Increasing Member Participation Anthony Christopher Digital Places

Overview n Categorizing community members –Vast majority of members are only potential members (lurkers) n Motivators/Caretakers create majority of content that engages those lurkers n Care & feeding of Caretakers/Motivators is critical to growth of community

Digital Places Categorizing Members n Passives - seek effortless entertainment or information n Actives - participate enthusiastically in activities and topics created by others n Motivators - plan and create activities n Caretakers - intermediaries between members and staff Source: Randy Farmer, Electric Communities

Digital Places Estimates by Category n n Passives: 85+% n n Actives: 12% n n Motivators: 1-3% n n Caretakers: 0.1-1%

Digital Places Identifying Caretaker/Motivators n Social People –Hosts, talkers, mature reliable people n Nurturers by nature

Digital Places How to Find Them n Publish job descriptions n Take recommendations from current staff n Select people that everyone agrees on

Digital Places Recruitment n Personal Attention n Back Channel

Digital Places Training Hosts & Caretakers n Terms of Service (Contractual Norms) n Acceptable/Unacceptable Behaviors (Tacit Norms) n Enforcement Mechanisms

Digital Places Effective Training Programs n Study materials n Simulate problem situations n On-the-job mentoring n Reporting & accountability

Digital Places Motivating Caretakers/Motivators n Status n Access privileges to exclusive areas n Rewards, Recognition, and Feedback

Digital Places Member Participation by Category Passives Actives Motivators Caretakers Passives Actives Motivators Caretakers Membership Usage

Digital Places Increasing Passives Participation n Most people, least time n Motivators create activities for engaging passives n Give Motivators the power to create more