Dodging the pitfalls of online communities

UK-- Words of caution were sounded on the first day of this year's Research conference for those looking to use online communities to gather insight and engage consumers.

In a presentation on the ‘myth' of communities, Nick Gadsby of Lawes Consulting took issue with the authors of the influential business book The Cluetrain Manifesto, who assert that online word of mouth “offers people the pure sound of the human voice, not the elevated, empty speech of the corporate hierarchy”.

Gadsby said: “The truth is that self-interest predominates among consumers even in social media spaces, and companies need to be doing more to build a genuine community spirit.”

Ray Poynter of Virtual Surveys spoke about a community that his company set up and ran for the UK government, to garner young people's views on plans to implement national ID cards.

Poynter's client, Matthew McCabe of the Identity and Passport Service, said: “We very quickly realised that we'd stepped out of our comfort zone. What we experienced was testing, frustrating and enlightening at the same time.”

McCabe was happy to admit that the project had not met its objectives, and to focus on what he learned from the experience, including the importance of having clear objectives when establishing a community, and the fact that people who are opposed to a policy are likely to be far more vocal than those who are in favour.

However, when asked if he would want to repeat the experience, McCabe said: “I'd like to do it again. I miss those chaps…”

Author: Robert Bain