Building and maintaining vibrant social networks for your business September 24, 2007

People are aggegrating on the net in social networks and online communities. Successful corporate sites are moving away from static information portals and are now enabling visitors to talk to each other and contribute content using Web 2.0 tools. In this full day workshop you’ll learn all the main features of a social network as well as how to build and maintain a community online around your business. The technical tools are not enough - there are plenty of beautiful, feature rich digital graveyards out there - so let’s make sure that your social applications incorporate the greater social context!

We start by looking at the various types of purpose of a social network and then work our way through creating spaces for different types of connecting, aspects to keep in mind when developing personalisation modules and encouraging the different roleplayers in the community (volunteer and otherwise). We then move onto really enabling initiators of user generated content, developing in-depth rules of engagement (code of conduct, FAQ, newcomers welcome), moderating member forums and chat rooms, layering social texture through events and rituals and encouraging members to implement word of mouth campaigns in swarms to grow the network. At all times we are focussed on how business needs can be met by supporting an online social network.

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop will benefit anyone who is interested in building a community around their business’ online presence. To get the most out of this workshop you will be prepared to spend a day focussed on the social and community side of the Internet. This is not a technical course but a reasonable grasp of user applications such as blogs, wikis, and tagging will be assumed.

What are the learning outcomes?

By the end of the day you will be able to

- look through a social network and pinpoint what weaknesses in purpose, spaces, personalisation, roles and so on may cause a lack or slowing of membership
- evaluate tools and techniques for building the best possible network for your purpose
- assist people to create personal connections and maintain relationships through your site
- examine ways to increase number of visitors and length of stay to your site, brand recall, brand loyalty, and decrease technical and customer support through a peer-to-peer online community
- amaze your boss and be the envy of your colleagues as you rattle of the 10 primary features of a social network, the 5 fundamental needs of supporting community and 6 tips for expanding your network

Successful online communities are not a matter of luck but rather the result of the rigorous application of these tried and tested ideas and techniques. This full day workshop will help you find your way.

Official Website: http://www.webdirections.org/program/workshops/#papworth