Vanilla Forums Blog

How happy would you be to learn that your community members are already exactly as motivated as they need to be today? They’re ready to provide greater value to your online forum the way they are.

The problem that you may be having, is that you’re not yet providing them with the right tools.

Instead of asking our online community members to do more for us, it’s time to start enabling them with the tools to do more with the same level of time, talent, and motivation that they have today.

Let’s find out how!

You are attending a conference for your industry. A work group has convened to address some newly identified problem or opportunity. As the participants warm up to one another, the conversation becomes lively and many great ideas are shared. In fact, participants are so enthusiastic that they remain behind long after the session has ended. They share business cards with one another and promise to follow up.

In order to build a successful community, you must first understand your members. That idea seems obvious but explains why many communities fail. Often, creators build a community to serve only their needs and hypothesize about what members will get out of a community, and the community’s purpose and programming do not resonate with members.

All online gaming communities share several things in common. Most notably, they’re virtual hangouts where people go to share interests and get more enjoyment out of the games they love.

Nonetheless, there’s often a disconnect between developers and their target audiences. This is often the case with AAA studios of the type which are  accused of profiteering and failing to listen to their players.

We now live in the age of the customer, in which empowered consumers are shaping business strategies and enjoying more control over brands than ever before. At a time when anyone can post anything they wish on the internet, it shouldn’t take a branding expert to recognize the enormous impact this has on a company’s reputation and profitability.

Unfortunately, feedback won’t always be positive – even if you’re at the absolute top of your game and have an outstanding reputation. Every brand receives negative reviews on occasion, but this doesn’t have to spell disaster. Some of this feedback may appear on your community forums, which should already be a go-to resource for customer support and discussion around your brand.