Build Online Communities with MemberToMember

Today’s consumers want to connect with one another and build online communities. If you are providing a way for them to connect they will find their own. Witness the proliferation of groups on sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. If you want to really nurture a community and, more importantly, maintain ownership over content the community generates, you need to build your own. MemberToMember allows organizations to build virtual communities and connect geographically dispersed individuals. With tools such as Social Distance, Recommended Colleagues and Member Profiles, MemberToMember gives you the tools your members need to connect with one another.

Why a Private Community Works

With so many public available sites for online communities you may wonder if creating a private community is viable.  In fact, organizations of all kinds are discovering the value of private communities. While they are not for everyone, here are some of the reasons private communities work:

1. It is YOUR Community: professional social networking is a tool and benefit provided to members and customers just like a Web site, a magazine, a conference or a Webinar.  Your online community should reinforce the brand image and mission of your organization.
2. Track Activity: A private site gives you the ability to track activity among the site’s members.  When integrated with a CRM system you can follow the interests of individual member in order to customize your products and services.
3. Separation of Online Lives: While some individuals allow a single online persona to be open to the entire world, the majority of individuals want to control who sees the various sides of their personal and professional lives.  As an example, many people use Facebook for connecting with friends and family, but prefer sites like LinkedIn or Xing to stay connected with colleagues.
4. Freedom from Google: When discussing issues related to a specific profession, industry or cause, many people are not comfortable utilizing a forum that is open to anyone with an Internet connection.  They may have questions about the best way to accomplish a particular task, recommendations for vendors, best practices or other topics they would rather not have show up in Google search results.
5. Own the Content: Most social networking sites state that any content generated including online discussions, can be used by the site owners for any purpose.  Valuable knowledge and insight created by your members and customers will be owned by someone else.
6. Control the Advertising: The ability to promote your own offerings or sell targeted ads alone or bundled with the advertising on your Web site, in magazines and other places is one of the most valuable aspects of private networks.  More importantly, keeping ads that you do not want associated with your organization is also accomplished.