I run a business/technology community in Cambridge.
Things we have found to be useful include: - Getting local 'heros' to represent/communicate the values of our community - Putting equal effort into 'physical' and 'virtual' activities of our community - Getting our members to pay once per year and post their own material - Using situations vacant as a way to drive up traffic and a value argument (we are a lot cheaper than newsprint media)
Things which did not go so well include: - Assuming that people would renew membership automatically once they got an e-mail - Trying to touch members outside our catchment area for meetings [50kms] - Chat / bulletin boards
Our thoughts for the future include: - Moving the whole process to pocket devices - Being proactive - triggering the right people with e-mails/sms - Linking up with other communities
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I run a business/technology community in Cambridge.
Things we have found to be useful include:
- Getting local 'heros' to represent/communicate the values of our community
- Putting equal effort into 'physical' and 'virtual' activities of our community
- Getting our members to pay once per year and post their own material
- Using situations vacant as a way to drive up traffic and a value argument (we are a lot cheaper than newsprint media)
Things which did not go so well include:
- Assuming that people would renew membership automatically once they got an e-mail
- Trying to touch members outside our catchment area for meetings [50kms]
- Chat / bulletin boards
Our thoughts for the future include:
- Moving the whole process to pocket devices
- Being proactive - triggering the right people with e-mails/sms
- Linking up with other communities