Gone are the days when you could rule your community with a scepter and royal lineage. Today, there are three paths to gaining influence in your community: likability, reciprocity, and expertise.
The first: likability is the most common path people take, and it is also the most difficult. The second: reciprocity is the path less traveled, possibly because it takes a great deal of time, patience, and creativity, but what aspect of community management doesn't require those three traits? The third: expertise is the most common among communities of practice, and it is the most direct path to influence in any community.
- What is your style of community management?
- How do you leverage your own influence to get things done in the community?
- Does your community have an "Insider Group"?
- What types of content programs do you use to support the notion of influence within the community?
These are just a few of the questions that were asked during our recent Community Management Talk on Influencing Community Behavior. If you missed the webinar, I invite you to watch the recording below. Then, join the conversation.
Replies
I have been listening to this webinar.
With regard to the question of how keeping up update emails. I do have a solution.
I used amazon.com SES and from time to time a send communication to all members. If an email bounces then you know what to do.
Great! Thanks, mobile. When you say 'you know what to do'. What do you do? Do you seek out the individual on the network and ask him/her to update the email address?
Being a Recruiting Network, I will make a Call. If he/she does not take action, then I proceed to delete, assuming he/she is not really interested. Normally I give 72 hours.
Now there is a way to keep your network pruned! If the member comes back, they'll have to create a new and up-to-date profile.
For anyone who hasn't watched the webinar through to the Q&A portion, mobile is responding to one question we fielded about how best to ensure that members have up-to-date email addresses, and if there is a way to systematically update a member's contact information. The reality is, this has to be a member-driven process. Some email validation services can identify if an email address is still being used, but it can't go the extra step of automatically updating it.