Problem

You want to create an online community that adds value to your site.

Solution

The Internet offers the opportunity to create virtual communities using a range of technologies, including blogs, forums, and guest books; email lists; page comments; ratings; and voting.

• Blogs: A frequently updated web log (blog) incrementally adds short postings over a period of time, arranging the postings in a reverse chronology. An expert creates the content, and visitors have the chance to post comments.
• Forums: The early guest book evolved into the forum where visitors can leave comments (postings) on a variety of topics or start their own topics. Forums are tricky because they only work for a narrow range of users. Too few participants makes a forum uninteresting; too many and the forum becomes overwhelming. Shy participants fail to ignite interesting dialog; ornery participants quickly mire the conversation with belligerence. There is also always the risk of abuse and free-for-all off-topic postings.
• Email lists: If your site revisits a topic or theme, consider establishing a newsletter to keep the public informed of new developments.
• Page comments: The option to post comments has become a popular feature on many online magazines and blogs. The advantages and disadvantages are similar to those of forums.
• Ratings and voting: Polls can be successful used to tally ratings for an individual visitor. For example, a visitor can tally their opinion about greenhouse gasses, and compare their opinion with averages or conclusions from experts. Likewise, a visitor could calculate their body mass index, and compare it with a national average.

Discussion

Conflict is an interesting aspect of many online communities, and can be a powerful addition for controversial topics. Online communities that push visitors cognitively, socially, and affectively are prone to conflict. Conflict within online communities can arise from many causes, including: opposing opinions; errors in content; miscommunication; criticism; overt hostility; trolling (deliberate attempts to provoke other users); external interpersonal issues; technical mishaps; moderation problems; sexual advances; sarcasm; and cultural differences. But conflict can be beneficial: it prompts visitor interest; reveals problems; provides rallying points; sensitizes visitors to differences; spawns new communities; and provides a safe catharsis for visitors. When visitors argue, it is a sign that they care. The most successful online communities have a healthy level of conflict and discourse.