Create an online community

How I did it: A little background
I had created a website in the mid-1990s geared towards Military Brats—children who grow in a military family. We are bound together by a common experience and typically will have lived on several posts in the U.S. and overseas.

The original website was a static site with links, essays and some news, but it was not interactive, except for a message board system introduced a few years later.

In April of 2008, I relaunched the website as a community website, using social networking software, MilitaryBrats.net.

About Military Brats
We make friends quickly, but have left behind many friends as we were moved from post to post.

Many brats feel they don't fit into "civilian" life after they leave home and most Military Brats are looking to find their old friends, and to have the support of other Military Brats who "get them".

Goals
My primary goal was to create a community that offered blogs, discussion groups, chat, event information, news, photo galleries where we can share experiences, connect with others who lived in the same places.

While members are scattered over the U.S. and overseas, I wanted to provide a way they could participate in this unique community, regardless of where they lived.

My other goal is to preserve as much detail as possible about what it was like to live during the "Cold War". Many Military Brats have lived overseas since the end of World War II, and have rich experiences which should be preserved for future generations.

Building the Website
Late in 2007, I investigated a number of website applications which can be used for running a social network website. I provide web development services for clients, so I knew I wanted something that would could provide a lot of features from the beginning, without me having to hire a programmer.

I also wanted to "own" the website instead of being a part of a free online community.

Since the 1990s many "free" site providers have come and gone, leaving website owners high and dry, as moving "rented" websites is like trying to remove furniture from a hotel room that's bolted down.

Lessons & tips: Work with a "niche" group you know inside and out
You need to find a niche or group you belong to that you have a lot of identity with, and enthusiasm for.

Starting an online community takes a lot of time and dedication. If you love woodworking and you live out in your woodshop and you love to share with other woodworkers, then starting you own online community for that group will probably work.

Lead by example
You will have "seed" your online community by starting a few discussion groups, inviting members and nurturing the community along.

Some members who join will jump in and contribute and be active in the community. Others will join, post a comment and do nothing more for a while.

Be patient
The first month or two will go slowly as you get some new members. You will need to be pro-active in inviting people you know to join and you will need to contact clubs to invite them to check out your community.

Remember the 80/20 rule—100 members will give you 20 members who will really do something on the website in terms of contributing.

Seek out and befriend those who are contributing
Social network websites generate their own content, but it is the members who are active that make it happen.

Let members know you appreciate them, especially those who are following your lead.

About website software . . .
Installing software on a website server is not quite the same as installing a program on your own computer.

Hosting companies will typically have "shared" hosting servers, so there are very strict guidelines as to what any hosting customer can install. Applications are typically PHP, CGI, Ruby on Rails, CFM.

Keep in mind you will need mature, reliable software. There are many software developers offer MySpace "clone" software for a few hundred dollars. If the developer stops supporting the software, this will affect your website down the road.

If you are non-technical and most of the above seems like Greek to you, find someone to work with you who has some technical skills or you may want to consider using a "free" or low cost hosted solution like Ning.com.

Review Application Demos
Make sure you check out demos of software and look at actual websites running the software before you take the plunge. Poorly supported software, no matter how slick it is, will be frustrating to use.

Make sure the website administration area is easy to use.

Hosting and Backups
Use a reliable hosting company. While the hosting company will not help you install software and build your website, they can be very helpful in helping to get an application or script running on your website.

Make regular backups. I like to use hosting that has Cpanel. Cpanel is a control panel that will let you make daily, weekly or monthly backups.

Backups are important in case your website gets hacked or there's a problem with the server. While hosting companies do back up their networks, your website is essentially a database and if it gets corrupted or you need to move to another hosting company, you will need to have a recent backup.

Treat your website seriously
Starting an online community then only checking in every month or so to see how it is doing, just won't work.

If you start a community, you have to be involved and looking for ways to engage members. It's a lot like throwing a party. A good host will make sure all the party goers are having a good time and make sure the refreshments and food is available so a handful of people becomes a noisy crowd having a great time.

Set Reasonable Expectations
If you start a community hoping to cash in on advertising revenue or commissions on affiliate programs in the first year . . . it's probably not going to happen.

Focus on building your membership, sending out monthly emails to members, make the website better as time goes on and create something of value to other members and it will grow.

Later, you can focus on how to do some cost recovery or make money with your website.

Do your homework
Remember, you get what you pay for. Free services rarely are, or have hidden strings attached. Use Google to do research on hosting companies, complaints about software or online services and the like, and to learn how to market your website and grow your community.

It takes longer than a year
Plan on a year, but keep in mind you will probably need several years to grow and develop the website, especially if you grow by word of mouth and you don't have a large advertising budget.

Bigger is not always better . . . a small community that is close-knit and vibrant will be easier to grow than an overly ambitious large website that is under-funded.

Resources: Hotscripts.com - This website has overviews and links to software that can be hosted on servers. There is a rating of software by members and website visitors. It is very time consuming to look at all the software available. My preference is for PHP and mySQL solutions.

Hostgator.com - I highly recommend this hosting company. Their customer service and support is excellent and their hosting plans are very reasonable. I use them and I have several of my clients hosted with them and they are great!

Ning.com - If you do not want to set up your own website and want to use a "free" website approach, Ning has a basic plan to get you started. You can look at sites to get an idea of what is possible. I do not use Ning, but I am a member of retromaccast.com, which is hosted by Ning. Ning also has an "upgrade" to greater levels of service and features, so you can start small and add more features later.

Forums and discussion groups - Look for official and official discussion groups discussing social networks, software and aspects community building.

Contact website owners - If you see a social network site that you like and seems to have a good mix of features, contact the owner and see what they will share with you about it. Don't expect the owner to give you endless help with how to build your own website—do your homework and ask select relevant questions, remember, their time is valuable.

Jun 20, 12:27PM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer