How to improve user participation for social platforms

I've found that many developers of social platforms like to use game-like mechanisms to promote user participation, such as ratings, points, rankings, and so on. These features can also attract a lot of users, but this does not allow long-term user participation. In contrast, a successful social platform may divide users into different types of groups and treat them differently, simply by using points, ratings, and ranking methods to make them compete on an equal platform.

The most critical grouping criteria are: high-level users (pros) and low-level users (novice). Master users are generally more enthusiastic, loyal and skillful, and may also be the soul of the community. And the novice is to represent the continuous development of the community. A healthy and growing community must allow both users to actively participate in the community.

In an ideal community, novices and masters are mutually desirable. They will form an environment similar to what economists call "bilateral markets". Obviously, the novice is looking forward to become a master, so need experienced users to guide them and lead them to get started quickly. While the Masters have reached the peak, but also urgent need for beginners. By helping the novice, they are able to demonstrate skilful skill and rich experience. Psychologists call it "The Giver's pleasure." Recent neuroscience has also shown that "altruistic" behavior can promote the secretion of dopamine (happy hormones). Therefore, "help novice" can let the experts more actively participate in platform interaction.

In short, the social platform to successfully let users participate in it, it is necessary to let the experts selfless help novice, and to form an effective interactive cycle-"master-Novice Mutual aid mechanism"-the low level of users are cared for, and the high level of users feel satisfied.

Let's take a look at a game example:

Mirror City (Shadow cities) is a game on the iphone, similar to the fit of World of Warcraft and Foursquare. Players belong to one of two camps, and they have to work to get their camp to occupy a geographical location, such as downtown Manhattan. Like World of Warcraft and other large multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), the Masters have 2 tasks in the Mirror City: 1 to guide the novice to play the game: The experts will enthusiastically give the novice a lot of help, they want to attract more followers; 2 Protect them when beginners are in trouble: When a novice sends out a distress signal, if no one comes to help, he may be off the line for frustration. The game is to use the "guide and follower" mechanism, as well as "emergency rescue system", creating a "master-Novice Mutual assistance" culture. This is also the most attractive part of the game.

Here are 2 examples of non game applications:

Starwood Hotel Group's "Starwood Priority Customer" program (SPG) is the best designed loyalty program in the market. One important reason is that they take "experience" as an indicator of concern. For example, their "2011 Platinum Thanks Program" uses the "master-Novice mutual aid mechanism". They send certificates to the highest-scoring SPG members who can award these certificates to hotel employees who have helped them or have the best attitude. "Ace users" are given priceless honors-the right to bring benefits to hotel employees. This project has no practical benefit to the members of the White House, but merely strengthens their position in the hotel by helping others. The hotel staff won SPG points and praise. This project allows both employees and senior members to participate actively in the interaction, while consolidating the community.

Twitter's "Followfriday". The "Tuba" of Twitter (or Weibo) can do many things that beginners can't. Fans (Follower) a small number of novice users for help, fans can only be forwarded to the novice to raise the issue of a lot of attention, they would have been submerged information amplification. Celebrities on Twitter have the ability to spread information widely-which is the most rewarding and fulfilling magical force for them. In fact, the Twitter community wants the best users to be involved in the "mutual aid mechanism" and to form a virtuous cycle of cultural tradition: users promote other users to their fans. And everyone on Twitter from the "0 fans" began, only "master-Novice Mutual aid mechanism" can help novice become master.

Via Hugo Liu