with this one! It can get ugly.

15. Motivation: Status-seeking

16. Motivation: Status-seeking • Digital ribbons for top users • Member scoreboard • Call-outs in posts to active and helpful members • Member of the week slide

17. Motivation: Belonging • Appeal to belonging with easy-to-answer prompts that invite self-disclosure and reduce social fear. • These are great to get your newbies in!

18. Motivation: Belonging • Our “Introduce yourself here” thread is pinned to the top of the front page, and a link is included in every new member’s welcome message. • http://theloop.ppa.com/Communities/ViewDiscussions/ViewThread/?GroupId=577&MID=12305 • Some of our power users even come into the thread to welcome newbies themselves—making that very first new connection!

19. “Knowledge self-efficacy, as a manifestation of intrinsic motivation, is more strongly related to knowledge contribution quality, whereas the other intrinsic motivation, enjoy helping, is more strongly associated with knowledge contribution quantity.”Lou, J., Fang, Y., Lim, K. H. and Peng, J. Z. (2013), Contributing high quantity and quality knowledge to online Q&A communities. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci., 64: 356–371. doi: 10.1002/asi.22750

20. MOA(no, not the extinct flightless bird from New Zealand) • Motivation • Opportunity • Ability CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png

21. Opportunity • Make your community a habit for your members. • If they visit frequently enough, eventually something will pique their interest, and they will participate (or at least keep coming back). CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wistar_rat.jpg

22. Opportunity • How do you trigger members to participate? • Make sure they’re subscribed to your communities and receive emails. • Change up visible prompts frequently (Use pinning, etc.). • Make sure that questions are answered speedily. CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wistar_rat.jpg

23. Opportunity: use eGroup subscriptions • The Daily Digest creates a habit by inviting members to check in once a day. • If possible, auto-subscribe all members to the Daily Digest. • However, not all members like engaging in this way, so don’t stop there!

24. Opportunity: Triggers

25. Opportunity: Use your slidedeck as a trigger

26. How do you build an activity habit? • Social proof: the phenomenon in which human beings mirror the behavior of others in an attempt to behave correctly in a given situation. • What happens when a member looks at the list of latest discussions and sees a list of questions and other postings with zero responses?

27. CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tumbleweed_in_Chelan_WA.jpg

28. How do you build an activity habit? The single best thing you can do for your community is ensure that all posts get a response within 24 hours.

29. How do you trigger lurkers to become active users?

30. MOA(no, not the extinct flightless bird from New Zealand) • Motivation • Opportunity • Ability CC Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megalapteryx.png

31. Ability • Ensure that everyone who wants to contribute, can contribute. • Members can travel through your community, learn and grow with others, and develop new skills and social bonds. newbie poster power user ambassador

32. Ability • How is your help documentation? Are answers easy to find? • Is your community management team accessible and warm? • Do people who come to your community know what to do and where to go? • Are there conversations appropriate for every type of member? newbie poster power user ambassador

33. Ability: What are the rules? • Quick Start guide • Frequently Asked Questions • Code of Conduct • Help Library • Tech Support Community

34. *You* are part of your brand • Let the community manager’s voice shine through to your members. Speak casually, tell jokes, and share parts of yourself. • Create a separate, “sterile” account for formal announcements. • You are a human being, not a marketing engine. Don’t sound like an ad for your organization! Write in the first person. • Build relationships with your members on an individual basis. Try a relationship building daily exercise during a slow month.

35. Ability: Warm vs. cold

36. Handling moderation issues • Only moderate when absolutely necessary; conflict can be productive! Debates create activity. • Instead, produce positive, pro-social content that people will mirror (social proof: be the change you want to see in your community). Self-disclosure conversations are good for this. • Maintain extensive, easy to navigate help documentation (quick start guide, FAQ, and Code of Conduct). • Be a friend and ally!

37. Great questions tostimulate conversations • “What was your first _____?” • “What is the craziest/worst/funniest thing that ever happened to you while doing ______?” • “What’s your favorite ________?” • “What advice would you give to a new ______________?” • “What are your top tips for ____________?” • “What do you think of the new _______________?” • “THIS or THAT?”

38. So…how do you succeed? MOA: Give members the opportunity to participate consistently, make sure they have the ability to share high-quality information and perspectives, and offer motivation based on the needs humans have as social organisms…while making sure that your technology doesn’t get in the way.

39. Resources • Scientists: books, blogs, and TED talks by psychologists, behavioral economists, sociologists, and more. • Community management blogs: Feverbee.com, theCommunityManager.com • Check out great online communities and see how they manage their member base: my favorite is Metafilter.com. • And the old classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People

40. Questions?

41. Lindsay Starkelstarke@ppa.comOr just blip me on the HUG!