Government 2.0 Taskforce - Project 8 - Online Engagement Guidelines

8/14/2019 Government 2.0 Taskforce - Project 8 - Online Engagement Guidelines

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Project8OnlineEngagementGuidelines.Thisdocumentislicensedundera

CreativeCommonsAttribution2.5AustraliaLicense.Updated8/4/2010.

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OnlineEngagementGuidelinesUpdatedbyJamesDellowon8

thApril,2010

ThisdocumentislicensedunderaCreativeCommons

Attribution2.5AustraliaLicense.

PreparedfortheGovernment2.0TaskforcebyHeadshiftAustralasiaPtyLtd.

PrimaryAuthors:JamesDellowandAnneBartlettBragg.


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TableofContents

1 Introduction .........................................................................................................41.1 Background ...................................................................................................41.2 AbouttheseGuidelines .................................................................................41.3 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................6

2 Welcome..............................................................................................................72.1 VersionHistory ..............................................................................................72.2 Abouttheseguidelines ..................................................................................72.3 Usingtheseguidelines...................................................................................72.4 Whattheguidelinesdon'tdo.........................................................................8 2.5 FurtherReading.............................................................................................9

3 DesigninganOnlineEngagement.......................................................................10 3.1 Overview .....................................................................................................103.2 UnderstandingtheScope ............................................................................103.3 DesigningyourOnlineEngagementSolution ...............................................213.4 Riskmanagementandcompliancewithgovernmentstandards ..................30

4 CommunityManagementHowTo......................................................................33 4.1 CommunityManagementOverview ............................................................334.2 TheroleoftheCommunityManager...........................................................33 4.3 CommunityManagementActivities.............................................................35 4.4 UnderstandingyourCommunity..................................................................47

5 Roles,CompetenciesandPolicies.......................................................................53 5.1 Overview .....................................................................................................535.2 OnlineEngagementRoles ............................................................................535.3 OrganisationalStructuresforOnlineEngagement .......................................60

6 UseCasesandModelExamples..........................................................................67 6.1 Overview .....................................................................................................676.2 ListofUseCases ..........................................................................................676.3 ModelExamples ..........................................................................................87

7 Appendix:SampleNetiquetteGuidelines ...........................................................998 Appendix:SampleRiskAssessmentMatrix.......................................................101


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1 IntroductionNote:ThissectionisintendedtobeanintroductiontotheguidelinesfortheTaskforce

sponsorsonly.

1.1 BackgroundThepurposeofthisdocumentistoprovide:

guidelinesandotherresourcestoassistAustralianGovernment

(Commonwealth)agencieswithunderstandingtheapplicationofWeb2.0tools

andtechniquesforcommunityengagementinapolicydevelopment,service

deliveryandregulatory/compliancesettings.

1.2 AbouttheseGuidelines1.2.1 OnlineEngagementFrameworkTheOnlineEngagementFrameworkdevelopedfortheToolkitBlueprintprovidesthe

conceptualscaffoldingfortheseguidelines.

Itisintendedthattheseguidelinesshouldremainbroadlyapplicableregardlessof

theengagementmodelused.Thisisachievedbyusingengagementcyclelevelsin

theframeworkthatarebasedonanumberofpreexistingmodelsandguidelines,

including:

1. The2003OECDpolicyengagementcyclemodel,referencedincurrentFederalguidelinesforonlineengagement;

2. ElectronicEngagement:AGuideforPublicSectorManagers,producedbytheAustralianandNewZealandSchoolofGovernment;and

3. TheInternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation(IAP2)PublicParticipationSpectrummodel.

Forsimplicity,fourlevelsof(online)engagementareusedinthisframework.These

are:

1. ListenandIdentify(AudienceAnalysis);2. Inform(Information);3. ConsultandInvolve(Consultation);and4. CollaborateandEmpower(Participation).

Theselevelsformthecoreprocessforengagement.Inthecontextofonline

engagementspecifically,governmentagencieshavetheoptiontoengageonlineup

toanyparticularlevelbutshouldconsiderthat:

Levelscannotbeskipped,howeveronlineengagementcancomplementtraditionalengagementactivitiestothesamelevelorhigherlevelsof

engagement;and


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Leadingpracticerecommendsthatthecyclemustbecompleted.Theframeworkalsodefinesfourhighlevelusecasetypes,whichare:

1. Identificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissues;2. Policyconsultation;3. Customerserviceandservicedelivery;and4. Marketingandcommunications.

Togetherthelevelsof(online)engagementandtheusecasetypesdefinethescope

oftheseguidelines.However,ratherthenfocusingonagenericonlineengagement

process(sincethisisalreadywelldocumented),specificusecasesforeachusecase

typehasbeendevelopedsothattheseguidelinescandemonstratehowanagency

canapproachonlineengagementinpractice.

1.2.2RelationshiptotheToolkitBlueprint

TheToolkitBlueprintandOnlineEngagementGuidelineswerebothintentionally

developedtoaddressthesameusecasesidentifiedintheOnlineEngagement

Framework.Thiswasensurethetoolkitandguidelinescouldbeusedtogetheras

complementaryresources.

Thetoolkitprovidesapatternbasedapproachtodesigningonlineengagement

solutions,usinganappropriatemixofWeb2.0technologies.Akeyconceptinthe

toolkitistheselectionofa'hub'softwaredeploymentpatternthatmayalsobe

augmentedwithoneormoresupportingsoftwaredeploymentpatterns.This

approachisalsomirroredintheseguidelines.

PleaserefertotheToolkitBlueprintforfurtherguidanceonWeb2.0technology

selection.

1.2.3 RecommendationsforusingtheseguidelinesTheseguidelinesaretargetedatstaffwithinagenciesthathavebeentaskedwiththe

responsibilityforeitherdevelopinganagency'scapacityforonlineengagementor

areseekingguidanceonhowtogoaboutconductinganonlineengagement.Some

leveloffamiliaritywithWeb2.0andonlineengagementconceptsisexpectedand

additionaltrainingandcommunicationmayberequiredbeforesomeagenciesareabletoapplytheseguidelineseffectively.

TheseguidelineswillalsobenefitfromongoingimprovementasGovernment2.0

practicesmaturewithinagencies.SimilartotherecommendationsintheToolkit

Blueprint,werecommendassigningstewardshipoftheseguidelinestoan

appropriateagencyorasponsoredcommunityofpracticegroupwhoshouldbe

giventheresponsibilityforupdatingandpromotingtheirusewithingovernment.


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2Welcome2.1 VersionHistory

Firstversionpublishedon18thDecember,2009. Thisversionupdatedon8thApril,2010:

o Addednewappendixsection:Anexampleguidetousingsocialmediaforstaff,providedbytheDepartmentofFinanceandDeregulation.

o Addedreferencetothenewappendixinsection5.3.2.2 AbouttheseguidelinesTheuseofWeb2.0toolsandtechniquesforcommunityengagementarean

increasinglyimportantpartofthepolicydevelopment,servicedelivery,regulatory

andcomplianceactivitiesconductedbygovernmentagenciesinAustralia.However,

therateoftechnologychangeandthedifferentlevelsofinterest,accessibilityand

sophisticationofdifferentstakeholdergroupscanmakeitdifficulttonavigatethe

manydifferentoptionsforonlineengagementavailable.

Forexample,questionsyoumightaskwhileplanninganonlineengagementactivity

couldinclude:

Whatistheprocessforgoingonlinetoengagewithinterestgroupswewanttoconsult?

Willweneedablogorwiki?Andhowmucheffortwillitrequire? Howdoweencouragemeaningfulcontributionratherthananavalancheof

commentsaboutissueswecan'taddress?

Theseguidelinesareheretoassistagencieswithansweringthosetypesofquestions

andtoencouragegreateruseofWeb2.0toolsandtechniquesforonline

engagement.Byprovidingtheseguidelinestheaimistomakeyouronline

engagementactivitiesassuccessfulaspossible.

Note:Theseguidelinesmayofcoursebeofassistancetootherlevelsofgovernment

orevenothernongovernmentorganisations.However,theguidelineshavebeen

specificallydesignedwiththeneedsofAustralianGovernment(Commonwealth)

agenciesinmind.

2.3 UsingtheseguidelinesTheseguidelinesaredividedintofourchapters:

Designinganonline

engagement

Thischaptercoverstheessentialstepsfordesigningan

onlineengagement.Thesestepsinclude:

Definingtheonlineengagementscopeorbrief; Creatinganonlineengagementplan;and DesigningtheWeb2.0technologysolutionto


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supportyouronlineengagement.

Theappendixalsocontainsasampleriskmatrix,usedduring

theplanningforanonlineengagement.

Community

ManagementHowTo

Communitymanagementisanimportantsetofactivities

aimedathelpingparticipantsandstakeholdersgetthemaximumbenefitofanyonlineengagementactivity.

Thischapterwilladdressthefollowingtopics:

Theroleofthecommunitymanager; Techniquesforcommunitymanagement;and Understandingyourcommunity.

Roles,Competencies

andPolicies

Governmentagenciesaregenerallyorganisedinawaythat

suitstheneedsoftraditionalcommunicationchannels.This

chapterexplainshowtoadapttothisnewlandscapeanddescribes:

TheCoreandSupportingRolesneededforonlineengagement,includingnewrolecompetencies

required;

Optionsforcoordinated,integratedandembeddedorganisationalstructuresthatsupportonline

engagement;and

Howtodevelopeffectiveonlineengagementpolicies.

OnlineEngagement

UseCasesandModel

Examples

Thisfinalchapterprovidesalistofpossibleusecasesfor

onlineengagement,includingpossiblebenefitsandcritical

successfactors.

Modelexamples,addressingasampleselectionoftheseuse

casesarealsoprovided.

Wesuggestyouworkthroughthesesectionsinorder.Firstdesignyourapproach,

thenreviewtheguidanceontechniques,rolesandresponsibilities.Finallyusetheusecasesandmodelexamplestohelpinformthedesignofyourengagementplan.

Thenrepeattheprocessagaintoensurethatyouhavepickedtherightengagement

processalongwiththerightresourcesandtechnologytosupportit.

2.4 Whattheguidelinesdon'tdoItisimportanttoconsiderwhattheseguidelinesdon'tdo:

Theseguidelinesarenotacrashcourseinsocialmediaorpolicyengagementrefertothefurtherreadingsectioninthischapterifyouwanttolearnmore

aboutaspecificelementofonlineengagement.


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TheseguidelinescannottellyouhowtoconductYOURonlineengagementrememberthateveryonlineengagementissubtlydifferent,sousethese

guidelinesasareferencenotarulebook.

Followingtheseguidelineswillnoteliminatealltherisksassociatedwithonlineengagement,howeveritwillhelpyoutoreduceormitigatethemostcommonrisks.

2.5 FurtherReadingTolearnmoreaboutthistopicwerecommend:

Bacon,J.,2009,TheArtofCommunity:Buildingthenewageofparticipation,O'Reilly

Media,USA

Christakis,N.A.&Fowler,J.H.,2009,Connected:TheSurprisingPowerofourSocial

NetworksandHowTheyShapeOurLives,LittleBrown&Co,USA

Crumlish,C.andMaline,E.,2009,DesigningSocialInterfaces:Principles,Patterns,andPracticesforImprovingtheUserExperience,OReillyMediaandYahoo!Press

Howe,J.,2009,Crowdsourcing:WhythePoweroftheCrowdisdrivingthefutureof

Business,ThreeRiversPress,USA

Li,C.&Bernoff,J.2008,Groundsweel:WinninginaWorldTransformedbySocial

Technologies,HarvardBusinessPress,USA

Locke,C.,Levine,R.,Searls,D.&Weinberger,D.,2001,CluetrainManifesto:Theend

ofbusinessasusual,BasicBooks,USA

Mader,S.,2007,WikiPatterns,Wiley,USA

Palloff,RenaM.&Pratt,Keith,2005,CollaboratingOnline:LearningTogetherin

Community,JosseyBass,USA.

Salmon,G.,2002,eTivities:TheKettoActiveOnlineLearning,RoutledgeFalmer,UK

Salmon,G.,2004(2ndedn),eModerating:TheKeytoTeachingandLearningOnline,

RoutledgeFalmer,UK.

Shirky,C.,2008,HereComesEverybody:ThePowerofOrganizingwithout

Organizations,PenguinPressHC,USA

Weinberg,T.,2009,TheNewCommunityRules:MarketingontheSocialWeb,

O'ReillyMedia,USA

Wenger,E.,1998,CommunitiesofPractice:Learning,Meaning,andIdentity,

CambridgePress,UK

Wenger,E.,White,N.&Smith,D.,2009,DigitalHabitats:stewardingtechnologyfor

communities,CPsquare,USA


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3DesigninganOnlineEngagement3.1 OverviewThischaptercoverstheessentialstepsfordesigninganonlineengagement.Thesestepsinclude:

Definingtheonlineengagementscopeorbrief; Creatinganonlineengagementplan;and DesigningtheWeb2.0technologysolutiontosupportyouronline

engagement.

Thischaptershouldbereadinconjunctionwiththeotherchaptersinthisguide,as

theyprovideadditionalinformation(suchasCommunityManagementactivities)and

examplestohelpyoudesignanonlineengagement.Thetypesofactivitiesthatwilltakeplace,themotivationsofthepeopletotakepartandwherethosepeoplewill

participate,willinfluencethefinaldesignofyouronlineengagementsolution.

3.2 UnderstandingtheScope3.2.1 WhatisOnlineEngagement?Whatexactlydowemeanbyonlineengagement?

Inthecontextofgovernment,citizenshipandcommunitywecanthinkofonline

engagementasaspectrumofpossibilitiesnumerousexamplescometomind,

rangingfromOpenAustralia1(aWebsiterunbyvolunteerstohelppeoplefollowtheparliamentaryactivitiesoftheirelectedrepresentatives)toSuperstruct(amassively

multiplayerfutureforecasting"seriousgame").However,theseguidelinesrepresent

onlyapartofthatspectruminparticulartherangeofactivitiesthatsupportthe

executive(administrative)roleoftheCommonwealthgovernmentanditsneedto

engagewiththecommunityforpolicymakingandpolicyimplementation,including

servicedelivery.

Onlineengagement,justliketraditionalmethodsofengagement,isalsoaprocess.In

fact,inmanycasesweshouldnotdrawadistinctionbetweenonlineandtraditional

engagementbygovernmentthetwoareoftencomplementaryorruninparallel

together.However,therearealsosomeinstanceswhereonlineengagement

providesthechanceforengagementtotakeplaceinnewandinnovativewaysthat

wouldnototherwisebecosteffectiveorpracticaltoachieveusingtraditional

methods.But,eveninthesecasestheprocessofengagementremains

fundamentallythesame.

Finally,theseguidelinesreflectadesiretomakeuseofthelatestWeb2.0toolsand

techniquesforonlineengagement.OnlineengagementusingWeb2.0meansthat

1

Seehttp://www.openaustralia.org/


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governmentagencieshavetheopportunitytointeractandcommunicateinnew

ways,whichmayhelptoovercomebarrierstoengagementorcreatebrandnew

methodsforengagement.

Tosimplifythis,wehavecreatedanOnlineEngagementFrameworkthatisdescribed

inthenextsection.ThisframeworkdescribesboththeprocessofonlineengagementandthetypesofonlineengagementCommonwealthagenciesarelikelyto

undertake.

3.2.2 TheOnlineEngagementFrameworkTheOnlineEngagementFrameworkhasbeendesignedtohighlighttwoimportant

aspectsofonlineengagementthatareusedintheseguidelines:

TheOnlineEngagementLifecycle;and Thefourkeytypes('Genre')ofonlineengagement.

Diagram1:OnlineEngagementFramework

TheOnlineEngagementLifecycle:

TheLifecycleisbasedonasimplifiedversionofotherpolicyconsultation

methodologies,suchasthe2003OECDpolicyengagementcyclemodelandthe

InternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation(IAP2)PublicParticipationSpectrum

model.TheLifecyclelevelsusedinthisguideare:

ListenandIdentify(AudienceAnalysis); Inform(Information); ConsultandInvolve(Consultation);and CollaborateandEmpower(Participation).

Treatingtheengagementprocessasalifecycleprovidesadirectionalpathway

througheachleveloftheprocess,whileencouragingthecompletionofthecycle.For


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example,atthestartofanonlineconsultationprocessyouwillinformparticipants

aboutthepurposeoftheconsultation.Attheendoftheconsultationyoumustclose

loopbeinformingthemabouttheoutcomes.Thelifecycleappliesregardlessof

whethertheengagementtakesplaceonlyonlineorincludesamixtureofonlineand

traditionalengagementactivities.

TheGenreofOnlineEngagement:

ThefourGenreofonlineengagementwereidentifiedthroughaprocessofresearch

andanalysis,withinputfromAustralianPublicServicerepresentativesalready

workingwithsocialmediaintheiragencies.ThewordGenrehasbeenusedto

describeloosedescriptionsthatreflectastyleorpatternofonlineengagement

ratherthanahardandfastdefinition.ThefourGenreare:

1. Identificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissues;2. Policyconsultationandpolicycollaboration;3. Customerserviceandservicedelivery;and4. Campaigns,promotionandcommunications.

WhiletheLifecycleisthesameforeveryGenre,theactualflowandtimingofthat

lifecyclemaybedifferentforeach.

Whendefiningthescopeofanengagementitisimportanttoidentifyboththe

Genreandthelevelofengagementexpectedfromtheprocess.

CreatinganOnlineEngagementPlan

WhycreateanOnlineEngagementPlan?

Aswithanyotherkindofproject,creatingaplanforanonlineengagementisgood

practice.Foranonlineengagement,byfollowingtheLifecyclemodelthisplanalso

ensuresthattheengagementprocessiscompletedinfull.

TheOnlineEngagementPlanshouldprovidethefollowing:

Aprojectscopeorbrief; Aprojectschedule,coveringtheoperationalactivitiestosetupandmanage

youronlineengagement;and

Anengagementschedule,coveringtheengagementactivitiestobecompletedforeachstageoftheLifecycleinvolved.

Theplanmayrequireanumberofiterationsasreviewswiththeproject'ssponsors

andstakeholderstoensurethattheplanisachievable.Insomeinstances,youmay

alsostagetheengagementplantoallowforchangingoremergingneedsor

requirementsduringtheengagement.

Considerthefollowingquestionstoassisttheevaluationofyourplan:

Doesyouronlineengagementhaveaclearlydefinedpurpose?Thisiscritical,becausewithoutaspecificpurposeitislikelytotranslateintoapoorly

structuredexperiencefortheparticipants.


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Howwillyouknowthatyoureachedyourobjectivesattheendoftheonlineengagement?Rememberthatsuccesscanbemeasuredinmanydifferent

ways.

Willthemajorityoftheintendedparticipantshavethecapacity,motivationandskillstointeractonline?Haveyouconsideredtheindividualandgroupdynamicsthatmightneedtobefacilitated?Aretheavailabletechnologies

goodenoughtosupportthislevelofactivityanddrivethemotivation

requirements?

Willyoubeabletoachieveyourobjectivesinthetimeandusingtheresourcesyouarelikelytohaveavailable?

Doestheonlineengagementhaveaclearstartandfinish?Ifyouronlineengagementislikelytobeongoingortakingplaceoveralongperiodoftime,

youshouldstillfactorincheckpointsandmilestones.

Inmanyinstances,itmayalsobeworthwhileenlistingstakeholdersorarepresentativegroupofstakeholdersinthedesignoftheplanitself,andthiscanformpartoftheuserexperiencedesignprocessfortheonline

engagementsolution(s)tobeutilised.

LevelsoftheOnlineEngagementCycle

TheLevelsoftheOnlineEngagementCycleprovidethescaffoldingfortheonline

engagementprocess.Thefollowingtabledescribeseachofsevenlifecyclelevels:

Phase Level Description

1 Listenand

Identify

(Audience

Analysis)

Thefirststepofanyonlineengagementshouldinvolve

researchingtheintendedparticipants.Dependingonthescope

oftheonlineengagementthisresearchmightinclude

understandingtheircurrentattitudes,understandingwhatwill

motivatepeopletoparticipateonline,mappingthesocial

networkstheyinhabit,considerationoftheiraccesstothe

internet,andtheirleveloftechnologysophistication.

2 Inform

(Informatio

n)

Thisphaseinvolvesinformingpotentialparticipantsaboutthe

purposeoftheonlineengagement,explainingtheprocessof

engagementandinvitingthemtoparticipate.Itmayinclude

providinginformationabouthowtoparticipateinatraditionalengagementprocessforexample,anonlineeventpage.This

phasemaystillinvolvesomeinteractionwithparticipants,

howeversuchparticipationwillrelatetothescopeorquestions

abouttheprocess.

3 Consult

andInvolve

(Consultati

on)

Atthislevelofengagement,theonlineengagementfinally

movesintoaphaseofgreateractivityandinteractivity.Ifthe

engagementinvolvesaCollaborateandEmpowerphase,thenit

isusedtohelpdefinethetermsandprocessofthenextphases

withtheparticipants.


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4 Collaborate

and

Empower

(Participati

on)

UnliketheConsultationphases,theactivitiesinthisphase

movefromacontrolledConsultationtoonethatiscontrolled

byeitherthemechanicsoftheactivityorpreagreedsocial

rules.Facilitationandmoderationofthisactivitywithinthese

mechanismsorrulesbecomesthefocus.

5 Consult

andInvolve

(Consultati

on)

Thisphasemarksthebeginningoftheonlineengagementclose

downprocess(eitherofthewholeengagementorofanactivity

withinaprogramofactivities).Ifyourengagementdoesnot

involveaParticipationphase(Phase4),thenPhase3and5will

mergetogether.Thisphaseprovidestheopportunitytoreflect,

clarifyandvalidateinformationandotheroutputsfromearlier

phases.

6 Inform

(Informatio

n)

Tofinalisetheinteractivephasesoftheengagement,itis

duringthisphasethatyouensuretheparticipantshaveaccess

totheeithertheoutputsorotherevidenceofactivities.Italsoprovidesthechancetocelebratethesuccessoftheonline

engagementandacknowledgedifferentparticipantsor

particularcriticalorimportantoutcomes.Acknowledgingthe

socialaspectsoftheonlineengagementiscriticalwherea

substantialcommunityhasdeveloped.

7 Listenand

Identify

(Audience

Analysis)

Thisfinalstepoftheonlineengagementprocessclosestheloop

togatherdirectandindirectfeedbackfromparticipants.Itmay

alsoprovideinformationthatcanbeusedforfollowupor

subsequentonlineengagementprojects.

Itisimportanttoemphasisthatthisisprovidedonlyasaguide.Asophisticatedor

complexonlineengagementinitiativemayinvolvemultipleengagementlifecycles

takingplaceatthesametime,sothelifecycleapproachshouldnotbetreatedasa

purelylinearprocesswithinasingleengagementproject.Withineachphase,acycle

ofCommunityManagementactivitieswillalsoneedtotakeplaceyouwillneedto

considernowtointegratetheseactivitiesasyoutransitionbetweenphases.

UnderstandingtheGenreCharacteristicsofOnlineEngagement

EachGenrereflectsadifferentstyleofonlineengagementandasaresulthavedifferentengagementlifecyclecharacteristics.Naturally,someapproaches,

techniquesandtoolsaremoresuitableforsomegenreandlesssuitableforothers.

UnderstandingtheseGenreCharacteristicswillprovideaframeworkthatenables

youtodesignabetteronlineengagement.

ThefourGenrearedescribed,alongwithavisualrepresentationoftheOnline

EngagementCycle("WavePattern"),inthefollowingtable(theusecaseslistedare

describedmorefullyintheUseCasesandModelExampleschapter):

OnlineEngagement

Genre

DescriptionandEngagementCycleWavePattern


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Acompetitionbasedapproachmayworkwell,since

peoplearefamiliarwiththatprocessanditbringsa

naturalclosetoevents.However,rewardsfor

participationmaytakeotherformsormaysimply

involvethesatisfactionoftakingpartinagame.

Sampleusecasesthatfitthisgenreinclude:

Betatestingnewservices; Crowdsourcing; Futurescanningandscenarioplanning; HackDays; Ideagenerationandinnovationprocesses;

Mashupcompetitions;and Pilotsandresearch.

(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand

ModelExamplesChapter)

PolicyConsultationand

PolicyCollaboration

ThisistheclassiconlineengagementGenre,whichhas

theexplicitgoaloffeedingintopolicydesignatonelevel

oranother.ThisGenreischaracterisedbythevarietyofusecasescenariosthatfollowthesamebasicpatternof

engagement,butinpracticeneeddifferentsolutions

andmethodsofcommunitymanagementbecauseof

thescope,topicsandtypesofparticipantsinvolved.

Inthepast,mostonlineengagementaroundpolicy

designhasfocusedonprovidingtheabilityfor

participantstoaskquestions,discussthepolicyareaand

submitfeedbackelectronically.Thosemethodsofonline

engagementarestillvalid,howeverWeb2.0


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helpothercustomers).

Theinitialstartupphasescanbetreatedasalaunch

process,whichcouldbesupportedbyaparallelsocial

andtraditionalmediapromotion,oralternativelya

moreconsultativeapproachcanbetakenwherecustomershavetheopportunitytoshapethenew

servicechannel.

AsmallnumberofusecasesforthisGenrewillrequirea

stricterapproachtoinformationsecurity,becauseof

policyorlegislativerequirements.Thisdoesnotchange

thelifecyclepattern,butitmayintroduceadditional

userexperiencechallengestobeovercome.

SampleusecasesthatfitthisGenreinclude:

Accesstoculturalorhistoricalartefacts; Datasharing; Education,newsandinformationsharing; Onlinecustomerservicenoprivacyor

commercialimplications;

Onlinecustomerservicepersonal/commercialprivacyimplications(e.g.ATO);

Projectbasedcollaborationwithnongovernmentorganisations;and

Resourcesforteachingandstudents.(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand


Campaigns,Promotion

andCommunication

ThisfinalGenreinvolvesengagingwiththecommunity


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inordertohelpagenciescommunicatemoreeffectively

aboutgovernmentservices,policychangesandother

specialevents.Tobeeffective,thispatternofonline

engagementmustmakeuseofpublicsocialmediaand

socialnetworkingonlineservices.

Thisdynamicintroducesinterestingissuesfordealing

withthelifecycleforthispatternofonlineengagement

becausethecontentandconversationsaboutthe

initiativemaywellliveoninthoseexternalcommunities

longaftertheformalengagementprojecthasfinished.

Likethetransitorycommunitythatmightbecreatedas

partofaCustomerServiceandServiceDeliveryGenre

onlineengagementinitiative,theextendedcommunities

touchedbyaCampaign,PromotionandCommunication

initiativeneedstobeaccountedforaspartoftheengagementplan.

ItveryimportantthattheuserexperienceinthisGenre

focusesontwoparticularaspects:enablingpeopleto

share,contributeandremixcontent("Letmetellmy

friends"seetheUserExperiencePrinciplessectionfor

moreinformation),andunderstandingthemotivationto

participate("Showmewhat'sinitforme?"seethe

UserExperiencePrinciplessectionformore

information).

Thepatternofengagementmaybemoreeffective

whereitispairedwithaparallelCustomerServiceand

ServiceDeliverybasedcommunityasitprovidesapre

existingcommunityintowhichannouncementsand

othercontentcanbeseeded.Thosecommunitiescan

alsobeinvolvedinthedesignprocess.Alternatively,

agencieswillneedtopayspecialattentionduringthe

startupListenandIdentifyphaseofthelifecyclein

ordertoidentifytherightsocialmediaandsocial

networkstoseedthecommunication.Thismaycause

somechallengesifnotenoughtimeisallowedduringtheplanningstagetocompletethephaseeffectivelyas

result,theprojectmaynotachievethedesiredlevelof

reachorparticipation.

Thistypeofengagementmayalsobetheprecursorin

itselftoanothertypeofonlineengagementandisan

effectivemethodofutilisingthemomentumgenerated

byearlierCampaigns,PromotionandCommunication

initiatives.

SampleusecasesthatfitthisGenreinclude:


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Changestoserviceavailability; Compliance; Emergencymanagement; Launchnewinitiatives; Majornationalevents; Newserviceannouncements; PublicEducation;and Recruitment.

(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand


3.3 DesigningyourOnlineEngagementSolution3.3.1 OverviewThereiswhatcanfeellikeanoverwhelmingchoiceofsoftwareoptionsfromwhich

anonlineengagementsolutioncanbebuilt.Tohelpsimplifythechoices,thetypes

ofWeb2.0toolsandservicescanbebroadlydividedintothreedifferentcategories:

FoundationalCoresocialcomputingtechnologies,includingblogsandwikis.Thesetoolshavethegreatestpotentialforinhousedeploymentbyan

agency,butcanalsobeprocuredasahostedservice.

VerticalSpecificSpecialisedWeb2.0technologies,suchaseventmanagement,videostreamingandsocialmediamonitoring.Insomeinstancesthesetoolscanbedeployedinhousebyanagency,butareoften

deliveredasahostedservice.

OnlineNetworksWhollyWebbasedservicesthathostusergeneratedcontentoractivitystreaming.Thesearetypicallyrepresentedassocialmedia

orsocialnetworkingsites.Theseservicescanonlybeaccessedordelivered

online,becausetheonlinenetworkmakestheseservicesuniqueratherthan

justthefunctionalitytheysupport.


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Diagram:Web2.0TechnologyCategories

Inmostcases,simplyselectingasingletoolfromoneofthesecategoriestosupport

youronlineengagementisunlikelytocreateanadequatesolution.Asaresult,

designinganeffectiveonlineengagementsolutioncanbeacomplexexercise:

TheonlineengagementsolutionislikelytoinvolveusingacombinationofdifferentWeb2.0toolsandtechniques;

Asyouaddmorepartstothesolutionyouneedtotakeintoaccounthowpeoplewillinteractwithitthisincludesdealingwithusability,accessibility,

andtheoveralluserexperience;and

Asagovernmentagency,considerationofriskandcomplianceissuestoensureyouronlineengagementisconductedinawaythatmeetsthe

expectationsofthecommunity.

Thiscombinationofdesignissueswillmeanthateveryonlineengagementwillbe

slightlydifferent.However,inanapproachsimilartotheGenredescriptionsforthestyleofonlineengagement,wecanalsodescribeanapproachtodesigninganonline

engagementsolutionthatisbasedonkey'patterns'2(andpatternprinciples).These

patternsprovidedescriptionsthatrepresentgooddesignpracticesfordeveloping

onlineengagementsolutions,butinsuchawaytheycanbeappliedtosolvethe

samedesignproblemsinmanydifferentsituations.Byusingpatternsitalsomeans

2.Tolearnmoreaboutpatternlanguage,startwiththeWikipediadefinition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_language


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thataswegainmoreexperiencewithonlineengagementforgovernment,wecan

improvethesepatternstotakeintoaccountthatnewexpertise.

Thepatternsweusehereinclude:

Softwaredeploymentpatternsthesedescribethetypicalhighlevelconfigurationpatternsforthedifferentwayswecandeploysoftwareforanonlineengagement;and

Userexperienceprinciplesthesedescribetheuserexperienceprinciplesthatwillenableparticipation.

Byplanningtheonlineengagementprocess,youshouldbeabletodeterminethe

riskandcomplianceprofileforyourproject.Thisprofileshouldbeusedtoevaluate

theappropriatenessofyoursoftwareanduserexperiencechoices.Wheregapsexist,

eithermitigationstrategiescanbeusedorchangestothedesignwillneedtobe

made.However,careshouldbetakentounderstandhowanychangeswouldaffect

theuserexperienceandcommunitymanagementprocesssincethiscanunderminetheoverallobjectivesoftheonlineengagement.

Thefollowingdiagramexplainshowtheseelementsfittogether:

Diagram:TheOnlineEngagementSolutionDesignProcess

Onceyouhavereadtheremainderofthissection,agoodwayoflearninghowto

understandthesepatternsisanalyseexistingonlineengagementstoseeifyoucan

recognisethedifferentSoftwareDeploymentPatternsusedandassesshowwellyou

thinktheycomplywiththeUserExperiencePrinciplesdescribedintheseguidelines.

SoftwareDeploymentPatterns

TheSoftwareDeploymentPatternsaredividedintotwogroups:


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aHub environment.AnexampleofaHubinthe

Networkmightincludeawhollyself

containedYouTubechanneloraFacebook

pagethatformsthecoreoftheonline

engagementapproach.Somecautionshould

beusedwhenattemptingtoapplythis

pattern,asthesocialnetworkingdynamics

ofthehostsitewillplayaparticularlycritical

roleinthesuccessoftheonlineengagement

initiative.

Themainreasonfordoingthiswillbeto

accessthesocialnetworkinwhichtheHub

willexist.

YouTube,iTunes,and

SlideShare),Social

NetworksConsumer

Orientated(e.g.

FacebookandOpen

Forum)andSocial

NetworksBusiness

Orientated(e.g.

LinkedIn).

ThefollowingtableoutlinesthesecondarypatternsthatenhancetheprimaryHub

siteinsomeway.Theneedtousethesesecondarypatternsdependsuponthescope

oftheonlineengagement.

Secondary

PatternName

Description WhattypesofWeb2.0

technologiescanbeusedfor

thispattern?

(W)Hubwith

supporting

sites

Supportingsitesprovideinformation

orotherfunctionalitythatsupports

theHubsite.Asfaraspractically

possible,thesupportingsite(s)is

integratedwiththeprimaryHubto

providetherightuserexperience

(particularifmorethanone

Foundationaltechnologyisused).

TheHubcontinuestobepositioned

asthemainentrypointor

destinationafterinteractingwithin

thesecondarysite.

Reasonsfordoingthisinclude:

Toprovidefunctionalitythatcannotbeprovidedeasilyin

theHubsite.

Toimprovetheoveralluserexperience.

Toprovideaccesstoaspecificgroupofusers.

Supportingsitescanbe

agencydeployedorhosted.

Blogs,WebContent

ManagementSystems,Wikis,

PrivateSocialNetworks,

Forums,CommunityForums

(thesearemoresophisticated

typesofforumthatofferuser

profiles,hostingforcontent,

etc),PublicMetaverses(e.g.

SecondLife),Privateor

FederatedMetaverse(3D

worlds),BudgetAllocators,

EventsManagement,Idea

Management,LiveBlogging,

LiveChat,Poll/Survey,PrivateorFederatedMicroblogging.,

Webinars.


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Reasonsfordoingthisare

similartotheHubpatterns.

(X)Feeder

Networks

Integrationwithfeedernetworks

bringsawarenessoftheonline

engagementandactivityaroundthatonlineengagementthrough

sharingcontentandother

promotionalactivities.Theaimisto

eitherbringpeopletotheHubsite

orallowthemtoparticipate

indirectlythroughthefeeder

network.

Thereasonsfordoingthisinclude:

Theneedtopromote,butnothostactualonline

engagementdirectlyinthese

othersitesornetworks.

Theneedtomaintainvisibilityorremind

participantsofonline

engagementactivities

throughthesitesand

networkstheyaccessmore

frequently.

SocialNetworksConsumer

Orientated(e.g.Facebookand

OpenForum),SocialNetworksBusinessOrientated(e.g.

LinkedIn),EmailList

Management,Content

Syndication,Microblogging

(e.g.Twitter)

Note:Itmaybepossibletouse

API'sfromFeederNetworksto

integratethesetoolsdirectly

intoyourHuborsecondary

supportingsite(s).Forexample,aFacebookwidget.

(Y)Distributed

content

Contentrelatedtotheonline

engagement(e.g.activity,

information,data,geodata,

multimedia)maybemirroredor

hostedonthirdpartysites,

applicationsordevices.


Accesstothesocialnetworkwherethiscontentwillbeavailable(e.g.theiTunes

store).

Lowcostormoreeffectivecontentstorageand

distribution(particularlyfor

multimedia,suchasvideo

streaming).

Accesstospecialfeaturesoraccesschannels(e.g.mobile)

ContentSharingNetworks

(e.g.Flickr,YouTube,iTunes,

andSlideShare,VideoHosting

&Streaming,OnlineMaps,

SocialBookmarking&Tagging,

Widgets.

Note:Itmaybepossibleto

embedexternallyhosted

contentbackwithinyourHub

orsecondarysupporting

site(s).Forexample,

SlideShareandYouTubeallow

contenttoembeddedinother

sites.


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thatcontributetotheuser

experience.Alsosee(X)

FeederNetworks,which

mightalsobeusedfor

contentdistribution.

(Z)Social

media

monitoring,

social

graphingand

activity

tracking

Theparticipantsinonline

engagementarelikelytobe

participatinginothersocial

networks,soitisnecessaryto

understandwheretheyparticipate

andlistentotheminthose

networks.


Understandingthetargetaudience.

Trackingforthepurposesofmeasurementoftheonline

engagementssuccess.

Usingthisinformationasanindirectinputintothe

outcomesoftheonline

engagement.

Avarietyofmonitoringand

analysisareavailable.

Forexample: PatternA+X+Y+Zcouldrepresentahighlevelorbroadpublicpolicy

consultationinvolvinganagencyhostedHub,whichalsousesdistributed

contentservicestohostmultimediacontent(e.g.avideostreamingservice),

feedernetworks(e.g.microbloggingservice,likeTwitter,andsocial

networkingsiteslikeFacebook)tobringpeopleintotheconsultationHub,

andacombinationofinhouseWebanalyticsandhostedsocialmedia

monitoringservice.

PatternAcouldrepresentapolicyconsultationinvolvingspecialistsorspecificstakeholderswheretheaudienceisidentifiedandinvitedto

participatewhomightsimplyuseanexternalhostedcommunityforumor

privatesocialnetworkingsiteasitsHubtoconducttheconsultation,withno

additionaltoolsorservicesrequired.

UserExperiencePrinciples

Userexperiencecomplementsthesoftwaredeploymentpatternsdescribedinthe

previoussectiontoexplainhowtheuserwillinteractwiththesolution.Forthe

purposesoftheseguidelineswehavenotattemptedtodescribeeverypossibleuser

experiencepatternthatmightapplytoonlineengagement.Insteadwehave

describedthemainuserexperienceprinciplesthatshouldbeappliedtoensurethere


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mediaorsocialnetworkingsites.

Forclosedorofflineengagementactivities,itmay

stillbebeneficialtoprovidemechanismstoshare

informationabouttheengagementprocessitself

orparticipationinanactivity.(Alsosee,Helpmekeepupwithactivities)

networkingsites.

Notproviding

activitystream

feeds.

Notallowingtheonlineengagement

solutiontobe

indexedbysearch

engines.

Notprovidingstatic

URLstopagesand

anchorsto

individual

participant's

contributions.

Whereare

weupto?

Iftheonlineengagementprocessinvolvesany

kindofasynchronousstepsuchasregistration,

submissionofcontent(includingcomment

moderationprocesses),tallyofresults,

competitionresults,etcparticipantsmustbe

keepinformationaboutprogressorprovided

informationabouttheprocessbeingfollowedand

expectedtiming.

Thiswillnotonlyhelptomanagetheexpectationsofparticipantsabouttheparticularstepbutwill

alsoencouragethemtostayengagedwiththe

process.

(Alsosee,Showmewhathappened?)

Moderating

commentstoablog

withoutproviding

anyindicationabout

howlongitwilltake

forcommentstobe

approved.

Askingpeopleto

signupforaneventwithlimitedplaces,

butnotindicating

howmanyplaces

areleft.

Helpmeto

keepup

with

activities

Keepingpeopleuptodatewithactivitiesiscritical

toensuringongoingparticipationthroughoutthe

engagementprocess.

Itisimportanttomakeitaseasyaspossibleto

followactivitiesandparticularitythoseactivities

theyaremostinterestedin.Multiplemethodsand

channelsshouldbesupported,including,butnot

limitedtoemail,RSS,SMS,microblogging,activity

streamsharingandinstantmessaging.Mobileand

otheraccesschannelsshouldalsobesupported.

Wheneverpossible(andappropriate)contentand

informationshouldbedeliveredtoparticipants,

ratherthanforcingthemtovisitthesitewhereit

originated.

Onlyprovidinga

singlemechanism

forreceiving

updatese.g.email

only.

Notproviding

participantswith

theoptiontoselect

whichactivity,how

much,how

frequentlyorwhat

informationstreams

theywanttofollow

e.g.allornothing


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Note:Thesepatternsmaybedifficulttoachieve

withclosedonlineengagementprocesses,as

manyWeb2.0methodsofsharinginformation

areinherentlyopen.

approach.

Showmewhat

happened?

Theonlineengagementchannelshouldreflecttheactivitiesandoutcomesoftheentireengagement

cycle,evenifsomeactivitiesorstepsare

conductedusingatraditionalengagement

process.Thisappliestostepswithinthe

engagementcycleitself,aswellasthe

engagementprocessoverall.

Providingeasyaccesstotheoutcomesorstepsof

anengagementprocess,regardlessofwhetherit

wasultimatelycompletedonoroffline,willhelp

tosupportboththelegitimacyandvalueofthatengagementbutalsohelptoencourage

participationbypeopleinthefuture.

Archivingorrestrictingaccessto

contentand

activitiesgenerated

duringthe

engagement

processassoonasit

hasbeen

completed.

Waitinguntillong

aftertheonlineengagement

processorastepin

theprocesshas

completedbefore

sharingthis

informationwith

participants.

Theseprinciplesprovideanintroductiontokeyuserexperienceconcepts.However,therearemanybooksandonlineresourcesthatdiscussandprovidemoredetailed

Web2.0designpatterns3.

3.4 RiskmanagementandcompliancewithgovernmentstandardsUseofWeb2.0foronlineengagementexposesgovernmentagenciestopotentially

newrisksandusestechnologiesthatmayrequireexistingrulesandguidelinestobe

reanalysedtounderstandhowtheyapplyandtheirimplications.Arangeof

legislativerequirements,policiesandstandardsaffectthewaythatagenciescanand

shoulduseWeb2.0technologiestointeractonlinetheseareprimarilydesignedto

eitherreducerisktogovernmentortoensurethatagenciesconductthemselvesinawaythatmeetsthecommunitiesexpectations.Manyoftheapplicablepoliciesand

standardshavebeenidentifiedinAGIMO'sWebpublishingguidelines4.Theserules

andguidelinesrelatetoboththetechnologyitselfandtheoperationofthose

technologies.

3Forexample:Crumlish,C.andMaline,E.,2009,DesigningSocialInterfaces:

Principles,Patterns,andPracticesforImprovingtheUserExperience,OReillyMedia

andYahoo!Press.

4

Availableonlineathttp://webpublishing.agimo.gov.au/


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Moregenerally,theonlineengagementprocessitselfcreatesriskthatrelatetothe

engagementitself.Forexample:

Whathappensifnooneparticipatesintheprocess? Whathappensifthekeymessageismanipulatedorhijacked?

Anengagementprocesslevelyoucanusestandardriskmanagement(anexampleof

aRiskAssessmentMatrixforanonlineengagementisalsoprovidedintheappendix

oftheseguidelines),projectmanagementandcorporatecommunications

techniquescanbeusetomitigatethesekindsofrisks.Howyouorganiseand

coordinateyouronlineengagementactivitiesisalsoimportantrefertothe

CommunityManagementHowToandRoles,CompetenciesandPolicieschaptersfor

additionalrelatedinformation.

Focusingonthetechnology,whenselectingdifferentWeb2.0toolsandservicesas

partofyouronlineengagementsolutionsareastoconsiderinclude:

Generalrequirementstheserelatetoarangeofgeneralagencyriskareas(e.g.reputationalrisk,brandingsupport)andalsotheabilityofsolutionsto

supportdesirableWeb2.0anduserexperiencefeaturesinWeb2.0toolsand

servicesused.

SecurityandidentityrequirementsthisrelatestobothactiveinformationsecuritymeasuresintheWeb2.0toolsandservicesused,butalsosecurity

featuresthataffecttheuserexperience.Forexample,foranonline

engagementwhichislowrisk,canaparticipantloginusinganothersocial

networkingidentityorOpenID?

Privacyrequirementsthestakeholdersinyouronlineengagementmayhaveparticularexpectationsaboutprivacy,socantheWeb2.0toolsandservicesmeetthat?

OperationalrequirementstherereferparticularlytononfunctionalrequirementsrelatedtotheoperationoftheWeb2.0toolsorservices.For

example,canyouexportdata?

Rememberthatafailuretocomplyexplicitlywithaparticularpolicyorstandardmay

notmeanaWeb2.0toolorservicemustbeexcluded,howevermitigationstrategies

mayneedtobeimplementedsuchasexplainingtheprivacyimplicationsfor

participantsiftheychoosetoaccessaparticularaspectofyouronlinesolution.

TheseareasareoutlinedinmoredetailinaTechnicalReviewChecklistcontainedin

theToolkitBlueprint.HoweveraworkingknowledgeofWeb2.0technologiesand

familiaritywithAGIMO'sWebpublishingguidelinesisrequiredtousethischecklist

effectively.Werecommendeither:

UsingWeb2.0toolsandservicesthathavebeenevaluatedandusedbyotheragencies;or

Completetheevaluationwithinputfromappropriatelyexperienceorqualifiedspecialists(refertotheRolesandCompetencieschapterformore

informationontheWebSpecialistroleandothersupportingroles).


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4CommunityManagementHowTo4.1 CommunityManagementOverviewCommunitymanagementisaspecialisedtaskwithinanonlineengagement,andalthoughstakeholdersandparticipantscanandshouldplayapartintheactivities

outlinedinthischapter,itisprimarilythedomainofthecommunitymanager.

Communitymanagementcanbethoughtofasbothanactivityandarole:

Communitymanagementitselfisasetofactivitiesaimedathelpingparticipantsandstakeholdersgetthemaximumbenefitfromanyonline

engagementactivity.Communitymanagementensuresthattheonline

environmentisconduciveforappropriate,goalorientedparticipationwhere

deeperengagementisenabled.

Communitymanagerswhoareresponsibleforcarryingoutcommunitymanagementactivitiesplayapivotalroleinthesuccessofanyactivity

aimedatengagingstakeholdersonline.Furthermore,theyarethehuman

faceofthepropositionandtheyhelpsetthetoneofdiscussion,steerthe

debate,ensurethatinappropriatebehaviourdoesn'ttakeplace,protectthe

brandorreputationofstakeholderagencies,whileextractingthemaximum

valuefromparticipation.

Thischapterwilladdressthefollowingtopics:

Theroleofthecommunitymanager(includingrecruitingandtrainingcommunitymanagers);

Communitymanagementactivities;and Understandingandevaluatingyourcommunity.

Note:WeusethetermCommunityManagementintheseonlineengagement

guidelinesasthisisagenerallyaccepttermfortheroleandactivitieswedescribe

here.However,youarewelcometouseanothertermtodescribethisconceptifyou

prefer,suchasOnlineEngagementManagement,OnlineConsultationManagement

orevenTechnologyStewardship,ifthiswillbebetterunderstoodwithinyouragency

orbyyourexternalstakeholders.

4.2 TheroleoftheCommunityManager4.2.1 WhatdoestheCommunityManagerdo?Communitymanagersusearangeofskillsandactivitiesthatincreasethevalueand

relevanceforparticipantsandstakeholders.Theyincreaseparticipation;makingit

broader,creatingdeeperengagement,whileatthesametimekeepingdiscussions

focusedandofvalue.Theskillsrequiredare,primarily,clearcommunicationand

networkingratherthanITbased.Theactivitiesofthecommunitymanagerwillbe

differentdependingupontheGenreofengagement,althoughsimilarskillsare

requiredofthecommunitymanager,regardless.Inordertobeeffective,trainingis


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required,asisathoroughunderstandingbothofthepropositions,theapproachto

beundertaken,andtheoutcomedesired.

Evaluationisalsonecessaryandconstructive,withthecommunitymanagerplayinga

partingatheringandreportinghighlightsandoutcomesmorewidely.Datatoo,for

exampleusagestatistics,canandshouldbeanalysedformeaningandtrends.Thereare,insomeinstances,barrierstoengagementbutaskilledcommunitymanagercan

reducethesebarriers,makingitpossibleforpeopletoincreasetheirlevelof

participation.

Asthehumanfaceoftheonlineengagementtheyshouldalwayshaveaprofilethat

isvisibletoparticipants,includingtheirnameandanydetailsthatarerelevantfor

userstoknow,forexampleanyparticularskillsorinformationabouttheir

backgroundthatrelatetothecommunitycontextthisprovidesanumberof

benefits:

Itgivesusersaclearpointofcontact; Putsanameandfaceonwhatotherwisemightbeviewedasimpersonal

bureaucracy;

Helpsusersunderstandwhoisaccountableformanagingthecommunity;and

Empowersthecommunitymanagersbymakingthemfeelpersonallyaccountable

Whenprovidingcustomerserviceandservicedeliverythroughonlineengagements,

customersofgovernmentserviceswhodealwithanamedindividualaremorelikely

tofeelthattheyhavebeenheardandarevalued.Italsohelpsstaffwhodealwithinquiriestofeelthat,farfrombeingananonymouspartofthebureaucracy,they're

arebothidentifiableandaccountableforthelevelofservicetheyoffer.

Inlargerormorecomplexonlineengagementinitiatives,morethanonecommunity

managermightbeassignedortherolemaybeseparatedintodifferentspecialtiesor

toemphasisaparticularskillsetthatiscriticaltotheonlineengagement(referto

theRoles,CompetenciesandPolicieschapterformoreinformation).Acommunity

managermightalsobetaskedwithmanagingallonlineengagementsinaparticular

agency(likeaprogrammanager),toensureconsistencyandcontinuityacross

differentonlineengagements.

4.2.2 WheretofindaCommunityManagerIncreasingly,communitymanagementisviewedasaspecialisedrole,conductedby

thosewithexperiencewhohelptocreateandshapeinteractionsinsocialspaces

online.Specialistproviders,bothagenciesandfreelancers,existtoprovidearange

ofcommunitymanagementservices.However,it'salsooftenpossibletoidentify

someonefromwithintheexistingworkforcewhohas,orcanlearn,theskills

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MostsuccessfulcommunitymanagersdonothaveanITbackground,nordothey

necessarilyrequireindepthknowledgeofsocialmediait'sfarmoreimportantthat

theyareaneffectivecommunicatorandnetworker,aswellasbeinggenerally

sociableandfairintheirdealingswithothers.Theyshouldbeabletowork

independentlyandtobothnoticeandreacttopotentialproblemsorrisksquickly.

Theyshouldexercisegoodjudgment,andapplytheguidelinesconsistentlyand

fairly,regardlessoftheirpersonalfeelingsabouttheindividualparticipantsthey

encounterortheviewsexpressedbythem.

Communitymanagementcanbeoutsourced,andanincreasingnumberofproviders

areofferingsuchservices.Also,thereisagrowingnumberofcommunity

managementspecialistswhomaybeavailableonafreelancebasis,orcouldbehired

specificallytomanageonlineengagements.Theircompensationvariesgreatly

dependingontheseniorityoftheroleandexperience.Someserviceproviderscan

alsoofferacompleteserviceoffering,thatincludesbothatechnologyplatformfor

onlineengagementalongwithcommunitymanagementservices.Thebenefitsof

outsourcingcommunitymanagementcanbebothtacticalandstrategicfor

example,athirdpartyprovidermightbeviewedasbeingmoreneutralifthetopicis

particularlycontentious.

Whicheverapproachistaken,itisimportantthatthecommunitymanageris

providedwithadequatetrainingandsupport.Thetrainingneedstocoverallofthe

activitiesoutlinedinthischapterandshouldbesupplementedwithadviceontone

ofvoiceandmanagingcontent.Preferably,anexperiencedcommunitymanagerwill

beallocatedtosupportanewcommunitymanageronabuddysystemfortheirfirst

project.

4.2.3 DevelopingcommunitymanagementskillsandcapabilitiesAnytrainingprogramneedstotakeintoconsiderationthediverserangeofskills

bothtechnicalandcommunicationbasedthatnewcommunitymanagersmight

alreadyhave.Astructuredplanthatcombinesboththeopportunitytoexperience

theactivitiesinactionandaselectionoftheoreticalunderpinningswillallowanew

communitymanagertodeveloptheirownstyle,whileobservingthepracticeand

experienceofothers.

Participationinasimilarcommunityenvironment,involvementintheplanningand

designingstages,engagementwithkeystakeholdersandabuddysystemwithanexperiencedcommunitymanagerarerecommended.

Formoreinformationaboutthedifferentcompetenciesthatcontributetothe

communitymanager'sskillset,refertotheRoles,CompetenciesandPolicies

chapter.

4.3 CommunityManagementActivities4.3.1 WheredotheactivitiesoftheCommunityManagerfit?


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CommunitymanagementactivitiestakeplacewithineachphaseoftheOnline

EngagementCycle.Foreachphase,acommunitywillmovethroughfourgeneral

stagesofactivity.Ateachofthesestages,theroleofthecommunitymanager

requirescarefulplanninganditislikelytoincorporateoneoracombinationofthe

managementactivitiesoutlinedinthissection.ThisincludestheListenandIdentify

phase,althoughthisshouldbetreatedasasetofpassiveactivitieswherethe

communitymanageriseithertryingtounderstandinghowatargetorplanned

communitywillreactorinteractwiththeactivitiesinlaterphasesorconductinga

finalevaluationattheveryendoftheonlineengagement.

Diagram:CommunityManagementActivityStageswithineachPhaseoftheOnline

EngagementCycle

Thefourstagesare:

Stage Description

1 SettheStage

Settingthestageinvolvesactivitiesthatintroducetheparticipantstoeachotherandtheselectedcommunityplatform.Clear

guidelinestomanageexpectations,outlinetheengagement

objectives,andprovidedetailsforassistanceorfurthercontactare

importanttoensureparticipantsunderstandtheparametersand

possibilities.

2 Modelthe

Process

Asinfacetofacesocialinteractions,welearnhowtobehavein

givensituationsbywatchingothers,reflectingupongroupreactions,

andtakingguidancefromgroupleaders.InStage2,thecommunity

managermodelscollaborativebehaviourandencourages


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participantsastheynegotiatetheparametersofacceptableonline

communitybehaviour.Theenvironmentshapedbythecommunity

managerwillinfluenceparticipants'contributionsandtheir

reactionsthroughoutallstagesofthecommunityprocess.

3 GuidetheProcess

ModellingthebehavioursinStage2isjustthefirststeptowardseffectiveonlineengagementprocesses.InStage3,thecommunity

managerhastheresponsibilitytomaintainthecommunity

momentumthroughactivitiesthatguidethecommunitytowards

achievingitsobjectives.

4 Evaluate

the

Process

Thisstageiscriticaltodetermineiftheonlineengagementactivities

forthisphasehavemettheintendedobjectives.Thiscouldinvolve

gatheringfeedbackfromcommunityparticipantsandreflective

feedbackfromthecommunitymanager,inadditiontoevaluation

criteriaoutlinedintheCommunityEvaluationsectioninthis

chapter.

Withineachphaseandateachofthestages,differinglevelsofinvolvementfromthe

communitymanagerwillbeexpectedasthecommunityprogressesthroughthe

onlineengagementprocess.Thereisnosinglerightapproachtocommunity

management,althoughtheGenreofonlineengagementwillprovidesome

indicationoftheoverallstyleofcommunitymanagementrequired.Inpractice,itis

alsoimportantto'level'orlinkactivitiesbetweenphases.Forexample,activitiesin

thefirstInformphasewillhelptopreparethecommunityforactivitiesinthenext

Consult&Involvephase,howeverthecommunitymanagerstillneedstorepeatallthestagesforthatspecificphase.Anexperiencedcommunitymanagerwill

understandallthesedimensionsandhelpintegratealltheseactivitiesintoasingle

onlineengagementplan.

4.3.2 OnlineEngagementGenreandCommunityManagementStyleThestyleofcommunitymanagementneededisreflectedineachGenreofonline

engagement.TheIdentificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissuesandPolicy

ConsultationandPolicyCollaborationGenrerequireasimilarstyle,withsomesubtle

differences,buttheCustomerServiceandServiceDeliveryandCampaigns,PromotionandCommunicationGenrerequiretheirownstyle;subsequentlythisalso

impliesadifferentsetofactivitiesforeachGenre.

Genre Styleofcommunitymanagementneeded

Identification

ofproblems,

opportunities

andissues

Whiletheirroleisnottosolvetheissue,thecommunitymanager

mustbeginwithaclearunderstandingoftheobjectivesforthe

onlineengagement.Activitiesmusthelpparticipantsmove

towardstheobjectiveswithoutconstrainingthescopeorsetting

unnecessaryboundariestheemphasisisonsteeringactivities

thatmaintainthevalueofdiscussionsasnewideasemerge.The


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styleofmoderationmustbeadjustedtothespecificsoftheonline

engagementandtheparticularmechanicsoftheonline

engagementprocessbeingused(e.g.crowdsourcingrequiresa

differentstyleofmoderationfromanideagenerationprocess).

Contentcurationshouldbeusedtohelpothersbuildonexisting

ideasorcrosslinkrelatedissues.Attheendoftheonline

engagementprocess,thecommunitymanagerwillhighlightkey

contributionandreportfindingsbacktostakeholders.

Policy

Consultation

andPolicy

Collaboration

TheessenceofthisGenreisthatthecommunitymanagerhelpsto

guideparticipantsthroughtheconsultationjourneybyoutlining

thecurrent,orproposedpolicy,andasksforinitialthoughtsto

encouragewiderparticipationanddeeperengagement.Theywill

settheagendabystatingclearlythegoalsoftheconsultation

exercise,andexplaininghowtheoutputwillbeusedandby

whom.Theywill,wheretimelimitsapply,alsomaketheseclearandhelpparticipantsworktowardsthatdeadline.Theywill,

wheretopicdriftoccurs,steerthediscussionbacktoitsstated

purpose,andcreatenewbranchesofdiscussionwheretopics

requirefurtherexploration.Theywillcurate,addingstructureto

thediscussionsandhighlightingkeycontributions,andwillreport

findingsbacktostakeholders.Formorecollaborativepolicy

consultations,theycontinuetoactasamoderatorbuttheywill

drawondifferenttechniquesforexample,moderatinga

discussionforumorblogisdifferentfrommoderatingawiki.

CustomerServiceand

ServiceDelivery

EngagementsofthisGenrebeginwithlisteningandacknowledging,effectivelygivingparticipantstheopportunityto

fullystatetheproblemorneed,andthentakingresponsibilityfor

providingaresolution.Communitymanagersinvolvedinthis

genreofengagementshouldalwaysbenamed,empoweringthem

totakeresponsibilityandgivingparticipantsarecognisable

contactpointthattheycanreturntolaterifrequired.Itisoften

usefulthat,whereafullresolutioncannotbemadequickly,for

thecommunitymanagertoredirectcommunication,takingit

"offline",sothatpersonaldetails,orhighlyspecificproblems,

aren'tdealtwithinpublic.Curationisstillanimportantactivitybecauseresolutionsprovidedtooneindividualcanbehighly

valuabletoothersinsimilarcircumstances,leadingtocontactless

resolutionsthatcanreducesupportcosts.Also,thenatural

languageusedbythoseengagingincustomerserviceactivities

onlinehaveahighimpactuponSearchEngineOptimisation

becausetheycontainthenaturallanguageusedtodescribe

problemsorrequirements.Thatis,thiscontentbecomesan

alwaysgrowing,easilyfindableknowledgebaseofquestions,

responses,resolutions,andservicedeliveries.

Campaigns, Socialmediaallowsstakeholdersanopportunitytoengage


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Promotionand

Communication

directlywithconstituentsatascalenotpossiblewhenusingone

toonecommunicationsmediumssuchasthetelephoneoran

email.Asinglecontactcanbeseenbymany,yetrequireslittle,if

any,additionaleffort.Online,morethanelsewhere,peoplehave

cometoexpectcommunicationstobemadeinawaythatisopen,

honestandtransparent.Agoodcommunitymanagerwillbe

highlyskilledatcreatingmessagesthatachievethecorrecttone

ofvoiceinthisway.Itshouldbenotedthatalthoughtheagency

website,andonlineengagementspace,areareaswheresuch

messagescanbepostedandconsumed,thoughtshouldbeput

intoplacingmessagesmorewidely,usingthesocialnetworking

platformsandcontentsharingservicespreferredbyusers.

Relevancy,however,isimportantwhendoingthis.Forexample,

officialphotographsmightbeplacedonaphotosharingservice,

likeFlickr,wheretheymayverywellreachamuchwider

audience,anaudiencewhomightnothavepreviouslyknownabouttheactivitiesoftheagency.Likewise,acommentpostedby

acommunitymanageronathirdpartyblog,whereappropriate,

mightlinktotherelevantdiscussionwithintheengagement

space,attractingnewparticipantsfromadifferentaudience.

Onlineengagementscanalsobeusedtocollectfeedbackon

existingcommunicationstrategies,andthisfeedbackcanbeused

tofinetunethefinalproductorservicebeingdelivered.Thisisa

highlyproactiveapproachthatcitizensgreatlyappreciate,andis

oftenpressworthy.

4.3.3 TypicalActivitiesbyCommunityManagementStageStage TypesofActivities EffortRequired

Setthe

Stage

SettingtheAgenda Whenusersfirst

arriveintheengagementspace,they

won'tnecessarilyknowwhattodo,what

isavailabletothem,orhowtheyare

meanttocontribute.Thecommunity

managersetstheagendabyclearlylabellingtopicsanddiscussions,and

providingguidelinesthatoutlinethe

boundariesofdiscussion.Theymayalso

beresponsibleforprovidinglinks,both

withinthecommunityitselfandoutside,

thatguideusersthroughthedifferent

areasavailable.Theseactivitiesareaimed

atencouragingnewuserstoparticipate,

andwideningtherangeofactivitiesand

Attheearlystagesofthe

communitydevelopment,

theeffortsofthemoderator

aredirectedtowards

ensuringtheparticipantis

receivingtheboththeinformationandtechnical

supporttobeableto

contributeeffectively.A

communitymanagerwould

beexpectedtobeavailable

towelcomeandguide

participantsastheylogon

andrespondtoquestions

andrequestsforhelpduring


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discussionsavailableforparticipantsto

engage.

SignPostingCollaborativelycreated

contentoftengrowsinunexpected

directions,withlittleattentiongiventoitsstructure.Thecommunitymanager,with

overviewofallengagementactivity,can

bothunderstandhowparticipant

generatedcontentanddiscussionsfitinto

theoverallframeworkofwhatis

intended.Thatis,theycanhighlightmain

pointsofdiscussion,edittheminto

manageablesections,addheadlinesand

subheadingsessentially,turningfree

flowing,collaborativeworkintosomethingthatcanbeformattedfor

consumptioninaclearandlogicalway.

Thisactivityisincreasinglyimportantasa

communityagesandnewbranchesadded

onincrementallywithlittlethoughtput

intohowitmightaffectthestructureor

usabilityofthewhole.5

ParticipationGuidelinesThecommunity

managerisalsoresponsibleforcreating

thecommunity'sparticipationguidelines.Thesecanincludeprivacystatements,

informationonhowcontributionswillbe

used,andagreementsaboutacceptable

onlinebehaviouror"netiquette".Seethe

AppendixforsampleNetiquette

Guidelines.

RegulatingThecommunitymanageris

responsibleformoderatingthediscussion

monitoringcontent,applyingthe

guidelinesforparticipationtransparentlyandconsistently,andremoving

inappropriatecontributionsand,where

necessary,takingactionagainstthose

whoviolatetherules.Moderatingthe

contentandbehaviourisanactivitythat

businesshours.The

communitymanager's

visibilityandpresenceisat

itshighestduringthisstage

anddependinguponthesize

ofthecommunity,maybe

requiredtobepresentonline

atalltimeswithinagreed

hours.

5AnexampleofthiskindofactivitywithinaWikicontextiscalledwikigardening

seehttp://www.socialtext.net/exchange/index.cgi?wiki_gardening_tips


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willberequiredatallstagesofthe

communitylifecyclebutissignificantin

theearlystagesoftheengagement

processtodemonstratehowthe

participationguidelinesaremanaged.

Model

the

Process

EncouragingWiderParticipationand

DeepeningEngagementThecommunity

managershouldintroduceparticipantsto

topicsanddiscussionswhichmightbeof

interest,andencouragenewusersto

participatebymodellingthestyleof

languageandlengthofpostrequired.

Theymayalsoreachouttonew

audiencesbyhighlightingtheactivity

takingplaceintheengagement,bothwithin,andoutside,theengagement

space.Theseactivitiesareaimedat

wideningthebaseofparticipation.The

communitymanagercanalsodeepen

engagementbythankingusersfor

contributions,askingfollowupquestions,

andprovidingsignpoststoothertopicsor

discussionswithintheengagementthat

mightbeofinterest.

Atthisstage,creatingan

atmospherewhereviewsare

respectedandparticipants

feellowbarriersto

engagementiscriticaltothe

ongoingsuccessofthe

community.Althoughthe

focusforthecommunity

managermayhaveshifted

fromtechnicalguidancetooneofmodelling

engagement,theirpresence

andamountofinvolvement

isstillhighlyvisible.

Guidethe

Process

SteeringDiscussion(Facilitating)Thecommunitymanagerisresponsiblefor

facilitatingmeaningfuldiscussionand

discouragingbehaviours,suchasdrifting

offtopic,whichmightdetractfromcore

objectives.Theymaycreatetopics,steer

discussion,provideoccasional

summaries,introducenewbranchesof

discussion,andhighlightkey

contributions.

CuratingThoughthecommunitymanagerwill,throughtheiractivities

withintheengagementspace,create

content,theirprimarypurposeisto

increasethequantityandqualityof

contributionsmadebyothers.Thatis,

oneoftheirrolesistocurate,ratherthan

create,contributionsfromparticipants.Note:Thecommunitymanager,while

bothfacilitatingandcurating,willplaya

Atthisstageinthecommunitydevelopment,

theparticipantsare

becomingmoreselfdirected

andtheroleofthe

communitymanageras

technicalsupportis

diminishingasitfocuseson

thefacilitationandcuration

aspectsofthecommunity.

Dependinguponthesizeandlevelsofactivitywithinthe

community,thecommunity

managercouldnowbe

expectedtologonacouple

oftimesadaytoperform

theirrole,ratherthanthe

needtobeconstantly

availableasinStage1.


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partin:

Determiningwhattopicsarediscussed;

Theparametersofthosediscussions;

Providingsummariessothatthosejoiningthediscussionmidway

througharequicklyabletogetup

tospeed;

Protectthecontributionsofparticipants;and

Sharingknowledgeofactivitiesandlearningfromtheonline

engagementmorewidely.

RefertoChapter5:Rolesand

Competenciesformoredetailsonthis

role.

Evaluate

the

Process

Research,ReportingandEvaluationThe

communitymanager,morethananyone

else,hastopleveloversightacrossthe

entireonlineengagementanddirect,

regularcontactwithparticipants.Because

ofthis,theyarewellplacedtoextractmeaningfromdiscussionandprovide

reportscontainingvaluableinsightsinto

thethoughtsandfeelingsofthe

community.Thecommunitymanagercan

alsohighlightintheevaluationprocess

anyrecurringtechnicalchallengesorhave

recommendationstoenhancethe

selectedplatformfurtherforfuture

engagements.Itisimportanttonotethat

gatheringquantitativedatainisolationofthecommunitymanager'sreflectionswill

notbelikelytoprovideadequateinsights

forfutureonlineengagements.Feedback

thatoutlinesactivitiesorstrategiesthat

workedwell,strategiesthatcouldbe

improved,andthenatureofinteractions

arethebasisofaqualitativereport.

Thecommunitymanager's

attentionandeffortsinthe

finalstageofeach

engagementphaseare

turnedtowardsthe

evaluationofoutcomesandobjectives.However,

dependinguponthenature

ofthecommunity,being

attentivetoclosingstagesof

communityandtheneedsof

theparticipantsremains

withintheirresponsibility

thisisoftencarriedoveras

anobjectiveintothenext

phaseoftheonlineengagement.


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4.3.4 OverviewofCoreActivitiesandApproachesModeration

Moderationisacriticalelementofthecommunitymanager'swork(refertothe

Roles,CompetenciesandPolicieschapterforadetaileddescriptionofthisrole,againstwhichatrainingprogramcanbedesigned).

Thecommunitymanagerorthoseactinginaspecificmoderationroleare

responsibleforensuringallparticipantsareawareofandadheretoparticipation

guidelines.Insomeinstances,thismayrequirethecommunitymanagertotake

actionwhereacontributionisidentifiedasinappropriate.Deletingmessagesmust

beseenasalastresort,itispreferabletoreplytoauser'smessageandquotethe

relevantsectionoftheguidelines.Thecommunitymanagermustmakeitclearthat

theyareactinginanofficialroleandjustfollowingtheagreedguidelinesratherthan

usinganypersonalopinion.

Ifquotingrulesdoesnotdrivetheuserstorephraseorremovethecomment,the

communitymanagershouldstepintoremovethemessagethisactionshouldbe

takendecisivelyandfairly,referringbacktoasetofpredeterminedandpreagreed

setofguidelines.

Itisuptothediscretionofthecommunitymanagertoknowwhentotakeactionin

publicandwhentodoitprivately.Ifitislikelytheuserwilltakeoffenceorbeupset

byapublicrebukethenitisbestnottodoso,maintainingacalmandfriendly

environmentismoreimportantthatsendingwarningstootherusers.

Theexactmoderationprocedurewillbedictatedbythemoderationworkflow.Some

optionsformoderatingusergeneratedcontent(e.g.comments)are:

1. PreModerationcontentisreviewedbeforetheyarepublished.2. PostModerationcontentisreviewedwithinaprescribedtimeafterthey

arepublished.

3. Reactive/AlertOnlyonlycontentthathavebeenalertedbyusersarereviewedthiscangivethecommunitymanagementtheaddedlevelof

legitimacyifforcedtotakeaction.

Whenselectingamoderationworkflow,communitymanagersneedtobeawareof

thelegalandcommunityresponsibilityimplicationsofthemoderationapproachthatwillbeused.Issuestobeconsideredinclude:

Defamationandinjuriousfalsehood; Contemptofcourt; Copyrightinfringementandbreachofcommercialinconfidence; Offensiveordiscriminatorycontent; Violationsofprivacylaws; Dealingwithminorsorothervulnerablepeople.


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Unfortunatelypremoderationisnotnecessarilyaprotectionagainstlegalaction,

sinceitcouldbetreatedasaconsciousdecisiontopublish.

Thankfully,seriousviolationsoftherulesarerare,butescalationproceduresshould

beinplace,withclearlydefinedpointsofescalation,evenoutsidenormaloffice

hours,availabletothecommunitymanager.Note:Youshouldseekguidancefromtechnologylawspecialistifyouareunsure

abouttherisksofmoderatingusergeneratedcontent.

OnlineCommunicationStyle

Communitymanagementonlineshouldfollowthesameapproachthatgoodoffline

communitymanagementdoes:

ConversationalTextonlycommunicationcanoftenbemisinterpretedasitdoesnotconveythebodylanguagethatreallifecommunicationdoes.As

such,anextraefforttousinglanguagethatisclearandsimpleina

conversationalstyleisessential.

EngagedandvisibleThecommunitymanagershouldmodelthestyleofcommunicationappropriateforthecommunitycontextandbeanever

presentmemberofthatcommunity.

NonthreateningGiventhekeyroleistoencourageparticipation,adirectorassertivetoneshouldbeavoidedunlessdealingwithanextremecaseof

moderationandwithinaprivatecontext.

NonjudgementalandencouragingofallopinionsAsabove,aninclusivestyle,withclear,conversationallanguagewillbeamodelforresponsesina

similarstyle.

However,whiletheapproachisthesame,thereisastyletoonlinesocialinteraction

thatdiffersfromtheofflineinteraction.Duetothepotentialanonymitythatonline

communicationsoffertherecanbetendencytowardsmoreoffthecuffcomments

andpolarisedopinions.Thisis,insomewaysisbornoutofthetechnology

commentthreadsarefullstatementsfollowedbyfullstatements.Afirstuserstates

apositionandafollowinguserstatesanotherpositionthisdiffersfromverbal

communication,whichcontainsmuchmoreinterjection.

Giventhis,itmustbeunderstoodthatpointsthatcanreadasaggressiveand

adversarialareoftennotintendedtobeunderstoodassuch.Thecommunitymanagerneedstobeawareofthisandknowwhentoallowdiscussionstorollon

andwhentoredirectdiscussionswhichbreedlanguagethatmakesengagement

moredifficultfornewcomers.

Differenttypesofuserswillparticipateonlinesonosingletoneofvoiceislikelytobe

suitableforallcommunications.Businessuserswillexpectabusinessliketone,

whilstyoungpeoplemightpreferbrevity.Remember,participantsareindividuals,so

should,whereverpossible,beaddressedbynameinafriendlymanner.

EncouragingParticipation


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Participationiswhatturnsinactivecommunitiesintovibrantonesgettingpeopleto

engagewiththecontentofthecommunityandwitheachotheristhekeyroleofthe

communitymanager.

CaseExample:Flickr

Flickr,aleadingphotosharingcommunity,isoftenviewedasbeingaparticularlygoodexampleofcommunitybuildingbestpractice.Oneoftheco

foundersoftheservice,CaterinaFake,revealedinaninterview6,thatthekey

tobuildingcommunityonthesiteduringit'searlydayswastheactivitiesofa

skilledcommunitymanageranditisoftenquotedasaprimeexampleofhow

toencourageparticipation.InthisinterviewwithAdamPenenberg,Caterina

FakethefounderofFlickrexplainstheirearlycommunitymanagement

approach:.

"Georgina(George)Oates,anearlyemployeeofFlickr,andIgreeted

everyonewhocameintotheinstantmessagingconversationsorpostedon

thesite.Wesaid,"Ohyouknow,Inoticeyou'reintoNorwegianMetalandI

noticedyouliveinPittsburghhere'sanotherpersonfromPittsburgh.

Communitiestakeonthekindofcharacterofapartyattheoutsetandyou

needtobeagoodhost."

Themainaimwastoturnneworcasualusersoftheservice,earlyadopters,

intoregularcontributorswhoviewedtheirparticipationascontributorytoa

senseofcommunity.

Itisimportanttoconsiderincreasingcommitmentlevels.Makeengagementvery

easyatfirst,offeringsingleactions(e.g.Voting,Rating,Favouriting)ratchetingup

engagementfromthereonceusersfeelincreasinglevelsofattachmentandownershiptothecommunity.Makesurethatyourcommunityhasincreasinglevels

ofengagementbothtechnically(favourite,shortcomment,longcomment,article

authorship)andatacommunitymanagementlevel(increasinglevelsofrespectand

deferenceshowntodifferentusers).

Engagingwithindividualsandencouraginggroupstoengagealsorequiresslightly

differentapproaches.Toillustratethispoint,helpingtofostercontinued

engagementfromanindividualmightmeanfindingaspecificpieceofcontentfor

them,oransweringadirectquestionforthemwhenthecommunityofusersseems

tohavenomoretosay.

Thecommunitymanagerneedstohaveagoodunderstandingofthecontentthat

sitswithintheirspacesotheycanactasaveryknowledgeableuserwhocananswer

manyquestions.Theyshouldbeabletoofferlowleveltechnicalsupportonspecific

pointsandknowthecontentofthesite,oftenleavinglinks,whichactaswayfinders.

6FlickrCoFounderCaterinaFakeontheValueofViralLoops[ExclusiveQ&A],

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/adampenenberg/penenbergpost/flickrco

foundercaterinafakevalueviralloopsexclusiveqa


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Ontheotherhand,helpingtofostercontinuedengagementfromagroupisnot

aboutspecificsbutisaboutunderstandinggroupdynamicsandhowtoperpetuate

conversation:

Dippingintotheconversationatthecorrectpointstohelpitalong; Encouraginguserstodevelopcertainpoints; Leavingopenquestions,developingtopics; Playinggameswithinagroupandintroducinggamemechanics;and Applyingadhocrulestocreatecompetitionbetweengroupmembersand

encouragingplayfulness.

4.3.5 DesigningOnlineActivitiesAcommunitywithoutdeliberatelydesignedonlineactivities,sometimesreferredto

asetivities,willpotentiallyexperiencedisengagedparticipants,lackingtheguidanceanddirectionrequiredtoachievethecommunity'sobjectives.Acommunity

manager'srolewillnotonlyincludethecapabilitiestodesignactivities,butalso

understandhowtousethesetomotivateparticipationinatimelymanner.

Somekeyprinciplesfordesigningactivitiesare:

Planinadvancewhatyouexpectparticipantstodo,andwhatactionsthecommunitymanagerwilltake;

Startwiththeoutcomeinmind,thendesignanactivitytoachievethis;

Buildinmotivationprovideareasonforparticipation; Considertimingshowlongwilltheactivitytaketocompletemakesurethis

iscommunicatedtoparticipants;

Providemilestonesletparticipantsknowwhencompletionisdue(notnecessaryinallsituations)andwhennewactivitiesarescheduled;

Writeclearinstructionalguidelines,keepthemsimple,butalsobepreparedforpeoplenotreadingthem;and

Rememberthatheadlinesortitlesareimportanttheyneedtoattractattention,explainwhattheactivityisabout,andcreateaction.

Whenplanningactivities:

Decidehowmanyarerequiredusuallyplanfornomorethan2or3activitiesperweek,howeverasingleactivitymaybesufficientifyouare

expectingparticipantstointeractwitheachotherandrespondtocomments;

Mapactivitiesagainstthetimeframesoftheprojectensuringtheactivitiesdesignedcanbeachievedintheintendedoutcomes;and

Preparecontingencyactivitiesincaseanactivitydoesnotresultinthedesiredactions.


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TheappendixcontainsanOnlineActivityTemplatethatcanbeusedasaframework

fordesigningactivities.

4.4 UnderstandingyourCommunity4.4.1 UserTypesCommunitiesaremadeupofmanyindividualsandgroups,witheachcommunity

havingaslightlydifferentdynamic.It'simportanttounderstandthisdynamicand

howcommunitymembersactuallyviewthemselvesasacommunity.Thefollowing

tabledescribestwocommonusertypesPowerUsersandLurkers:

UserType DescriptionandImplications

PowerUsers Analysisofonlinecommunitiesoftenshowsasmall,buthighly

Government 2.0 Taskforce - Project 8 - Online Engagement Guidelines

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