Community building is the most powerful way to do business on the Net.
This is so only if you have a true community. Millions of people visiting a site to get information about the stock market does not constitute a community. Portals do not have online communities. You have a true community if each member participates in helping other members. A true community involves positive participation and learning.
There are many ways to build community. I want to start us on the process of listing all the ways to do so. I begin here with the following seven:
1 - GROUP-THEMED WEBSITES - Websites serving a specific group. They present news, information, discussion groups and other services to be helpful to people in the group. An example is Parent Soup (http://www.parentsoup.com)
2 - TALENT-DEVELOPMENT WEBSITES - I recently came across a wonderful website, which has been established by Frank Coppola to help him get good scripts for movies. Here's the way it works: A script writer submits a script. If he reviews 5 other scripts, then his script is reviewed. The good ones are published. The very best are chosen for movie production. It's amazing that here, fierce competitors are forced to help each other. See http://workshop.fcoppola.com
3 - PRODUCT-ORIENTED LISTS - Many high-tech companies run mailing lists to allow users to exchange hints on use of the product and to solve problems associated with them. They are extensions of the old User Groups. Pegasus, the FREE email software, has such a list.
4 - EXPERTISE-ORIENTED LISTS - People interested in marketing, technology, entrepreneurship, etc., may join lists to help each other
develop their expertise. Examples are this list, as well as I-Sales and Markethink.
5 - VIRTUAL COMPANIES - Working together with other companies, which have skills your company lacks, helps everyone involved. By making it a true community, benefits are multiplied.
6 - INDUSTRY HUBS - Here you have a website, not only serving the needs of people in the industry, but bringing the people together to discuss common industry problems. An example is http://www.autobodyonline.com.
7 - SPECIAL PROJECTS - Last year few people heard about Linux. Today, talk of Linux, the operating system that's challenging Microsoft's operating system, is everywhere. And it all happened because programmers all over the world contributed their know-how FREE to help develop, critique, fix, and modify the source code. This is called Open source code development. Many programming professionsls feel that this sort of cooperative development produces better programs. Which is why Netscape and others are making their source codes available to all.
