Your strategy will depend upon whether the
community sector is mature or young. Both are outlined below.
Mature
community sectors
In mature community sectors, the following
holds true:
- A large % of those in the topic
already participate in the communities (or…) - A large % of those most likely to
participate in communities are already members of one - There are several large,
established, communities - There are many niche, smaller,
communities (crowded space) - The oldest communities are 10
to 15 years old
Young
community sectors
In young community sectors, the opposite is
true:
- A small % of those in the topic
(less than 10%) participate in communities - There are no significant,
established, communities - Many potential niches remain
open
These are the two extremes of one
continuum. Age of the topic and technological nature of the topic largely
determines these.
Strategy
to match maturity
If you’re in a mature/crowded community
sector, you want to identify existing communities to sponsor/support, identify
smaller niches to satisfy, or identify specific things that people want to
achieve within the sector that require a collective effort.
If you’re in a young community sector, you
want to create the first established community, quickly established a community
presence, and ensure all the key people are members or contributors to the
community.
Your sector will probably be somewhere between
the two extremes. There may be niches available, but these may not be large
enough to be worthwhile. Hence, a support/nurturing existing communities might
prove a better strategy.
Look at the existing community ecosystem,
survey members of the target audience, identify what % participate in
communities, identify the existing number of communities, then decide where you
lie in this continuum. Select a strategy to match.