"How to" books for those planning to create an online community.
 |
Community
Building on the Web: Secret Strategies for Successful Online Communities by Amy Jo Kim, Apr 2000 From Amazon's description: "Amy Jo Kim is an expert at teaching how to design sites that succeed by making new visitors feel welcome, rewarding member participation, and building a sense of their own history. She discusses important design strategies, interviews influential Web community-builders, and provides the reader with templates and questionnaires to use in building their own communities." |
 |
Hosting
Web Communities: Building Relationships, Increasing Customer Loyalty, and Maintaining a Competitive Edge by Cliff Figallo, Sep 1998 This is the most complete "how to" book I've seen on the subject. Topics include a taxonomy of online communities and their differing needs, choosing software, facilitating discussions, building relationships, and revenue models. The author knows the territory extremely well, having played a key role in developing communities at The WELL, America Online, and Salon Magazine. If you only read one book about building online communities, make it this one. |
 |
Net
Gain: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities by John Hagel III and Arthur G. Armstrong, Mar 1997 Hagel & Armstrong propose a fast-paced, big-bucks business model for commercial online communities. ("Two million dollars will get you in the game," they say.) While I don't believe that theirs is the only viable approach, they are very astute in identifying both the costs and the revenue potential of such ventures. If you're looking to build a commercial community, you'd be well advised to read this book, even if you're planning to start on a smaller scale. |
 |
Online
Communities: Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability by Jenny Preece, Sep 2000 This book focuses on the issue of software design for online communities. Jenny Preece has a strong background in software usability. Here she combines academic research with practical advice to provide valuable insight into how good software infrastructure can help an online community to succeed. |
 |
Online
Communities: Commerce, Community Action, and the Virtual University Edited by Chris Werry and Miranda Mowbray, Dec 2000 Nineteen experts write about the rhetoric and reality of online communities. Explores how they are created, how they function, grow, and develop, and what their participants expect from them. Covers leading models and key lessons for organizers of online communities. |
 |
Communities
of Commerce: Building Internet Business Communities to Accelerate Growth, Minimize Risk, and Increase Customer Loyalty by Stacey E. Bressler and Charles E. Grantham Sr., June 2000 |
 |
Poor
Richard's Building Online Communities: Create a Web Community for Your Business, Organization, Club, or Family by Margaret Levine Young and John R. Levine, July 2000 |
 |
Virtual
Communities Companion by Karla Shelton and Todd McNeeley, Aug 1997 |
 |
Design
for Community The Art of Connecting Real People in Virtual Places By Derek M. Powazek
|
 |
Serious
Play How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate by Michael Schrage, Tom Peters |