- Mistake 1: Unrealistic Timeline
- Mistake 2: Web 1.0 Thinking
- Mistake 3: Self-Centeredness
- Mistake 4: No Recruitment Plan
- Mistake 5: Nothing Happening
- Mistake 6: Under-Managing the Site
- Mistake 7: Over-Managing the Site
- Mistake 8: Inadequate Technology
- Mistake 9: Making Things Too Difficult
- Mistake 10: Disorientation and Dead Ends
- Avoid These Mistakes
Mistake 2: Web 1.0 Thinking
Back in the olden days of the Internet (that is, a few years ago), companies used to write marketing content, post it online, and expect people to read it. That thinking is so Web 1.0! Web 2.0 is about user interactionwebsites where users can participate and post their own content.
A lot of companies add what they call "community" pages to their websites and use them to publish announcements, articles, photos, horoscopes, recipes, whatever. Although the content might be interesting, the result is more of a notice board or online magazine than a community. It's a monologue, not a conversation. The company is talking, and the only activity offered to web users is reading. A true online community is a conversation in which users actively take part.
Brochure websites and online magazines have their place, though. You can post your company brochure online if you want, and maybe you should. But that's not an online community, and it won't bring the same benefits. Calling it a community is not what makes the difference. If you want a real online community, you have to give website users a leading role.