Twitter and the iPhone and countless other technologies may be getting attention these days, but the real buzz still comes from good content.
Case in point: I’ve recently helped to launch an online community for approximately 1,500 senior center professionals through the National Council on Aging (NCOA).
There are now 19 different threads on the Forums, and of those two stand out. One is a discussion of the vision for future senior centers that has garnered nearly 650 views. The other is a “virtual party,” a time-honored tradition that lets members of NCOA’s National Institute on Senior Centers gather online for a designated day of sharing; just under 300 people have viewed it. While there is constant traffic to the Forums, the next most-popular item, posted before these two stars appeared, has just under 200 views.
This technology is more robust and user-friendly than its predecessor, but that alone does not make the online community a success. Instead, it is finding — and promoting — these hot-button issues that draws people to the community.
As we explore ways to uncover those hot topics, I challenge you to consider the needs and desires of your audiences. What do they care most about? What gets their hearts racing, with joy or fear? Offer them a chance to learn about and discuss those issues, and they’ll keep coming back.
