Do the community, are you really ready?

I believe that many webmaster in the process of doing the internet have done the idea of the community, and even some webmaster friends may be operating or have run a community-type site.

It has to be said that community-class sites are really tempting. A relatively mature community site, has a stable user flow, the exchange between members to form a virtuous circle, the webmaster needs to do the work seems to only deal with advertising and maintenance server.

Compared to the content of the site, the webmaster do not need to carry out the content construction, just want to discuz or Nodebb such as forum source set up good, divided into plates and regions, a station will come out. Its sense of achievement is much higher than that of WordPress blog, the rest of the work seems to be only promoted.

In fact, every year there are many community-type sites are built, most of them to the end of the fate of the abandonment. It is true that community-type Web sites are actually a bit more efficient than blogs from media-like websites, but their operational costs and energy requirements are also very high.

Next, let's take a slow look at the subject.

　　Is the community really good to do?

It's really simple to build a community website.

But that is only the first step of Long March, many stationmaster is also by this first step of the simple place attracts, entered the field of community operation.

The difficulty of running a community is far greater than the difficulty of running a content station, because content is built mainly by content, supplemented by SEO. As long as the site positioning and content quality and SEO have done well, the time will naturally be able to operate. Most of this work has a fixed process and does not require much innovation. It's better to say that if you're too "innovative" in content or SEO, it's more likely to outweigh the gains.

But the community is different, the Community class website not only must have the content on the maintenance, but also has more to do the user's relations maintenance. Need to make rules, the user's behavior should be rewards and punishments. Also to the user community for the design of activities and so on. These workload is very big, a community to run up, not a small team is more difficult.

Perhaps the first time feel one or two people can cope with, and then as long as the recruitment moderator for forum maintenance can be. But this kind of idea is naïve, others do not say, because the moderator group and the contradictions between the stationmaster causes the Community division The example to be numerous. It requires very high community operations and sometimes even a bit of luck.

Therefore, before preparing to be a community, the first thing to consider is its operational difficulties. If there is no perseverance, to meet the difficulties of the Enlightenment, light three minutes of heat, the end will inevitably face failure.

　　A general idea

If you really want to be a community, the first question you have to ask yourself is. What are the community's target groups?

In a way, this is consistent with the idea of doing a niche market. In the current domestic network environment, choose to do a comprehensive community is very unwise, small and medium-sized team basically did not challenge the possibility of success. Even if the choice to do vertical community, because the domestic Internet development has been so many years, large vertical areas are basically the corresponding community. In the choice of time also can only select some of the current lack of authoritative community areas.

Of course, if there is sufficient financial strength and operational capacity, it is not possible to challenge the authority of the domain. But in terms of efficiency, this behavior is not recommended unless there is a particular profit expectation in this area. Such behavior is like a coffee shop opposite the Starbucks, a little bit of a conspiracy, empty romantic.

Perhaps some webmaster to say that they have a group of users, can be imported into their own community. But this is not a long time, if only the community as a means of maintaining the relationship between the user is no harm. If you operate as a community, you will eventually face the problem of community orientation. After all, the operation of the community, long-term users are only relatively stable, after all, is "iron camp, the flow of soldiers."

After deciding your target group, you can transform and "decorate" the site for target groups and content features. After the community website planning and construction is completed, you can go to the next step.

The next thing to do is to find a core member, or a seed member. Remember an entrepreneur once said that the first 1000 users of a site are the most important to the community. One of the most important roles for core users is to create content and enliven the community atmosphere. As mentioned above, if you have a group of relevant users in their hands, or relatively favorable. One of the pitfalls here is to never think about creating content by just a few people within a team, and the core members of a community are indispensable. The amount and activity of content created by the core members is not something that can be replaced by just a few people. Team hands on the elite combat should be put into the non-team itself do not do the task, such as server operation, cooperation, SEO and other construction.

After the website user becomes more and more, the need is the rule and the user behavior Guide. Of course, the rules of the community should be generally established at the beginning of the establishment. Only in the specific operations, the need for specific circumstances to add and modify accordingly. User behavior guidance is also very important, small to whether the resources need to log in or buy to view, large to the user groups between the arbitration. The community is large and all kinds of people will come together. If the user relationship is not handled well, it can easily lead to naught. But sometimes, sticking to the principles of the website itself is also very important. This is also quite a test of the team's ability to operate.

Finally is also the most important point or perseverance, this is not only reflected in the initial enthusiasm subsided after the persistent efforts, in the user group continues to expand the cost of operation and maintenance costs are not effective to form a profit is more necessary to adhere to. Because this time because in order to maintain the number of users in the community do not dare to do too much operation changes, but there is no way to find a good way to profit, need not only adhere to, but also wisdom and courage.

　　How is community income?

The owners of the mature community are comfortable, as you can see. So how far can the benefits of an active community be?

Some exchanges from the industry can also estimate the income of the community, a day IP in the 3000~4000 of the breakdown of the forum, the level of income probably in the year around 40~50 million. Of course, this also with the specific community positioning of the field and the profit model has a great relationship.

The profit model of the community includes the advertisement income such as brand advertisement, activity advertisement, also includes the related commodity sale in corresponding field. If it is a technology-related community, recruiting categories and training categories can also be a good source of revenue.

The fact is that a leading community in a subdivision area has a very strong earning capacity and a very rich choice of income. However, it is obvious that this will not be the majority of webmaster friends will worry about the problem, because the experience, has always been worried about the lack of traffic webmaster, there will be little traffic does not know how to become the webmaster.

　　Conclusion

Either don't do it or do it fine. This is I have always adhered to the principle of personal webmaster, under the heart to think carefully, choose a good direction, adhere to efforts, must be able to find a big growth space. In any one subdivision area, as long as can be done on the table, the success.

Source: Submission, original link.