"Online Community"
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- mantrakid
What is it with clients who want to create an online community when they have absolutely ZERO plans for marketing or expansion of their content. Do they think just because you build a site that allows people to talk to eachother, that its just going to be full from day one and have rich engaging conversations? Why are so many entrepreneurs so delusional? Why am I so jaded? Is it because I have to listen to this bullshit time and time again?
- monospaced0
amen
- omg0
perhaps its because they lack a sense of design
- Maaku0
"just because you build a site that allows people to talk to eachother"
Are you talking about a facebook fan-page?
- even that, yea - "We Need a Facebook Page" - once you build it "why is no one using the FB page?!" because it sucks. and has zero updates on it.mantrakid
- lol, people don't "use" facebook pages, they never have and probably never willmonospaced
- Facebook is for sharing with friends, not a company.monospaced
- mantrakid0
has nothing to do with design - it's about people's expectations and if I can be frank, inherent laziness when it comes to business. People dont want to put the effort in to grow their business the proper ways, they think by jumping on some technology bandwagon they are actually getting somewhere and building value to their business that will show returns simply by existing. Just because you make some shitty app doesnt mean you're going to get a million new customers to add to your bottom line. I've actually had people come to me saying they want an 'app' and when i ask them "what does this app do?" they say "i dont know - whatever, just as long as it's an app. people will download it and it will spread awareness about us."
i mean... seriously?
- cannonball19780
Just ask questions that make the feature sound like a stupid idea. Not that hard.
- exactly, such as, "What do you do when someone posts something you don't approve of?"monospaced
- "Will you go as far as to censor your own people?" "Who is dedicated to keeping this up-to-date?"monospaced
- very true, and this is the route i've taken.. if im lucky it goes to "good point, we need to think about this.."mantrakid
- and I never hear from them on it again.mantrakid
- monospaced0
I saw this happen so many times with in-house projects. Everyone pushes for some online community for the project, and we go ahead and design it, and then they wonder why nobody participates or why it doesn't turn out the way they planned. It's always the same. Without a team or an individual absolutely dedicated to adding/updating content and facilitating said conversation, it never happens. People will NOT come back if there's nothing new, and they WILL use said online community to talk shit if the company is really as disorganized as the project itself.
- monospaced0
And the 'App' thing is now out of hand. Everyone wants a fucking 'App' and they can't wrap their stupid fucking minds around what it takes to create and deploy one, let alone keep it relevant at all. Not only is it resource intensive to take on an App, it will certainly only be available on one platform (iOS or Android) due to budget constrictions, and probably won't even be approved.
- mantrakid0
Rule should be if you cant be bothered to update your website regularly you shouldn't be even thinking about an app. Start making the most of what you currently have before you start spreading resources even thinner.
- well, you know there can't be "rules" but yeah, I wish that common sense dictated thismonospaced
- omg0
@mantrakid
I'm curious what your ideas were on the proper ways to grow their business? Is this a case where you are expecting them to throw finished wireframes?
- monospaced0
@omg
I, like mantrakid, don't think that an "online community," a Facebook page or an App are bad ideas for growing business. In fact, they're awesome, but only when used correctly. That's our frustration. These people see someone doing it right and think they can automatically have the same experience, but they have no idea what's going on behind the scenes and how many people/hours are dedicated to such endeavors.
- omg0
@monospaced
Sounds more like a case of applying big business tactics in a small business environment. I wonder if whether or not a small business could operate the same environment under smaller business budgets. But what if you were to work for free? Could one manage the same big business presence if one was willing to work for free? Akin to being a one man army.
- monNom0
^ If I can field that one. From my perspective, and what I've run into countless times, is that there is no follow through from a marketing perspective. Clients look for a 'feature' but have no concept that that feature will require ongoing resources to be of any value. So take a Twitter page for instance. "We want a twitter" - okay. I throw up some branded background and whatever, now they have a Twitter. It might get 5 tweets then be abandoned forever. Same with Facebook. They want traffic, but have no resources to create content that will attract traffic. And apps? The complexity of any useful and attractive app means there's a really narrow market where ROI is going to be positive. And they need marketing resources as well.
So to sum up. clients expect Facebook to take care of not having a marketing budget. When in fact it's just another (albeit free), channel that needs to be stuffed with content - which costs money.
- mantrakid0
I think a small business -- eg. an individual -- could technically handle a focussed effort into a new realm like proper maintenance of an online community, or even just a facebook app or twitter feed, but I honestly feel like majority of people's expectations are that these things run themselves, and that's what frustrates me. I have even made a point to tell people 'yes i can set this up but you need to be sure to post to it regularly, as a twitter feed with nothing ever posted to it, or that never gets checked for @mentions that are appropriately responded to actually looks worse than having no twitter feed at all. "Oh, yeah I can just get the receptionist to do that" is the response, and chances are the receptionist is in charge of every single shit job that no one has time to do and is probably being pulled in 20 different ways every single day.
- Word up, monNom beat me to the punch.mantrakid
- I feel like I was saying the same thing. Interesting to see the consensus.monospaced
- u totally were. :) Im so glad someone gets me. :)mantrakid
- mantrakid0
Just venting, glad im not alone and this seems like an actual regular occurrence.
- omg0
I wonder there is some hidden secretary who maintains and moderates QBN, thinking... for fuck sakes, I can't believe I have this shit job!
- i wonder if...omg
- totally there is. He/She keeps sitting down to add Vimeo embeds, but keeps getting pulled away from their desk tomantrakid
- perform fellatio.mantrakid
- hahahamonospaced
- i_monk0
JOIN THE CONVERSATION.
- mikotondria30
This is proper newstodaying, excellent points clearly made, mantra, mon, and mono, thanks :)