Understanding the online community through 3 types of motivation
“The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water and food.” — Dean Ornish
Every reader of this post is probably a part of several communities that take on different forms, opinion, and thoughts that creates a representation and association of who you are. The online destination where you seek both rational and emotional gratification through information, social engagement and/or entertainment could be reached by an online community.
Online communities have incredible Return on Investment (ROI) with average overall communities getting a 4530% ROI in 2020. An online community can be easily created through a step-by-step guide and it is often free for a start.
Understanding the why(s)
Most online communities are purpose-driven by certain usage and motivations to deliver the best experience for the members who devote their attention to the content provided.
To be one of the well-established communities is to reward their interest with value-adding content and online engagements that trigger an emotional connection. The uses and gratification approach highlighted by Professor Kristina Heinonen provided just the right guide to identifying motivations and usage of online communities.
#1 Motivated by Entertainment
Online communities driven by entertainment can be an escape from the real world where one can indulge in specific entertainment, be inspired and express themselves freely in real-time.
An example of entertainment activity would be livestreaming on YouTube where the bloggers and online personalities engage in real-time with their subscribers on topics that interest and inspires them. During the livestreaming session, the streamer may introduce simple games and quizzes to spice up interaction with the online community.
You can check out the list of curated platforms if you are interested in implementing livestream to enrich your online community experience.
#2 Motivated by Social Interaction
Online communities with social media pages often also bring the community into chat messaging apps to facilitate bonding and interaction between like-minded friends and strangers. In these group chat functions, community members will share photographs and video experiences specific to the nature of the community interest and can even plan activities together.
Alternative to chat groups, Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community also allow sharing of images, and ideas, and asking questions in real-time specific to different groups targeting different topic interests. These different groups allow fellow Sephora members to get the latest updates while creating a sense of belonging amongst themselves.
#3 Motivated by Information
Some online communities are created to retrieve resources, information, and content for research and purchase decisions. For example, Allrecipes is a free online community for many user-generated recipe content.
In AllRecipes, the community members can apply their knowledge from cooking recipes and share their experiences such as their own twists in a form of reviews and feedback.
Some online communities can also be found on forum website platforms such as Reddit and Quora, where people willingly share their knowledge and opinions on certain topics or products.
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Now that we have gone through the 3 types of motivation that drive online communities, I would be curious to know about your evaluation of this — is it entertainment, social connection or information that you seek?
If you are interested in the topic, you can also check out the Community Club website to find valuable recommendations on recourses and tools to maximise the impact of your community.
