Online Customer Communities Tips

Web 2.0 is one of the latest trends in business and is changing the way companies, and consumers are interacting with one another. Rules that many thought set in stone have become unraveled and it is important for organizations to keep up with the changing times. It is especially important for organizations to understand the nature of online customer communities and how it affects the company and client relationship. This blog post from ZDNet highlights some of the best practices for online customer communities.

1. Put the needs of the community first
2. Community is mostly not a technology problem
3. Active community management
4. Measuring success with community requires new yardsticks
5. Consumer social networks, grassroots customer communities, and business-initiated customer communities are closely related yet very different creatures
6. Customer communities do work as a marketing channel, just not in the traditional way
7. The more that business is integrated, the better the community will work
8. Growth will come, but not until a community finds its identity
9. Mutual ownership and control of communities enables trust and involvement
10. Most communities are highly social entities, and the rules of social engagement apply
11. Going to the community, instead of making it come to you, is a risky but increasingly viable strategy
12. Connect the community with other CRM-related aspects of the organization

Are there any other points that you would highlight? Has your organization been implementing these tips?