Managing Your Brand in Online Forums Stephan Spencer President, Internet Concepts

Managing Your Brand in Online Forums Introduction to online forums Reactive methods for damage control Proactive methods for damage control

Online Forums Usenet newsgroups vs. listservs ( ) vs. Web- based forums vs. chat Moderated (approval of postings by a moderator) vs. unmoderated (anything goes) Archives of Usenet available via of Web forums via google.com

-Based Discussion Groups Definition: –Bi-directional mailing list, a.k.a. “listserv” Advantages –Easy to access; ubiquitous Disadvantages –Clogs up users mailbox; non-regulated Example:

Usenet-Based Discussion Groups (“Newsgroups”) Definition: –Worldwide network of “newsgroups” on 50,000+ topics, accessed via newsreader (such as Netscape) or Google Groups Advantages: –Regulated; topics are unique; separate from Disadvantages: –Need newsreader; messages periodically deleted Example: –rec.travel.bed+breakfast

Web-Based Discussion Groups Definition: –Discussions are posted on a World Wide Web site Advantages –Drives traffic into your Web site Disadvantages –Non-regulated; requires Web access Example: –

Reactive Methods for Damage Control Respond directly to the poster and solve their problem Respond to the group from the company’s perspective Respond to the group from an employee’s perspective Ask others to post positive opinions in response Cancel the message using “cancelmoose” (careful!)

Handling Negative Posts Are people posting negative comments about your company or products? How do you find out? How do you respond? Are you doing anything to avoid and/or contain future occurrences?

Handling Negative Posts (cont.) Examples in Usenet –Intel Pentium bug fiasco Posted by Prof. Thomas Nicely in October 1994 Thousands of messages to Usenet followed Cost Intel approximately $500 million –American Express “bad service” thread –Your company? Remember: archived Usenet postings never go away!

Proactive Methods for Damage Control Monitor discussion forums Participate in discussion forums Create your own discussion forums Moderate discussion forums Write a FAQ

Monitoring Discussion Forums You can monitor... –Usenet with –Web forums with google.com – lists with CataList at www lsoft.com Advanced searching –Boolean logic (and, or, not) –Searching for a phrase (use “ ”)

Participating in Discussion Forums Post frequently Answer questions, add value, and don’t advertise! Use your “signature” line to soft sell your company As a general rule: focus on Usenet newsgroups before listservs

Creating Your Own Discussion Forums The benefits –Control, visibility, brand awareness What type(s) of discussion forum to create (listserv, Usenet newsgroup, Web forum, or chat room)? Moderated or unmoderated?

Why a Usenet Newsgroup? Millions of people participate in newsgroups Over 250,000 messages are posted to newsgroups each day Newsgroups are automatically promoted Newsgroups are limited to one per topic, effectively locking out your competitors if you are ‘first to market’

Why Moderate? Editorial control Protection from liability First view of new posts The ability to place a “footer” message at the bottom of each posting to drive traffic to your web site (e.g. Archives of this newsgroup can be found at our web site…)

Setting Up a Usenet Newsgroup The process –Takes several months and does not cost anything but your time –Look at the Usenet newsgroup news.announce.newgroups for more info –Step 1: Request for Discussion (RFD) –Step 2: Usenet Volunteer Votetakers (UVV) Questionnaire –Step 3: Call For Votes (CFV)

Maintaining a Usenet Newsgroup No hardware required Moderation may take anywhere from 15 min to 1 hr per day Don’t fall behind on the moderation. Approve postings at least daily if possible. Try to offer archives, a FAQ, and an list (listserv) gateway to the newsgroup, if possible If you are also maintaining a listserv, prepare to spend 2+ hrs per month on administrivia

Discussion Group Archives Definition: –Searchable repository of previously posted discussion group messages Examples: –

Writing and Maintaining a FAQ Definition: –A “Frequently Asked Questions” document that answers commonly asked questions on the discussion forum Refer to the FAQ when answering repeated questions Draw from participants’ postings for the FAQ Promote your FAQ –FAQ Archives: news.answers, *.answers, MIT, OSU,... Example: –

Summary Why –Discussion forums have a great deal of potential for negative branding –Discussion forums are often overlooked by companies. Don’t make the same mistake! How –React quickly to negative posts –Be proactive! Monitor, participate, create your own, moderate, write a FAQ

Questions? Feel free to me at Thank you!