WHY APATHY IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST COMMUNITY KILLER.
Ever heard the expression "No news is good news"? Or ever attended an
Annual General Meeting (AGM)?
If you have, can you guess what a news report and an AGM have in common?
They both attract much bigger audiences when shrouded with controversy,
dissatisfaction, or disaster.
The same is true for community organisations and websites.
When things are running smoothly, you don't hear much from members - a
sure sign of apathy. The irony is that for communities to really thrive,
there needs to be active involvement from a broad number of members.
Yet for many organisations, these community voices are only heard as a
mark of mistrust or disguised as constructive criticism. The apathy only
awakes from it's slumber when something out of the ordinary happens.
Community websites are notorious for these types of behaviours because
of the distractive nature of the internet. It pulls you this way then
that such is the rapidity of change online.
What we get out of community organisations is directly proportional to
our level of contribution from within.
Utilise tools and resources, after all, they're there for your benefit,
and provide positive feedback to your community if your experiences are
good.
Don't spread your sense of community too widely, bookmark and focus on
just a couple and avoid the apathy trap that comes from too much change.
Trust us (pardon the pun) when we say there wouldn't be a business on
earth, online or offline, that doesn't experience trust issues from time
to time.
A SURE-FIRE SOLUTION TO OVERCOME EVEN THE MOST CYNICAL AMONGST US.
How does one turn even the most skeptical critic into an ardent fan or
supporter? Can it even be done? The answer my friend is a most
unequivecal yes!
The solution lies not in defending oneself or the product or service
being offered. Quite the opposite in fact! Conspire with them by
enlisting their help in improving your offering and addressing their
concerns.
Value their opinion highly and never dismiss their view no matter how
much you disagree or how unfair it may seem. This is a perfect excuse to
elicit their feedback and get them involved in a meaningful way.
Even by doing this you may still not entirely satisfy them but you will
have gone a long way to establishing or restoring trust, and, if not
exactly endorsing your offering, will almost certainly have averted any
negative exposure through this personal engagement.
