Essential tips for building an online community
Events and Appointments
Most websites tend to be updated with content frequently. For these websites it is essential a regularly posting pattern is achieved. If the content on your website is great then readers are likely to return, this in turn will lead to your site being bookmarked and the reader returning every Monday to read that tech post. Unless there is new content on your site every time the reader visits (e.g sites like dribbble, all the submission based sites) it is a good idea to update content every day/week/month at a specified time.
Throughout the community a lot of designers have been live streaming talks/meetups etc. Embracing video content can be hugely rewarding. Not only does it build your personal brand but it makes your relationship with your community more personal. Again these talks/tutorials are usually given a specified time. If it happens once a week and is funny/interesting then the reader is likely to check back next week.
Having said this it is okay if you don’t have a regularly pattern but if you still have a positive correlation between the amount of posts published and time, then readers are likely to visit your site just to see if anything has been updated/added. However, this only works if the gap between posts stays relatively short.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 at 18:17 and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I enjoyed this post, and I agree with the need for regular content. This is especially true for those bloggers only posting once or twice a week. Not unlike a TV show that you look forward to watching every, say, Wednesday, a regularly schdeuled blog has the ability to generate loyal followers.
I also like your idea about competitions and removing the option of losing from the equation. Would you suggest that even smaller blogs with few readers start these competitions and hope that word would spred? Or is there a better way to promote this stuff?
I’m interested in your thoughts.
Thanks again,
Tamara
Adaptive Consultancy
Sorry about my late response Tamara.
There is nothing wrong with competitions, they can get you noticed and lead to positive stuff but at an early stage you do have promote them yourself. Your ability to market will determine how quickly your website takes off. So long as the content, in the case what you’re giving away is relevant and worth the reader’s while then you’re in good stead. But you will have to promote/market like hell (without being spammy!) 🙂