I think that there are a number of reasons but I believe the ultimate goal is usage, and by that I mean page views, time spent on site and number of users. Site owners rely on active communities to generate traffic, retain users for longer times and in some cases generate content; all in order to, hopefully, generate revenues. But what some of these site owners don't realize is that they might not need all that to make their site successful. Moreover they probably don't realize some of the potential risks associated with interactive communities.
So does every site need an interactive community? I think I've made it clear that my answer is no. There are a few distinct types of sites, that I can think of, that do not need any kind of interactive community.
- Banking sites; those sites that are used for online banking and/or as banking portals. This does not include sites like paypal, google checkout, etc.
- "Transactional"sites; I use the term transactional very loosely, but this group basically covers sites where people place orders for certain things like pizza. It also includes sites where people can pay for products or services (i.e. AT&T) .
- Corporate sites; Corporate sites are usually exclusively informational. It is important to differentiate corporate site from micro-sites or sub-portals that may have community components to them.
It is also important to note that the types of sites I listed does not mean these companies shouldn't have interactive community initiatives. What I mean is that they do not need it within the specific site (i.e. corporate site). Companies can certainly have other sub-portals, micro-sites or twitter/facebook accounts... but maybe they should try to keep certain areas (properties) "clean" if you know what I mean.
3 comments:
Joe,
I like the idea of keeping at least some portions of websites "clean" or free from interactive community. I think to a great deal the addition of an interactive community drops the perception of professionalism. This would seem to be a problem particularly for those websites that you mentioned, such as corporate informational sites or financial institution or transaction sites.
Great insights.
Anthony
Given the shift toward social media as the preferred communication vehicle, my initial response to the general question - "Does every website need an interactive community?" - was YES. Why you ask ... because the general public is actively engaging in this new form of communication at increasing rates. It has accepted social media as a more efficient and effective way to communicate. On the personal front, "One message addressed to all" is preferred over a million calls to retell the same story. Additionally, a posting on a company webpage oftentimes garners support for your cause, leading to a sense of victory/accomplishment. If this is the wave of the future, it would be a huge miss for any website to not have this interactive community functionality. Even if you think there is no reason that a web site (i.e.- Banking sites) offer such functionality, it does not go unnoticed when available. Take me for an example ... I typically do not post comments on any company web sites, but out of curiosity I read the commentary posted. Whether positive or negative, the brand recognition benefits resulting from interactive community capabilities cannot go unnoticed.
However, I must admit that your blog made me re-evaluate my initial response. Your thought process is well-defined and makes logical sense ... Companies should play an active role in the online social communities, but not all should do so via their websites. Those that do not, should set up separate Facebook, etc. accounts, so as to not impact the "professionalism" of their "brand". I like the way you stress the importance of social media for all companies in the future, while at the same time consider social media's impact on the company itself. This is definitely not a case of "One Size Fits All."
I agree with the types of sites you chose that should not have interactive communities. I also like your suggestion that companies should maybe have a separate site for social networking, or interactive community, and leave the main site "clean".
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