WebWise Solutions

Looking for AMS -- Kevin's kick-butt content management system that does all the heavy lifting for Novell's Cool Solutions newsletters, rewards, etc?

webwise1.provo.novell.com

Quite the phenomenon has developed on the Internet in the last few years. Just when you thought everything that could be invented had been, along comes a surprise. In this case, I am speaking of weblogs, or blogs, as they've come to be known. Perhaps the biggest benefit to them is that they draw attention to your web community. Search engines love to have ever-updating content. Merely three entries a week will satisfy the appetite of the hungriest Googlebot. Visitors are drawn almost magnetically to blogs. As they have become more mainstream, we should discuss the pros and cons of using them in your online community.

One of the established methods of learning a trade is through an apprenticeship or an internship. Why? We do this so that the new learner has someone with experience at their side, helping them learn the trade. What if you had a panel of 50 experts on a topic available for such new learners? What if you had 100?

This is something that you as the site owner can offer to your community through the use of forums. They provide an environment where someone with a problem or question can solicit help from anyone who may know the solution to their plight. This is an excellent way to alleviate some of the technical support demands from off your own shoulders and still help your community and customers with problems.

Scott Morris explains exactly why it's so smart to enlist your readers in writing articles for your community. (Even if you can write them all yourselves...)

I'm thinking about buying a Ford Expedition. Walking into a Ford dealership, the sales person asks if I'd like a test drive. Why? I've been considering purchasing a nice digital camera. Heading through the doors at Best Buy, I notice that there is practically no end to the counters containing models for me to pick up and play with. Why? What do these two scenarios have in common? In both situations, they know that people get attached to something if they can have some sort of hands-on experience with it. In short: people get excited about things they get involved with.

Scott Morris sheds considerable light on the different kinds of mailing lists you can use to support your members and drive repeat traffic to your site. Check this out and see if this is a tool you should consider for your web community.

In the world of creating and cultivating web communities, several components exist that can really catapult your efforts. Previously, I suggested that one option for your community might be a wiki. We looked at some advantages and disadvantages of using wikis on your web site. Amongst the other types of components available, one of the most effective are mailing lists of different types. First, we will take a look at interactive mailing lists. Then, we'll discuss announcement-only mailing lists.