Fuel your members activity and keep them coming!

Hey everyone! First time writing here, I hope it's useful.

Here's a way I keep my members interested, busy and coming back again and again to our Network. Using the Chat application!

1. I created a whole Online Programming for the Chat. Of course I have moderators; I myself only manage one of the Online Chat Programs while other members who I've chosen carefully moderate the other shows. The Program is posted on a Blog page and can be accessed from the main menu (Live Online Program). So every day we have a "Show" using the simple Chat application from Ning.

We create themes for each program and topics, a whole schedule that is announced to all members.

2. But recently we took it to the next level. We invite Special Guests to our Chats to "talk" about a specific topic or to answer questions from members who connect that day. It's been awesome! Actually it's been so great I'm adding that as a Bonus to a MARKETING plan I sell to customers who want to reach my audience.

3. When we have a very interesting topic for let's say, the Monday Chat, we add it as an event and invite the whole community.

4. On February we actually had an Online Open House. That's where it all started. We programmed 4 Chats that day, with 4 different experts (all members of the community by the way) at different hours. We posted the Open House on Fb and Twitter and a bunch of people joined our community in just a few days to participate.

5. Next step will be to sell "adds" for the show. If I'm the moderator of the Monday show, I can ask customers for a fee to mention them on my Program via Chat.

I only hope at some point the chat conversations can be recorded by administrators so we can post interviews and important info shared on this simple but wonderful application.

Notes: My Network is a community for business women. Its content is mainly in Spanish. But if anyone's curious you can check it out here: http://www.mujerempresariadehoy.com/

Thanks for reading, to our success!

Idaliz Escalante

Mujer Empresaria de Hoy

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Comment by Dre Baldwin on May 15, 2011 at 11:08am: I'd like to add chat, but I do not see a chat app in Ning Apps section. Is there somewhere else I should be looking?

Comment by Idáliz Escalante on May 15, 2011 at 11:31am: Hello Dre! Go to your administrator page and look for Configuration/ "Functions" (mine says "Funciones" in spanish, I'm not sure what your's would say but its where you get to add apps and boxes or change their location on the main page). You can choose to display the Chat box on your main page, as a bar at the bottom of the page or even create a whole different page for it by grabbing the url and adding a tab on the main menu.

Comment by Dre Baldwin on May 15, 2011 at 11:40am: Thanks a lot Idaliz -- led me right to it!

Comment by Idáliz Escalante on May 16, 2011 at 10:06am: Great md, I'm gonna check it out right now. Thanks for sharing!

Comment by Myo Ko Ko Oo on May 17, 2011 at 6:03am: I surely can't read Spanish but I love your layout :)

Comment by Deb W. on May 17, 2011 at 11:20am: Love your ideas! Thanks for sharing these - I've been thinking about adding scheduled live chats with special guests - this motivates me to try this out.

Comment by Idáliz Escalante on May 17, 2011 at 12:52pm: Hey Deb, go ahead! Start out with someone you are familiar with and knows how to use the Chat. It’s a simple tool yet some have little experience chatting and are not as quick as they need to be. Be aware also that people come "in and out" and you (or guest) will probably be interrupted more than once by people saying "hello", "how's everyone", "what's today’s topic". So you or your guests need to answer quickly and jump right back to where you were.

Maybe I should include a Blog about how to manage the chat when having guests?.. hum.

Anyway, I can assure you it'll be a success and your members, like mine, will be coming back for more every time. I've had members tell me "wow, I spend more time in this network and like it more than Facebook"!

Comment by Deb W. on May 17, 2011 at 1:45pm: thanks - We'll try it sometime soon & I'll let you know how it goes... A blog about how to manage this would be wonderful.

Comment by Henry Cox on May 20, 2011 at 7:30pm: Will you be adding a translation button to your site.

Comment by Kay Van Hoesen on May 21, 2011 at 8:09am: Fascinating. Thanks for sharing. I have sent you a friend request. I'd like to message you privately. I have an online community for women (Here Women Talk) supported by our own live online radio (live 24/7) with talk shows on weekdays (music rest of time). I'd like to collaborate with you on a show for Spanish-speaking women.