Online Communities
Online Community- a dispersed group of people who work together in a web-based environment (primarily but not exclusively) to achieve a specific objective within a defined time frame.
Online communities are organizational structures for getting work done whose advantages are at once practical and transformational. Work is largely asynchronous, and so affords participants not only scheduling flexibility but also saves them the time and cost of travel, conference calls etc. Because of the reach of the internet, the resources, both human and documentational, that can be tapped as inputs to decision-making expands exponentially, thereby dramatically shifting a team's analytic framework. Discussion is the central work element of an online community and the transcripts of exchange are subject to after-the-fact analysis, which serves to highlight issues and clarify needs and opportunities. In the hands of an able leader these inputs allow for accelerated reaction and resolution, leading ultimately to faster, deeper work that, owing to its collaborative origins, holds high potential for adoption and implementation. Last but not least, in the realm of the transformational, the organized and analyzed output of communities becomes highly accessible knowledge for an on-going organization; at last a means of effectively capturing the experience of practitioners as a resource for new staff and for the field at large.
Five Requirements for Sustainable Online Communities
Enlightened Leadership: Sustainable communities that achieve results at the organization, institution, or system level require an engaged leader who explicitly ties web-based collaboration to mission and strategic plans. The enlightened leader leads by example using online communities to get work done and providing support and resources to those seeking to do the same. Enlightened leaders focus on connecting ideas, resources, and people more than that are concerned with "command and control".
Compelling Work: A point of passion or pain is the fuel of online communities. There is a strong correlation between a person's commitment to the social imperative of their organization or issue and their willingness to alter long established ways of working, learning, and contributing to the work of others.
Knowledge Stewardship: The disciplined use of key methods of stewardship including facilitating, landscaping, and assessing the activity of the community has a direct impact on the quality of community outcomes. Only facilitated online communities remain productive. Community facilitation is a skilled task that takes time and energy, and its centrality to success should not be underestimated. Resources, records and summaries of discussions, process descriptions and the like, all accumulate in the course of an online community doing its work. As these accrue over time they are available to be searched and retrieved, reapplied and repurposed, as new members join the community. Equally important, they can serve emerging organizational purposes, and be accessed by others focused on similar issues. They need to be updated, eliminated, and reorganized on a regular basis. Finally, ongoing assessment (quantitative and qualitative) of the online community process and content provide necessary feedback for continuous improvement.
Analysis and Communication: Converting the inputs of the community's work-- discussions, posts, links, and resources-- into actionable knowledge requires that the entire body of work be analyzed in the context of the goals of the community and the outcomes they aim for. The analysis must be framed and communicated in such a way that community members can use it in their work almost immediately for decision-making and problem solving, the main reasons that people engage in online communities. We view the production of actionable knowledge as the primary driver of social innovation and the heart of learning that can change the world.
Appropriate Technology: Form follows function but creativity counts. Strategically selecting, combining, and effectively using the right web-based online community solution is best achieved when the work objective is clear. Today there are a myriad of web-based online community tools from discussion platforms to social bookmarking, video and photo sharing, collaborative writing and much much more. None are perfect but many will prove to be excellent choices to achieve targeted goals. The trick is to not get swept up in the dizzying array of bells and whistles and the latest technology fad. Focus on the first four requirements then choose the technologies that will best support them for your community.
Knowledge in the Public Interest has developed a unique approach to helping our clients meet these five requirements. Our experience is that when all five requirements are well met, success is assured and desired outcomes are achieved.
