Clear community guidelines underpin every successful online community. They are the basic house rules which, if followed, allow everyone to give, take, and get along. Sounds simple, but many communities create guidelines which aren’t followed, are hard to understand, or are not even enforceable. Today we’re going to share exactly how to create reasonable guidelines…

It’s not only possible for communities to have a clear vision and purpose which drives them forward—it’s basically essential. Without a clear purpose, your community will always struggle to grow organically and attract the right people. And if your community ever changes its direction or focus, that will be driven by its new purpose.

A lot of online communities invest time, money, and resources in reducing the number of “lurkers” in their midst. These parasitic members who consume what they want but never contribute in return—who needs ‘em! One survey found that 30% of online community managers consider lurkers an obstacle. But are they really? Is it possible that…

Getting your online community off the ground and your first members through the door is an enormous milestone. Most communities collapse before this point and, if you’ve made it, you should be extremely pleased. However, the hard work is only just beginning!

When it comes to community management, finding your purpose, or increasing value for your members, we often talk about interviewing members. These interviews are such powerful sources of insight that we believe they can help you surmount virtually any challenge the community faces.

While most brand communities would say they exist “To help our customers”, or potential customers, they probably fall into one of two camps: first resort or last resort.

We talked previously about how to onboard and integrate new members into your community. The main focus was on making them comfortable:

Developing your online community takes a lot of hard work. You’ll make mistakes and learn lessons, but hopefully have a blast bringing it all together and watching it grow. But to help you avoid a few common stumbling blocks, we’ve put together this quick-fire list of mistakes and pitfalls we’ve seen through years of building…