The 7 rules Divorce360 broke to succeed

Divorce360 breaks all the rules.

It's a thriving online community that shouldn't exist. Sure divorce is an ugly issue, but more it's that Divorce360 defies most common logic of launching an online community.

Here are 7 rules that Divorce360 has broken, I'm sure there are more.

1) They launched big. Typically the biggest online communities start small, build up a following, and then go on a promotional spree. Divorce360 went straight for the kill - and it worked.

2) They rely on advertising. This is an online community that began with profit in mind. Not one that evolved into a profit-machine. They have no services to offer, and instead, rely on big page views to generate ROI from advertising.

3) The members are occasion orientated. In theory members should come for advice when getting divorced, stick around or a few months, then vanish and forget all about it. Instead the members are making lifelong friendships and connections. They pass on what they have learnt to others. It's like a pregnancy group.

4) They rely upon search engine traffic. This community relies upon search engine traffic. Search engine traffic is usually a bouncy, unreliable, means of building a community. It's hard to connect people together if this is how they've found the community.

5) The founder has never been divorced. Imagine that. The founder, a happily married male, has never been divorced. Yet he managed to start and connect others together.

7) They have high overheads. The companies employs 6 full-time members of staff. That's some overhead to cover before you can even think about generating a profit.

So what does this all mean? With the right people, the right interactions and a flair for community building - almost any community can work.

Comments

[Angela Connor]

I don't think that all 7 of these are rules. I don't think that any set of specific rules works for an online community and that could likely be why your site has seen success. I manage an online community that has grown exponentially since our launch in July 2007 and we continue to roll out features several at a time. It sounds to me like you did what felt right. There are many reasons online communities fail. I suspect that following "rules" or perceived rules, is one of them.