ACTA UN IV ERSITA TIS LODZIENSIS
FOLIA OECONOM ICA 167, 2003
A ndrzej M ałachow ski' Tymon Smektała
CREATING I-COMMUNITIES
FOR THE MODERN BUSINESSES
F o reword
Internet is fast becom ing a dom inant factor in developing virtual economy. Technologies based on Internet are creating a virtual space o f com m erce, in which, various categories are parts o f on-going relations. Those categories are: virtual inform ation, virtual business, virtual business environm ent, virtual goods, virtual currency, virtual transaction, and others. In a greater scope, many traditional processes, such as production processes, com m erce processes, service processes, financial processes and others are transform ed to the Internet in parts or as a whole. This raises the level o f virtualization o f traditional forms o f econ-omy. M eanw hile the Internet platform is also becom ing a host to many new business entities, which are solely based on the Internet. In this other instance those businesses exist and function only in the Internet space.
Subjects o f i-econom y are using the Internet space to carry over basic busi-ness processes including com m unications with their environm ent. Internet tools, such as: e-m ail, websites, discussion groups, discussion forum s, e-CRM sys-tems, are playing a m ajor part in pro-market activities focused on m arketing, advertisem ent, prom otions, public relations, lobbying, sponsoring and creating their image and identity. Sim plifying the matter, when you consider earlier m en-tioned activities, all o f such actions are dependant on "good" relations betw een the business and elem ents o f its environm ent. Businesses which are conscious about the whole potential o f Internet tools can actively utilize them to influence their relations with their environm ent. One o f such possibilities is to create I-com m unity around the business and its products, services, etc.
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A kademia Ekonom iczna we W rocławiu, Katedra Komunikacji Gospodarczej, e-mail: andrzej.m alachowski@ ae.w roc.pl
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A kademia Ekonomiczna we W rocławiu, Katedra Komunikacji G ospodarczej, e-mail: tsmektala@ w roc.bauer.pl
Essence o f I-com m unity
According to "Słownik Encyklopedyczny Edukacja O byw atelska" [SNOL99]: a com m unity is a gathering o f people living in a defined space, con-nected by social relations, com m on living conditions or cultural traditions. This traditional definition, derived from sociology, needs to be redefined to describe virtual space o f the Internet. First, we have to acknow ledge, that m em bers of such I-com m unity must fulfill set o f conditions, e.g. free access to the Internet, know ledge and skills required to use a wide spectrum o f Internet technologies. W hen it com es to Internet com m unities traditional geographical boundaries are irrelevant, which in turn m akes obsolete geographical criteria o f categorizing different com m unities. M eanw hile social relations, com m on living conditions and cultural traditions can still exist as a basis for creating such com m unities. On the other hand, heterogeneity o f them es and subjects which determ ine the content o f inform ation exchanged by Internet creates new levels, on which such com m unities can com e into existence and function. Taking those differences into account we can establish follow ing definition o f I-com m unity: it is a gathering o f people, w ho use Internet in an active way to exchange inform ation related to com m on beliefs, attitudes and interests. The nature o f Internet as a m edium makes this gathering difficult to identify, am orphic - in short - virtual. Though it is not fully correct, I-com m unities are som etim es referred to as e-com m unities or virtual com m unities.
It doesn't need any further explanation, that m em bers o f I-com m unities are Internet users. Such internet users, who create Internet com m unity, are com m u-nicating betw een them selves using m ainly Internet tools, such as: e-m ail, discus-sion groups or lists, instant m essaging applications (e.g. ICQ), or IRC applica-tions. M eetings taking place outside o f the Internet space, in real life, are usually rare, sporadic, and alw ays a consequence o f earlier consolidation o f the com m u-nity in the Internet.
Creating I-com m unities for their ow n needs, businesses com m unicating with their environm ent, are using m ajority o f existing internet tools in an inte-grated way. Such activities result in establishing a gathering o f Internet users, interested in the business as such, or one o f it’s products or services, who are exchanging com m ents and opinions on the subject o f business catalogue, and passing on positive im age o f business to other users. Interest in creating of I-com m unities, which is now on the rise, is a direct consequence o f m odern pu-blic relations theories, according to which, the next step in developing relations with the custom ers should be increased support o f building virtual com m unities around products and services [4]. A ccording to research quoted in the cited ar-ticle, businesses which initiate creation o f com m unities assem bling custom ers
or business partners, are becom ing trusted advisors. It has a colossal im pact, if we consider the fact that in recent years there was a m ajor shift from other m ar-keting strategies to strategies focused on custom ers, who in turn undertake the decision o f purchase, relying on a rich stock o f earlier acquired information. In context o f such tendencies, a trusted source o f inform ation is a dom inant in-centive influencing consum er loyalty at present. Skillfully created and m anaged I-com m unity can becom e such source o f information.
Em ployees o f com pany can consciously becom e m em bers o f existent I-com m unity, or initiate a new internet com m unity related in a way with activi-ties o f their business. It needs to be added, that in instances o f many businesses there is a pow erful potential which could be a direct basis for a new I-com m unity, needing only a small impulse, in a form o f a sim ple invitation to a com m unity, broadcasted to interested Internet users (e.g. ow ners o f com m on model or made o f car, users o f popular com puter application, hobbyists, etc.). If such com m unity will be m anaged well, it will becom e a very essential value and m ajor advantage for business in question, no only in the Internet space, but outside o f it as well. B ecause m em bers o f I-com munity a re com m unicating not only with other m em bers, but with other W eb users, and people form the "real world", in a way they will becom e representatives or advocates o f the business, passing on inform ation send as a part o f virtual pro-m arket activities run by business.
O ther research, conducted by Jupiter M edia Metrix [5], suggests that o f all W eb users logging on to W W W site o f com pany, one third are people ready to actively participate in I-com m unity, or already participating in it, if the com pany supports this channel o f com m unications. It needs to be added, that m em bers of I-com m unity can generate as much, as two thirds of the whole num ber o f pur-chases o f products and services m ade by people logging on to a com pany w eb-site, which confirm s their custom er loyalty. The biggest I-com m unities in the world, assem bled around internet store A m azon.com and auction service e-Bay.com , count as much as 30-40 millions o f active users. On the average, Internet user logged on to e-Bay.com website spends there 100 m inutes, which is a couple o f times more, than average time spend on other websites, which circles around a few minutes, or even less. This means, that m em bers o f I-com m unities are more willing to becom e acquainted with virtual com pany offer, and spend more time on doing so, than other Internet users. These figures are worth re-m ere-m bering.
Process o f creating I-com m unity
C reating I-com m unity requires com pany em ployees to conduct a sequence o f activities and operations, including:
- initiating I-com m unity,
- supplying sufficient technology (both in terms o f softw are and hardw are) allow ing registration and identification o f com m unity m em bers,
- supplying sufficient technology (both in terms o f softw are and hardw are) which guarantees efficient ways o f exchanging inform ation betw een com -munity m embers,
- stim ulating and m oderating Internet com m unity.
Sound basis for creating and m anaging o f I-com m unity is always a devel-oped website, which is a main platform o f inform ation exchange, supported by other tools, such as electronic mail, or integrated with the w ebsite forum s or discussion lists. People joining I-com m unity, begin to function in its structure with undertaking the process o f registration. Such registration is necessary to identify and differentiate such users from other Internet users logging on to w eb-site. Also, registration allow s to gather additional inform ation about m em bers of com m unity, helpful in future activities.
Every successful I-com m unity, need a set o f clearly stated goals, defining form s and ways o f its functions. Trying to define the goals, which should char-acterize I-com m unity in question, a com prom ise between goals o f com pany, and goals o f com m unity m em bers needs to be found. It's a com m on practice to start such process (o f defining com m unity goals) from defining target group, from which com m unity m em bers will be drawn, as well as its characteristics and im -portant features. This allows to create a full list o f goals and expectations o f such Internet users which can be then com pared to analogical lists created with com -pany needs in mind. Such com parison helps to find com m on goals, and goals which are totally opposite, which in turns effects in crating a list o f goals accept-able by both potential com m unity m em bers and com pany. Such list should be verified by com pany representatives (ideally by public relations em ployees and high m anagem ent), and Internet users (e.g. by way o f sim ple questionnaire put on com pany's website). D efined and verified goals should be then described in a concrete, understandable way, and diffused throughout the potential m embers (e.g. by putting such description on website, in an easy accessible place). Goals o f com m unity, and its m issions, should also be expressed by a short slogan, motto, described in English term inology as tagline. Such tagline should contain condensed essence o f Icom m unity in one, favorably short sentence. For exam -ple such tagline o f e-Bay website is "The W orld's Online M arketplace", see Fig. 1.
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The W orld's O nline M a rk e t p la c e '“
S p e c ia lty S ite s e B a y M otors e B a y S to r e s H alf.com by e B a y P a y P al S o th e b v s .c o m C a te g o r ie s A n tiq u e s | Art | B o ok s B u s in e s s & Industrial Г* -«Г«* 9. O ł U n r V / n U i r l n i »
Fig. 1. Part o f www.ebav.com website, with visible tagline "The W orld's Online Marketplace".
M anaging I-com m unity
Literature focused on internet com m unities [1], [2] describes a couple of relevant pointers on how to m anage successful I-com munities. E tiective strategy o f m anaging such com m unities can be contained in 9 points, which are practical clues for its leaders:
1) Define and express your goals - clear, understandable definition o f goals, is a basis which allows to build effective com m unity, sets objectives which com m unity tries to fulfill, and characterize its potential m em bers. This in turn should affect the way such com m unity is designed, used technology and rules set inside the com m unity. Goals o f com m unity also influence tools used in the process o f its creation and m anagem ent, as well as graphic design and image o f its m eeting point in cyberspace.
2) Build flexible m eeting places - for a com m unity to function, and for us-ers to com m unicate freely with each other, and leadus-ers o f the com m unity, there needs to be created a place or places (e.g. w ebsites) in which those processes will be conducted. Such places need to be designed (especially considering its technology) in a way which allows flexible changes, in case o f growth o f com -munity in question. Such places should be com posed o f one, main, central point
Brows
(W W W site), integrated with other com m unication tools, allow ing it's users to exchange inform ation.
3) Create profiles for m em bers - one o f the m ajor advantages which com pany attains with 1-community, is a possibility to know it’s m em bers better, which with com m unities centered around products or services o f com pany, means also a better know ing o f com pany custom ers in "real world". M em ber profiles give them a sense o f character and individuality. Inform ation contained therein are also im portant for other m em bers o f com m unity, increasing mutual trust. Such profiles require users to choose a nicknam e, which will be used in the com m unity, and such nicknam e is decided on registration, when an Internet user becom es a m em ber o f com m unity. Profiles are a source o f inform ation (data-base) concerning all m em bers required to build and m anage com m unity.
4) C reate with different m em bers in mind - with com m unity grow th its mem bers will differentiate and start to play several roles. W eb users, w ho con-sider joining the com m unity, or are its m em bers for a short, initial period o f time, have totally different needs and expectations than m em bers with longer experience, or com m unity leaders. W hile designing com m unity, one should consider requirem ents o f all its m em bers. Experience, and activity should be one o f the factors allotting scope o f accessible options and inform ation, so it's re-quired to design different areas o f I-com m unity, adjusted to needs o f specific groups o f m em bers, as well as it’s required to create a starting area, for all Inter-net users, who consider joining the com m unity.
5) C reate a m otivational leader program another consequence o f com -munity grow th is the fact, that at one m om ent it will be im possible, or at least very hard, for its creators, to m anage every aspect o f com m unity. This creates a need to pass some duties o f com m unity creators to its most experienced and most active m embers. M otivational leader program includes techniques o f iden-tifying luture leaders, as well as ways o f preparing them for their duties, and new function. Such program should also include concrete description o f leader's rights and obligations, as well as tools required to fulfill them.
6) E ncourage to use proper etiquette - when a group o f people starts to com m unicate with each other, conflicts are inevitable. With this in mind, it's be-com ing a necessary requirement, to develop rules o f etiquette, obligatory to all com m unity members, as well as ways to handle any possible conflicts, and means to enforce such solutions. Com m unity etiquette should be constantly revised, and should evolve with grow ing comm unity, and needs o f its m embers. Com m unity etiquette requires it's creators to com e up with m ethods o f punishing m em bers who are breaking it. Exam ples o f such punishm ent are: tem porary ban from com m unication channels, restricted access to som e areas o f com m unity, etc.
7) Prom ote cyclic events internet com m unities are shaped by its m em -bers, so it's im possible to foresee many o f events and situations taking place in such com m unity. Yet, it’s possible to prom ote, and undertake cyclic events, which have at least three advantages. First such events give com m unity a sense o f continuity, and historical context. Second, they usually draw to a meeting point in cyberspace bigger num ber o f m em bers in a specific tim e, which strengthens relations between members. Third, this allow s to reach w ider scope o f users with a specific inform ation or m essage. Presentations, com petitions, or occasional m eetings are exam ples o f such cyclic events. To successfully pro-mote cyclic events, it's required to create a calendar o f com m unity life, virtual m eeting area in which such events take place, and choose technological tools which will allow com m unity m em bers to participate in cyclic events.
8) C reate com m unity rituals - every com m unity functioning in the "real world" has its ow n set o f rituals, such as characteristic greetings, com m on holi-days, and others. Such rituals strengthen the relations betw een m em bers o f the com m unity, and so it's advised to create sim ilar rituals for I-com m unity. Rituals can be very sim ple, e.g. greeting m essage sent to a m em ber who joins the m eet-ing area, as they can be more com plicated, e.g. m ulti-faceted anniversary o f com m unity birth. To create such rituals com m unity creators should com e up with procedures to inform it's participants about ritual, as well as technologies, w hich allow m em bers to participate in ritual.
9) M ake creating sub-groups easy - every grow ing I-com m unity reaches a point, where it’s so big, that various specializations and sub-groups start to appear (e.g. sub-groups focused on specific car m odels in a com m unity related to car-m anufacturer). In such situation it's advised to create m echanism s, which allow activists engaged in those sub-groups to officially create such sub-groups, which becom e a part o f a bigger com m unity. It increases loyalty o f m em bers, and further builds its inform ation database (with more specific, specialized info), which draw s new members.
W hen com pany decides, that it's willing to create I-com m unity, its creators should rem em ber about flexibility o f com m unity's design. Each and every com -m unity start's as a s-mall gathering, but the nu-m ber o f -m e-m bers can grow very fast. Yet, it would be erroneous to create bigger structure for huge num ber o f m em bers at the beginning - such com m unity would appear abandoned and inactive in its first phase grow th, which will have negainactive influence on new m em -bers and Internet users w ho consider joining it (e.g. highly developed chat serv-ice with only a few members). This m eans that com m unity m eeting areas, as well as technologies used in their creation, must allow easy, and flexible scaling depending on com m unity size.
As it was m entioned earlier, W W W website is fundam ental in creating suc-cessful and effective I-com m unity. Such w ebsite should allow access to all form s o f activities in the com m unity. Technologies used to conduct com m unica-tion process betw een com m unity m em bers can be different, depending character and size o f com m unity, though all popular Internet tools can be used. In case of small com m unities it's usually discussion list based on e-mail, bigger com m uni-ties use discussion groups, synchronic text chat, synchronic video chat or so called virtual worlds. Most interesting, most com plicated (technologically) - and not alw ays most effective are virtual worlds, used very often in case o f com -m unities related on so-m e co-m puter and video ga-m es. Such virtual w orlds are graphical digital environm ents sim ulating existing or im aginary reality, in which com m unity m em bers are m eeting with each other. V isualization in such virtual worlds is often achieved by m eans o f specialized, dedicated applications, though som etim es their creators use also VRM L procedures in W W W sites.
L eaders o f I-com m unities
In each I-com m unity, specific m em bers play a m ajor role o f so called lead-ers or activists. Usually they are m em blead-ers with longest experience, very active, often those, w ho are part o f the com m unity from its beginnings. In the first pe-riod o f com m unity grow th those people are usually its creators, who becom e leaders, and draw Internet users to the com m unity. Later other m em bers can becom e leaders, if they’re w orking for the sake o f com m unity and other m em -bers. A ctivists are keeping the whole com m unity in motion, so it's natural that play an im portant role in its life, influencing it’s character, and them es o f com -m unication processes.
It should be rem em bered that I-com m unity is created by its creators, but when it starts to function, its m em bers start to influence it's form and nature. It's a natural process, which keeps com m unity relevant and attractive, both to exist-ing m em bers and to Internet users w ho consider joinexist-ing in. As it was said earlier it is necessary to create m echanism s that allow com m unity m em bers to express their opinions and rem arks considering the com m unity and how it functions (e.g. questionnaires, surveys, etc.). Leaders should also pay close attention to m em bers' rem arks, especially those negative and disapproving. W ith the inevitable grow th o f com m unity, and identification o f most active and creative m em -bers, such m em bers should take over som e o f the duties com prom ised o f w el-com ing new m em bers, m anaging the el-com m unity, etc. This will reduce the num ber o f duties o f com m unity creators and m oderators (em ployees o f the com -pany), as well as strengthen relation o f new m em bers with the com m unity.
M em ber profiles are a very helpful tool in identifying com m unity leaders, mainly because they contain a huge scope o f inform ation regarding m embers. W hen com m unity creators specify inform ation which should be held in m em ber profiles, they should take a couple o f questions into account. First, such profile should contain info regarding m em ber activity in com m unity, which will make identifying future leaders easier, as well as allow creation o f m otivational pro-grams. Second, such profile must allow m em bers to express their own style, character and individuality. This can be achieved by including in the profile such data fields as m em ber motto, m em ber photo, specific sign o r other (e.g. favorite m ovie or favorite dish). Such personal info should adhere to specifics o f the w hole com m unity, (e.g. favorite dish in a com m unity focused on cooking). Third, profiles and m echanism s o f their processing, should be flexible, and allow adding new data fields and elem ents with ease.
W hen creating m em ber profiles it's also very im portant to provide sufficient level o f security o f inform ation included therein. M em ber profiles contain basic inform ation about m em ber, such as first name, surnam e, age, date o f birth, place o f residence, som etim es even more personal data. This im plies that a high level o f security is needed, to assure m em bers, that their personal inform ation will be accessed only by accessed em ployees o f the com pany. In regards to such no-tions, m em ber profiles ore often divided into three parts:
- system data -a cce ssib le to com m unity creators, includes all elem ents o f profile, along with the inform ation describing m em ber activity in the com -munity,
- personal data - accessible only to m em ber in question, includes nicknam e, passw ord used during registration, other personal info,
- public data - accessible to other m em bers o f com m unity, includes nick-nam e, and specific personal data indicated by m em ber him self (e.g. e-mail address, real nam e, etc.).
In com m unities where mutual trust is very important (e.g. com m unities re-lated to auction w ebsites) m em ber profile should also include data field, which helps determ ine m em ber trustworthiness. To achieve this it is a com m on practice to create m echanism that lets other m embers to express their opinion about the m em ber in question. Such m echanism is used am ongst m em bers o f e-Bay.com com m unity, w ho are assigned a certain level o f reputation. This m echanism al-lows other Internet users who traded with m em ber in question to rate his trust-w orthiness (if the product arrived on time, if it trust-was com pliant trust-with description on the w ebsite, etc.). Sim ilar system s are com m only used by other auction serv-ices, as well as other I-com m unities.
C onclusion
1-communities created and m anaged according to observations included in this article should becom e an effective and successful tool o f com pany-to- environm ent com m unication. If the target group o f com pany's products, services is present and active enough on the Internet, com pany's activities, as well as its products can be or is interesting to wide range o f Internet users, and the com -pany is "open" and w illing to use new pro-m arket activities in its approach, it's advised to create I-com m unity. It seems, as it's the best way to reach com pany's pro-m arket goals, which integrates all available Internet measures.
References
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