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All posts for “Social Design”
I'm looking for some help here folks. I'm looking for a vendor that integrates weblogs and threaded discussion forums into the same environment. This means that members would be able to log into an online community and start a weblog for their thoughts and/or start a new discussion with a group.
The preference is that this vendor also provides these on a hosted basis- meaning that the vendor owns the hardware and everything is browser-based.
Right now, Web Crossing is one that I know can... Continue Reading
Something I learned from the Cluetrain Manifesto was this (paraphrased by me): Companies should understand that customers are going to talk about them on the Internet- and they should pay attention because it is those conversations that matter. I believe that to be true in many cases.
My friends at KDA Research have made significant progress in helping organizations understand what these online conversations mean- and how they can be used.
They call it "Virtual Ethnography" and their paper:... Continue Reading
You may know that Microsoft recently introduced Channel 9- a site that provides a look into the "cockpit" of Microsoft development. I’ve been watching as it lifted off and I’m pretty darn impressed.
I think Channel 9 may be able to help show the world that the Microsoft folks are not a bunch of money hungry demons. I think Channel 9 has a very humanizing effect for the developers- and shows their insights and personalities.
Most importantly for me, I’m seeing a big step in terms of an... Continue Reading
James at Column Two has posted some good advice on the use of discussion groups inside a corporate Intranet.
A couple of points with which I agree:
To summarise: discussion groups only succeed if they either support an existing community, or meet a specific need. "Build it and they will come" simply doesn't work.
The good news is that the technology isn't particularly important. There are a huge number of excellent (and free) discussion board packages about, the trick is just to find one that... Continue Reading
I’ve lived in a neighborhood with broken windows and I believe in broken windows theory. The theory says that a broken window that is left unfixed can quickly encourage more crime and vandalism because it sends a message of apathy to everyone that sees it.
I first read about the theory in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. In the book, he shows how New York City used this theory to combat crime in the 80’s and 90's. They found that small things like keeping the subways free... Continue Reading
Interview - James Atkinson , Founder of phpBB
For those of you who may not know, phpBB is discussion forum software. It allows web site owners to quickly add discussion forums to a web site.
What makes phpBB different is that it is open source. BTW, the acronym came from "php"- an open source programming language and "BB" as in Bulletin Board.
Like Web Crossing (which isn't truly open source) phpBB has a thriving support community, where users support one another.
James provides some tried... Continue Reading
I’ve been thinking a lot about how weblogs can be used as a part of an online community- and I think there are some real benefits.
One of the essential elements of successful online communities is leadership. An influential leader’s ability to manage a community can make an incredible difference in community perceptions, member participation and overall success.
Leadership cannot occur without communication. Without an effective way to communicate with members, a community leader cannot... Continue Reading
Everything in Moderation: Bringing Politics into Online Communities
Tom Coates is really trying to be consistent with his newish weblog Everything in Moderation. The problem, as he points out, is that he's posting community-related articles on his ever-popular weblog at PlasticBag.org. Oh well, at least he's writing about it somewhere.
His most recent post was a reflection on an article about how cellists manage their relationships as part of a quartet over many years.
From this article he... Continue Reading
Boston.com / An e-neighborhood
Here comes the neighborhood. You've heard me say before that online communities are "community" first and "online" second- meaning that it's all about the real world communities that work together in an online "place."
This article is a good example of how real location-based communities are using message boards, etc. to conduct neighborly business.
"We're often not at home, or if we're at home, we're inside our houses," said Deborah Bier, moderator of a Concord... Continue Reading
On Many-to-Many, Clay Shirky posted an interesting article about Kvetch- a "community" that was built as a place to let people complain. It eventually died and the Eulogy of Kvetch makes some interesting points about the role of identity in a community.
The Kvetch community was different than most sites you'd call a community. There was no login, completely anonymous posting, no search, no member profiles or reputation management, etc. It was just a place to anonymously let off steam.
What's... Continue Reading