03/12/2019

Daily Buzz: Measure Your Online Community’s Maturity

Examine whether new voices are emerging and joining the conversation

“Growth” can mean a lot of things. When it comes to your online community, new users tend to be the benchmark. But Marjorie Anderson from Community by Association says that’s often not enough.

“While that, to an extent, does indicate growth, it doesn’t show how the online community is maturing or how it is lending to the growth of the association as a whole,” she says. “It doesn’t show how community members are evolving through their interactions or how engagement is being affected as a result.”

Instead, Anderson says to look at whether new voices are emerging and joining the conversation. “In professional associations, this can be especially valuable as your association looks for ways to engage the next generation of members looking to get involved and show what they know through networking, knowledge-sharing, and conversation,” she says.

Seeing an increase in connections at your association and being asked by other organizations for strategy tips are also signs that your online community is both growing and maturing.

“If you haven’t already, take a good look at your metrics and see where you can adjust them to show direct ties to moments of deeper engagement and connectivity between your members and the association and start communicating those out,” Anderson says. “By shifting your mindset about online community growth, you are delivering on shared value that goes far beyond an increasing number on a dashboard.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.