|
This Week’s:
Step-by-Step: Keep Essential Information on Every Page
On Focus: Writers — Part 3 (Building an Online Community)
The 13 Lucky Steps to Promoting a Web Site - Part 3
Reviews
An Essential Reference for Web Masters
Thinking Differently About the Mac
Techniques
Instant Graphics - Royalty Free Image Sources
|
|
On Focus: Writers — Part 2
— Building an Online Community
by Carolyn Cooper
Last week, we looked at designing pages to promote an individual book or a series. One of the most effective ways to promote a series, and the author, is by building an onlne community around the series, the author or the subject area.
Community Building Enhancements
Like any other business, writers, particularly series or genre writers, are creating a relationship with their customers (their readers). An online community is the best way to enhance that relationship, not only between yourself and your audience but among the audience members themselves. But like any relationship, it requires some kind of commitment. If you are extremely busy, you might be able to draft a supportive family member or friend to help in the maintenance.
A community also requires interaction. It is not a one-way street.
Chat Rooms, Bulletins or Messages Boards, Email Lists
The Internet is essentially a communications media and people love to communicate, hence the success and popularity of chats, boards and lists. But with the growing use comes saturation, abuse and banality. The more unique the focus of the board and more closely tied to an author's identity or series theme, the better. In addition, public postings must be monitored regularly and you must decide how much control you plan to place on postings. Chats, boards and list consume a great deal of time to be effective (which is why I haven't put one on this site — yet!), but they are key in building an online community. Just be sure you are willing to support the relationship between you and your community.
Blogs, Weblogs, News, Op-Ed, Rumor or Gossip
According to Blogger (www.blogger.com), the mothership of blogs, a blog (or weblog) is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically -- like a what's new page or a journal. Weblogs like the Open Source stalwart Slashdot, post information and news and then allow site visitors to add their comments and discuss the issue.
There are communities built around opinion, rumor and gossip sites on specific topics such as Apple Computer Co., car designs, and celebrities. The difference between a community-building information page and a standard information (or opinion, rumor and gossip page) is the ability for the community to interact and provide visible feedback. Otherwise, what you've got is a following, instead of a community.
And yes, Elements will be adding community-building features very soon. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with your questions, comments or suggestions.
This was longer than I expected and we've only scratched the surface. Look for more features on each of these points down road. Next week, we're look at using your web site for "Promoting a Writer's Work to Publishers & Agents."
Find out how to arrange an independent consultation or a workshop for your conference or organization on this or any other Internet-related topic.
Top
Copyright ©1995-2001 Carolyn E. Cooper. All rights reserved.
carolynecooper.com, web site consultation, workshops, design and development. Contact us at cpadmin@caine.com.
|
|
This man is smiling because he just made a quick improvement to his site.
Have you seen or developed interesting promotional content for your site? Send it to us and you might win a free consultation, a web design book, some software or whatever else we find under all the overflowing paper!
|
