The WELL: inkwell.vue.80: Amy Jo Kim - Community Building on the Web

#52: Amy Jo Kim (amyjo) Mon 31 Jul 00 08:12

Mon, 31 Jul 2000 08:12:00 PDT

It was a pleasure to participate -- hope to see some of you online in the venues that <ari> mentioned. [Read entire topic]

#51: Ari Davidow (ari) Mon 31 Jul 00 05:40

Mon, 31 Jul 2000 05:40:00 PDT

I should point out that there is the usual roaring discussion of things virtual community in the WELL's "vc" conference, expanding on the points raised in Amy Jo's book and beyond. There is also a discussion centered around the book being held on Howard Rheingold's site. For further information, go to http://www.naima.com/community/discuss-link.html . (Visit http://www.naima.com/community/ for excerpts of the book, online, and for other information about the book, or generated since the book's release.)

And, once again, many thanks to Amy Jo Kim for writing an excellent book, and for participating here. [Read entire topic]

#50: Linda Castellani (castle) Fri 28 Jul 00 13:48

Fri, 28 Jul 2000 13:48:00 PDT

I would like to jump in for just a second and thank <ari> and <amyjo> for such a fascinating discussion. I am amazed that it's been two weeks already. You are welcome to continue, of course, I just wanted to say Thank You! [Read entire topic]

#49: Ari Davidow (ari) Fri 28 Jul 00 11:32

Fri, 28 Jul 2000 11:32:00 PDT

I can't agree more--which is probably one reason that I enjoyed the book so much. Start small. Know how you're going to grow, but start small. [Read entire topic]

#48: Amy Jo Kim (amyjo) Fri 28 Jul 00 06:08

Fri, 28 Jul 2000 06:08:00 PDT

As for what's next -- I'm currently working on developing higher-level planning tools for my clients, based around the concept of "adaptive digital ecosystems." I'm finding that this concept is extremely useful for pulling together the ideas in my book into a time-based and *actionable* model that really helps people understand the basic stages of growing a community.

Most of my work these days involves creating multi-phase rollout plans for startups who see "community" as an integral part of their Web business -- but there's often a disconnect between vision and execution. Many of my clients have a strong vision for how they see their community functioning -- but they don't understand how to get there, realistically. Again and again, I see people implementing too much complexity and infrastructure at launch, rather than starting small and focused and flexible (as I recommend throughout my book), and developing their offering over time, in close partnership with their audience.

That's where the "ecosystem" model comes in. I've been finding that if I explain this "slow-growth" phase within the context of developing a sustainable ecosystem and robust foodchain, people "get it" more readily. And even more importantly, they're able to explain it internally to their management team, and then create a Web-friendly strategy around the concept.

I'm *very* excited about the utility of this model -- and I'm planning to publish an article sometime soon that lays out the basics. I'll keep y'all posted, via updates on my web site, www.naima.com. [Read entire topic]

#47: Amy Jo Kim (amyjo) Fri 28 Jul 00 05:47

Fri, 28 Jul 2000 05:47:00 PDT

And to respond to previous posts: you're right, <gail> -- judging from the email I'm getting, educators from a variety of disciplines (b-school, communications, computer science, library science) are planning to use my book as a textbook in their classes. I definately had this in mind when I wrote the book -- and in fact, I "road-tested" the material by teaching a graduate-level computer science class (see www.naima.com/CS377B), which really helped me refine the material and structure the order of the chapters. [Read entire topic]

#46: Amy Jo Kim (amyjo) Thu 27 Jul 00 16:27

Thu, 27 Jul 2000 16:27:00 PDT

Absolutely: check out the Resources section of my book's companion web site: http://www.naima.com/community (click on "Guidelines and Policies")

There you'll find links to the Terms and Conditions docs of many prominant Web communities. There's nothing better than reading these docs to give you a starting point for crafting your own.

Beyond that, I don't know of any place that clearly explains the ins-and-outs of crafting these docs. Chapter 6 of my book offers an introductory overview -- along with some useful URLs -- but of necessity leaves much out. Avd it's already somewhat out of date.

Does anyone know of any other good online resources for creating basic community docs? [Read entire topic]

#45: Ron Hogan (grifter) Thu 27 Jul 00 15:18

Thu, 27 Jul 2000 15:18:00 PDT

Neil Bibbins writes:

"I've just ordered your book and look forward to its arrival since Community Building is an arcane science largely transmitted informally through online discussions, etc. One question that I have for you is what--if anything-- you recommend people turn to for reference when it comes to writing Terms and Conditions or AUP's? I believe these documente to be the constitutions for online communities, but they need also be written with a safe eye towards current law and "netiquette." Creating these guidelines from the ground up can be daunting; any suggestions to complement what you've included in your book?" [Read entire topic]

#44: Ari Davidow (ari) Thu 27 Jul 00 12:00

Thu, 27 Jul 2000 12:00:00 PDT

I'm actually glad that we're touching on questions of "what's next," too. As the formal interview period comes to a close I want to make sure that I ask the question I've been dying to ask for the last couple of weeks--what's next? What's next for you, and what do you see coming next (besides the acceptance of online community as just another facet of "community") to virtual community? [Read entire topic]

#43: Ari Davidow (ari) Thu 27 Jul 00 11:59

Thu, 27 Jul 2000 11:59:00 PDT

It's an incredibly lucid, thorough, engaging presentation of the subject. Except for the fact that students will want to read it, and will enjoy doing so, it's otherwise qualified as a textbook in every way :-). [Read entire topic]