Online Communities

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Online Communities

• Celeste M. Combs, President
• The Experience Group
• www.theexperiencegroup.com

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Online Communities

• What is online community?
• Why do we need it?
• Or, do we need it?
• What drives it?
• What shapes it?
• Why do we have them?

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Online Communities

• A group of people who interact in a virtual
  environment (Preece, 2000)
• Forms listserve, bulletin board, chat, instant
  messaging, blogs
• Growth parallel with internet use and technology

4
Managing a Community

• Rules
• Setup
• Design
• Integration
• Growing Community
• Example of tool Celestes Online Community

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Online Community Showcase

• Personal Use
• Celestes Online Community
• Affinity Groups
• Arstechnica
• Foodfit.com
• Elder Care
• Business Use
• Support Infopop Corporation
• Sales Directon.com

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Online Community Showcase

• Web Strategy
• Wine Spectator
• Weather.com
• Home and Garden Television
• Entertainment
• HBO Sopranos
• Tonos.com
• Tom Petty Heartbreakers

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Do you Yahoo?

• Many channels
• Chat
• Community
• Discussions
• Personal Communities

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Do you Blog?

• Quickly growing community tool
• Discuss some ideas

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www.theexperiencegroup.com