If you simply create a standalone community, you will only create a place where your stakeholders socialize. While this is nice, it will not create a large return on your investment. If you want to maximize the return on investment in your business community, you need to embed it into the your entire enterprise. Here’s how…

The majority of business (i.e., mission-focused) social media communities are simply not safe. As a result, it is easy for third parties to hijack these communities for malicious use. I recommend incorporation of four tools to make your business community a safe environment for your enterprise, its mission and its stakeholders. If you do not have these, it is only a matter of time before something happens…

Online social media communities are living ecosystems. Unmanaged, they can evolve into something undesirable or simply die out. To avoid this, tend your community just like you would attend a garden. This will take just as much work as managing a successful garden but – when successful – will yield just as pleasing results…

Most designers of social media communities are “greedy”, requiring registration before showing visitors content. However, in this case greed is NOT good. (In fact it can cost you 60% or more of your potential market and ROI.)…

We all have far too many accounts to maintain. We all know this. However, too many communities ask us to join YET ANOTHER NETWORK to participate. To be effective, communities should let me members be themselves, not just in how they express themselves but also in how they identify themselves…

Communities only work when those you want to engage actually participate. This may sound obvious. However, many businesses forget to ensure that the communities they create area actually compelling and rewarding to their target audience. Here is an explanation why and some examples of business that remembered, “it was not just about themselves…”