Drew – loved the post, thanks for sharing!

Andrea – loved that movie – had completely forgotten about it – thanks for the reminder

Conrad – I fully agree with you – I think companies need to actively manage that community with respect to the norms and shared beliefs that are encouraged and supported. I almost think that companies should consider community building in the same way they would build a religion. It’s more than just providing the community with the venue to meet (in this example, a church, or network of churches) – but also of providing it with Leadership – both from the very top level (a Pope type who provides the overall direction, and communicates what the desirable traits and goals of the community are) and also at the micro levels (individual pastors who spread the communication, provide the personal touch, mentor and guide their individual communities). At all times though, the Pope, like a company, needs to revisit the rules and shared goals and decide whether or not they’re still relevant to the modern world – should contraception be allowed now? how about same sex marriage? – sowing the seeds of change when needed, and re-enforcing values in order to keep the community healthy and vibrant. If you do it successfully your religion/community prospers and grows. Fail and create discord, and you open the door for competing religions to convert your flock… Similar story for companies.

Steve – I agree with you, but I think that most communities are self policing – an over dominating (and unwelcomely – so) individual will simply be marginalized by the group and discouraged from participation. At least that’s been my experience so far. Having said that, if they do have a lot of followers, you do have to admit there is a chance that they do have a lot of actual influence – after all, you’re talking about someone who is, in essence, the gateway to getting your message out to thousands (through RTs for example in the case of twitter)…

Chris – Thanks for your comments – and yes, I agree. Apple however has done more than just stress the friendship elements – but by overserving/oversatisfying the market, they have also raised the bar and made you not want to seek out other “friends”. I’m not sure if it’s loyalty that they enjoy, or devotion to the experience that they receive.
And thanks for sharing the link, I’ll make sure to check it out

David – thanks for your comment – I’ll have to check out that book too!

Best

Boris

“How Hits Happen,” by Winslow Farrel documents the author’s use of agent-based simulation to determine when a market needed the injection of a marcom event, so a hit happened. The agents were imbued with behavior consistent with Moore’s technology adoption lifecycle.

Boris, an interesting point and one that reminds me very much of some points in Dan Ariely’s book “Predictably Irrational”. At one point in the book, Ariely argues that companies are marketing themselves more like friends (using social networks and community tools)…but this raises a potential disconnect in the real value of the relationship they provide — which is an economic relationship, not a long-term friend relationship. What I see you saying is that Apple did a better job of stressing the “friendship/companionship” side of this angle — Friends forgive their friends.

And to your last point, about the doctor, I will shamlessly plug my colleagues, Suresh Vittal and Zach Hofer-Shall, who have written some great work about the technologies and agencies that monitor brands in social media. Whether you see this as simple brandwashing/PR or an important part of acting responsibly in a social landscape is up to you to call, but read the blog…

http://blogs.forrester.com/zach_hofer_shall/10-07-12-forrester_wave_listening_platforms_q3_2010

I was reading your recent article of community contamination and though it
was a really interesting look at how our connection with others we know,
like, trust and respect, can affect our values and what we believe. The
idea of social communities and the way they affect the lives of the
individuals within those settings, have been around for centuries and
seemingly influence everything from religious organizational behavior, to
family beliefs.

The part that really stood out to me was about planting seeds of discord
within these settings to destroy them from within, by breaking the patterns
of what is thought to be the “norm”, and replacing it with something
contrary. I have seen this at work first-hand in my work non-profit
organizations and community programs, and it is not a pretty sight. It
leaves people questioning their entire belief systems and what they have
held onto most of their lives, and leaves them confused, and directionless.

However, I believe that as bad as that may seem, there are seasons when
new seeds need to be planted into social communities to create change and
to move the entire community forward. The process may not be easy, because
again the challenge is in overcoming commonly held ideals and beliefs with
the group, but it can be done – and there are times when it must be done
for the group to survive.

So, I agree that indeed many times our decisions and values are driven by
our community settings and that adding the wrong elements to these social
communities can wreak havoc, but I also add that sometimes, adding contrary
elements to these communities are necessary for their growth and survival.
After all, life is a continual learning process, and as more valuable
knowledge becomes available, it becomes necessary to abandon old ideas and
embrace new ones that produce growth and sustainability in all of our
social communities – whether they are business, family, political,
religious groups etc…

Conrad L. Jones
i3 Leadership Magazine
Editor

Thanks for an insightful and entertaining perspective.

I thought you might also be interested to read this article in the FT (subscription required unfortunately) – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eee71e8a-8f8d-11df-8df0-00144feab49a.html – describing recent problems that Vodafone UK have had with a hack of their Social Media community – as well as the issues Domino Pizza had last year after several employees posted videos of themselves tampering with food.

All interesting examples of the way communities can be infected and what you can do about it!

Best

Boris

Now about those people you’d like to have a beer with . . .tell me more.