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In order to understand the value and power of networks, such as a community, a number of individuals have come up with equations and analysis. It’s worth a bit of time to understand what they are talking about and how it may be useful to a CM.

Metcalf’s Law: Holds that the number of connections in a group grows very quickly as the number of members in the group increases. A group of two can have one connection, 3 members has 3, but 4 members has 6, 5 has 10,  and so on.

• For a CM, this shows how quickly opportunities for relationships  increase as the group size gets bigger.

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Marcial Losada has looked at how people communicate, finding those groups that flourish have 3 positive statements to every negative statement.  How does your group measure up?  Here are some details to check out:

Positive statements are those where “speaking showed support, encouragement or appreciation”.1

Negative statements where when “the person speaking showed disapproval,… sarcasm, or cynicism”.1

A normally performing group will have a 2.5 ratio, but you need more than that to flourish. There needs to be a lot more positives to overcome the negatives.  But there’s more-

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With 10% of adults and 30% of those under 30 using social networks to discuss politics in the last US presidential election (1), it shouldn’t be any wonder that these topics may appear in an online community this year.  Should a Community Manager worried? Outright disagreements may be somewhat mitigated by people tending to choose like minded groups to associate with. (2) Further, some groups have a higher tolerance for tough minded discussions. (3)

However, where groups have an otherwise heterogeneous membership, or are focused on social support and are not given to conflict,some political discourse may be off putting to members. (3) More energetic arguments and attacks will end up being controlled by the “belligerent” while the “polite and respectful become discouraged from participation”.(3) No matter the community, the CM should have techniques to help address the situation as needed.

Personal messages, offers to table the discussion until later, appeals to the facts, and banning are some of the  ways to help address the issue, but there are a few more to consider-

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In a 2011 study* it was found few patients end up participating in organized support groups. ~10% go to face-to-face groups and 4% go online.

However, more than 50% of patients do contact a peer they know.  They have a slightly positive attitude toward being in a support group, with the advantage being “sharing experiences” and “finding recognition.”

How might one increase participation, in particular with online support?  The study discusses some possibilities.

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Being able to classify your members into different types is a handy way to make sure each is getting what they need. It may also help one see what sort of mix is best for their community. (Note:  Most taxonomies are fraught with complexities, so YMMV)

D Ganley, et al (*) puts forth the following kinds of members: Utility Posters, Team Players, Low Profiles,  Story Tellers,  and Ghosts.

Recognize anyone?

Who are these people? What might a community consist of, and how could we cater to these different types of members? D Ganley, et al go into more details-

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