Do you have a flock, a convoy or a sidecar?
I want to write more about online communities, in all their different guises. I just wrote a neat overview of the mistakes I see people make when they create new communities, but I realised I was probably going too fast for everyone. I adore communities and at any one time, I’m a member of all kinds of online groups. I can’t stop looking at them even while I’m in them, always fascinated by what makes them tick. I believe that there are two main types of online community, and one interesting add-on. Some communities are flocks. They flock around a single compelling...
Read MorePlotting your customer’s emotional journey
In which I mix metaphors. Be warned. I want to think about emotional journeys. Some context: I’m thinking about those extended online conversations that take place in e-courses, online workshops, and online communities. The content is created with some end goal in sight – typically, a transformative purpose. The intention is that by the end, something will have changed. The participant may have learned something important, maybe acquired a new skill. Perhaps the convenors will have learned something about their audience. A lot of online courses that I see are parcelled into...
Read More7 reasons to join your online health communities
How do people decide whether to join an online health community? I posted late last year about my search through food allergy websites after my daughter had several severe food allergy reactions. As always, the search made me try to identifywhat exactly I’m looking for when I seek out health communities. Here’s what I think influences me. 1. Recency The site should have posts from the (very) recent past – if I’m posting to a health forum, I’m hoping for a reply quickly. A site with no posts in the last week is not likely to be a great source of advice. 2....
Read MoreFinding online communities for allergy support
Social media and severe allergies Last week, I got involved in a Twitter discussion on health care, blogging and social media – the regular discussion (#hcsm and #hcsmeu) hosted by Andrew Spong. I find these discussions interesting but also somewhat perplexing. The ‘perplexing’ part is undoubtedly because the contributors are health policy experts, and the discussion is extremely general. The ‘interesting’ part – well, I’m the mother of a little girl with severe food allergies and as such have been a rather more active user of health services than...
Read MoreManifesto
Some of us find it quite simple to put our real organisations and authentic selves online.
Others - well, let's just say that some of us can't bear to look at our own websites.
My mission is to help you transform your online presence so that other people understand and appreciate what you really have to offer. So that you can achieve what you want - whether that's better engagement, more readers, or more sales.