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A Successful Online Community Can Add Value to Your Business

Communities are defined as a group of interactive

people sharing an environment. Traditionally the

environment was a geographically circumscribedentity, such as neighborhoods, villages, etc.

However, the explosive diffusion of the Internet has

changed our way of communicating. Today in our

modern world, communities are no longer bounded

geographically. The Internet enables instantinformation exchange and the constructions of

online communities, where people from all over the

world can provide support, share information, and

build friendships. These are communities of like-

minded users. The core of the Web today is its

members clustered to communicate together.

Historically, bulletin board systems preceded the

Web by several years but what were they really

except a type of community? Real-time Internet

text, chat, is yet just another form of community.

Today, the fact that communities appear as a new

concept is really just a result of the evolution of the

by Salma Lalji (A00109916) Page: 4 of 30


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tools used to create them. These tools have made

communities more interactive, easier to use and

administer. However, expecting to relax, sit backand watch the membership grow simply by adding

a forum application to a website is false. So, this

paper is going to provide valuable insights into

The reason for an online community to exist

What makes a community successful?

How success is measured

The Reason for an Online Community To Exist

There are numerous reasons to support the

existence of online communities; some are asfollows: to answer questions and give advice,

training and learning opportunities, upgrading of

knowledge, and providing innovative ideas or

improvements. [][] For example

http :// www .startrekonline .com /council_ faq is a StarTrek Advisory Council designed to answer Trekky

(TV series and movie Star Track fans) questions.

https :// www .blossomlearning .com / teaches

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrekonline.com%2Fcouncil_faq&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHWuuVN1kISTRd8x9hTNyLH_nZX8Qhttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMghttp://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blossomlearning.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFTy4u__qjvijlHRP2mMeFsIambMg


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instructors how to use smart boards, which are

interactive blackboards used at educational

institutions.http :// tv .adobe .com / is used by AdobeSoftware Inc. to teach users how to use their

software. But most online communities are large

portals used to accomplish multiple purposes. Let

us take a look at the Arthritis Society at

http://www .arthritistoday .org which has aninteractive advice section, teaches fitness and

wellness, provides symptoms and treatment

information, and even has a section on your great

ideas allowing readers to think critically and

creatively.

Historically, it has been rare to allow customer-to-

company relationship or customer-to-customer

relationship []. Today, online communities help

accomplish just that - enabling customers to

interact with one another or with the company

itself. This behavior helps foster the buyer

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.adobe.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG7i16eO-T0Fr7aL3vVVvMgvLMGgwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritistoday.org&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFp1UsgDCNVjjZnL5zGD018EBlNQQ


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relationship by customizing products and services

to meet the consumers interests and needs.

What Makes A Community Application

Successful?

Since the beginning of the Internet and the World

Wide Web, many thriving and established online

communities and social networking sites have

materialized. There has been extensive research

done to identify factors that ensures favorable

applications. A few strategies have emerged for

building a successful online community, starting

with: purpose of the community and emphasizing

encouragement, motivation, and privacy of the

participants. []

The following summarizes the major steps on how

to build a successful online community. []

Define the purpose of the community and type of

audience. Focus on the needs of your target



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audience, rather than your own agenda, for

example, profit. A well-defined and specific

purpose will help characterize the site, establish aunique identity, and create a mission statement for

the contributors to follow.

After defining the purpose, decide on what

resources or tools are right for the application. It is

best to do some research to compare alternativesbefore deciding on which technology to use. You

have to understand what a specific tool can do for

you, whether it is scalable, what technical

expertise are required, how long will it take to

install it and the time and money involved in

learning the new tool.

Good planning will help populate the site with great

content tailored for your audience. Quality and

significant content is the essence of the site that

draws the potential members to join. However, in

order to attract the attention of your potential



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audience, the first impression is critical. Brand the

site to match the appeal of the target audience.

For example, for a younger audience, the websitehas to look fun or cool with videos, flash, or games.

In contrast, for a corporate or government site, it

should be conservative, informative, and easy to

use.

Usability is a key factor to encourage members to

become participants. Web usability is an approach

to make web sites easy for end-users, without

undergoing any specialized training. Participation

makes an engaging experience for the member,

allowing them to identify their peers and network

with those who share common interests. Here is

where the organization or the owner of the

community can capture data that could grow the

community into a fruitful entity for everyone.

Member interaction helps enrich quality content

and deliver relevant, current information. As a



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result, the business enjoys the advantages of

advertising dollars.

Implementation of the site and community alone

will not be enough to drive the potential member

to the site. You have to promote it or market it as

you would with off line products. To raise the

awareness of the online community, you can reachout to online and offline media, like bloggers and

radio stations, through incorporating incentives, for

example, contests, promotions, and classifieds.

After building the online community, good

maintenance makes it sustainable. A great

manager is needed for maintenance. The manager

makes sure the online community stays within the

mission statement. He or she is responsible for

setting the tone for the community. For a large

community it means a full time job, but as the

community flourishes, participants emerge as



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managers and mediators. You can take advantage

of these contributors skills and let them be a part

of the team. One big part of the communitymanager or mediator is to keep trouble makers

away. Talk to the person causing trouble as soon

as possible but be polite. Tell them what they did

wrong and why it was offensive, while keeping your

tone courteous and professional. Remember - itpays to be friendly. Setting up community

guidelines in plain language that can be easily

referenced, helps to keep the notorious members

away.

The last step is the most important one. Listen to

your members and what they are saying, both

directly and indirectly. The highest rated and most

viewed content, trends, feedback, and forum, help

reveal what your members want. Encourage the

same type of content to give your member what

they would like to see. Monitoring the sites traffic



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and statistics from the beginning will allow you to

evaluate the progress of the site.

How Success Is Measured

There are a number of ways to measure the

success of an online community. Success can be

defined as the return on investment, orROI, of the

application for a business. The simplest way is to

establish criteria for the application and to

measure the performance according to those

criteria. It can be simple or complex, depending on

how you judge the criteria you set.

The most common criteria for evaluating the

success of an online community include: []

unique visitors - how many different people

register

page views - number of pages viewed by single

user

session time - amount of time spent on the site



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frequent visitorsadd definitions for both to be

consistent with above.

Quantitative data can be collected to measure ROI

in metrics, such as number of users who log on

verses the number of contributions, average

number of time spent on the community,unique

number of visitors, new member registrations,feedback, and other numerical or quantitative

data. Numerical data can easily be compared to

other community numbers, which can quickly

highlight an overview of how the community is

doing, giving a picture of users behavior. For

example, the number of transition of lurkers, those

members who do not contribute to the site, into

active community members, those who post

content or reply to posts. If this number increases,

the community site could be said to be engaging,

and successful. []



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Qualitative data, on the other hand, allows the

view of quality of site content and conversations.

The qualitative data will show the interactionbetween the user and the site. That is, users

responses to the product or service. For example,

have the number of posts about a conversation

increased? Are the comments positive or negative?

Are the ideas of quality? The subjectivity ofqualitative data makes it hard to measure.

However, once the baseline has been established,

qualitative data can shed light just as quickly as

quantitative data. The quality of the content and its

usefulness to the community at large will be better

understood. []

How does online community add value to your

business? First, if the online community is helping

to increase profits by making the customers buy

more, or if through the online community the

business is able to meet the desires and needs of



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its best customers, then the company will also

want the community. [] Once the baseline has

been established, the business can use thecommunity to improve other areas or aspects of

the business. That is, the manager can influence

the community to focus on another topic that can

benefit from collaboration. []

The analysis sheds light into areas that were not so

apparent. For example, users who are not active

participants such as lurkers are indirectly

engaged in value creating activities. It is important

not to underestimate the value the majority of

members add to the business. In general, only 10

percent of any online community members are

active. [] The rest are all lurkers, inactive

members. After analysis, the best users are those

that return. Those who visit the community and

never return are unlikely to have benefited the

business in anyway, including its bottom line. The



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online community helps the business build its

reputation in the industry. []

What Makes Online Communities Fail How

To Avoid It?

The best example and the easiest to follow is Wal-

Mmart. Appendix A and B contain web postings on

Wal-Marts version of My Space and comments

on its demise. What can we learn from Wal-mart? It

is a classic case, missing the first step, which as

mentioned is, defining who the target audience is,

and what the purpose of the online community is.

Also, Wal-Mart did not identify the best technology

to use. They already had a community in My Space

which is free and has a large global presence. The

unnecessary expense of building their own version

was their mistake. The quality of content was also

amiss, pretended to have real content by

populating the site. In addition, they tried to create

an atmosphere rather than let the active



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participants create one. They did not listen to what

their customers wanted, and most of all, their goal

was the companys bottom line.

On the other hand Target was able to launch a

successful campaign. They launched their

community with a popular social network

application that focuses on their type of customers.Facebook is the best platform for school goers who

are Targets audience. The focus was to let the

users have fun, providing them with the ability to

interact with one another and have cool games to

play. The theme of the online community emerged

from the users, and was not enforced by the

company. The company then fed the users what

they wanted - how to survive in the dorms during

freshman year. The Target Community was well

planned and executed, and the company is still

reaping its benefits.



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Conclusion

The future of online communities is still going to be

challenging even though they have been around

since the beginning of the Internet revolution.

Effective management and maintance of these

communities depends largely on the new kinds of

measurements and reporting. However, principals

of successful engagement can now be outlined.

1. First and foremost, define the purpose of your

community and its audience.

2. Define the business objectives and how its

success will be measured.

3. Make the measurement, reporting, and analysis

part of the daily business management.

4. Use the community measures not only as

statistics to calculate where you stand, but also

allow it to help in making factual decisions to

improve the community and therefore the business

over time. []



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Appendix A

http :// walmartwatch .com /blog /archives /like _ omg _ w

al_ mart_ is _ totally _ standard /

Like , OMG ! Wal- Mart Is Totally Standard !

Wal-Marts new back -to -school campaign

tries to appeal to teens by aping the popularMySpace social site.

FromAdvertising Age:

Desperate to appeal to teens with something other

than pencils and backpacks during the crucial

back-to-school season, Wal-Mart is launching a

highly sanitized, controlled and rather unhip site at

walmart.com/schoolyourway. Teens are invited to

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFM9TtR6QhkKXuLQRy4crjPNxxOJAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFM9TtR6QhkKXuLQRy4crjPNxxOJAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fadage.com%2Farticle.php%3Farticle_id%3D110520&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFYtU7sWr4G5Mn272kJIliElPNsKghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Flike_omg_wal_mart_is_totally_standard%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGva62DN8dlb3DA_Re7-Jobgw21Vwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fschoolyourway.walmart.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEyYu17WGnDZMPuBQeCr9Dd8hM42Ahttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFM9TtR6QhkKXuLQRy4crjPNxxOJAhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fadage.com%2Farticle.php%3Farticle_id%3D110520&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFYtU7sWr4G5Mn272kJIliElPNsKghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fadage.com%2Farticle.php%3Farticle_id%3D110520&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFYtU7sWr4G5Mn272kJIliElPNsKg


21/30


create their own page, show it to the world and

win some fab prizes, including a chance to have

their videos appear in a Wal-Mart TV commercial.Wal-Marts agency is GSD&M, Austin, Texas.

The opening page shows video of four teens-a

bubbly fashionista, a Texas football player, a quirky

skateboarder and an aspiring R&B singer from New

York-who are clearly actors reading a script,although the videos are positioned to appear

authentic. Within, there are pages such as Beths

Backyard Club, where you find a picture of her in

a strapless prom dress above the approved quote:

Ill school my way by looking hot in my Wal-Mart

clothes to school to catch a cute boys eye. ...

But like America isnt buying Wal-Marts lines onminimum wage and health care, teens arent

giving the company much street cred.

But if Wal-Mart thought it could win over Amy

Kandel, 14, of Columbus, Ohio, it was wrong.

Some of the kids looked like they were trying to

be supercool, but they werent at all, and they

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Fbackpedaling_on_the_minimum_wage%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHk38W_t7HwAZqrw6eoLkNJKqHJ_ghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fhome%2Fpages%2Fhealthcare&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF4cRl5fyz-nLAkhIQ-AmmjHdrWwwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Fbackpedaling_on_the_minimum_wage%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHk38W_t7HwAZqrw6eoLkNJKqHJ_ghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2Fbackpedaling_on_the_minimum_wage%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHk38W_t7HwAZqrw6eoLkNJKqHJ_ghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fhome%2Fpages%2Fhealthcare&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF4cRl5fyz-nLAkhIQ-AmmjHdrWwwhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwalmartwatch.com%2Fhome%2Fpages%2Fhealthcare&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF4cRl5fyz-nLAkhIQ-AmmjHdrWww


22/30


were just being kind of weird, she said. Are these

real kids?

Nor did it impress Pete Hughes, 18. It just seemedkind of corny to me, he said.

Wal-Mart really needs this to work, said Irma

Zandl of youth-marketing firm Zandl Group. Over

the last year, we have been getting increasingly

bad feedback from teen girls about Wal-Mart incontrast to Target-especially Wal-Marts apparent

lack of cleanliness, messy layout and lack of stylish

attire. This attempt at we media is terrific. Well

have to wait and see if its enough to overcome in-

store issues.

But it wont change the shopping habits of Molly

Morgan, 14, who goes to Wal-Mart only when her

mom does to buy groceries and spends her

monthly $150 clothing budget at Abercrombie &

Fitch, Hollister and Nordstrom.



23/30


The Columbus teen doubts shell submit a video or

enter the contests because it, like, takes a lot of

time, and its not very likely youll win.We think corny is the perfect word to describe it.

Posted by Laura Jack on Monday, July 17, 2006



24/30


Appendix B

http :// www .socialmediatoday .com /SMC /18625

How Target Got it Right on Facebook, and How Wal-Mart Failed

Tags: advertisingbrandingcampaign strategymarketingpublic relationssocial

networksstrategytarget audience

October 11, 2007 byjimtobin

0Back in August, we wrote a post about how Wal-mart's latest social media marketing campaign

was inherently flawed. We predicted that it would, once again, blow up in the retail giant's face.

(Note to the folks in Bentonville:Let Edelman focus on the traditional PR. Give us a call on the

social media marketing stuff, k?)

Here's what we said then, in a nutshell: This

campaign won't workbecause Wal-mart is talking

style when they are known forpractical. The

campaign should focus on the utility of trying to

moveto a dorm. Alas, it was too late for them to

listen.

But Target, on the other hand,did listen. (Note: Check with legal, Do they owe us royalties?)

As it happens, while Wal-mart was prattling on about something they don't understand, Target

was listening! (SeeListening is Social Media Step Oneon how important that is.) They began to

understand the flow of theconversation among incoming freshman. They began to understand

theFacebook platform and how conversations occur there. They wisely noted:

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25/30


We aren't there so much to tella story, but to put

on a party, giving the students a platform forsocial

interaction. Any content provided by a marketer insuch asetting needs to work as social currency.

Whatever story there is,it's mostly told by the

users, not by the brand.

TheirFacebookpage was about dorm room survival. They had practical tips, they hadphotos,

they (gasp) let users upload their own photos in place of theonce they carefully designed first.

They made the marketing very subtle and were

rewarded by posts frompeople saying how much

they love Target (See that: brand evangelistsdoing

the marketing work for you, if you (a) deserve it

and (b) givethem the platform on which to do it.)

Wal-mart, on the other hand, had vicious wall posts

slamming their corporate practices, for example.

Wal-Mart is toxic to communities and livelihoods.

There's so much right with what Target did and so

much wrong withwhat Wal-mart did, I could go on

for days (maybe I have already), buthere's 5 points

to take away from this (different than our earlier5

Steps to Rolling Out a Social Media Campaign):

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbvPhrs_o_0TV2apL89P47CudoYQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbvPhrs_o_0TV2apL89P47CudoYQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHbvPhrs_o_0TV2apL89P47CudoYQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZghttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ignitesocialmedia.com%2F5-steps-to-rolling-out-a-social-media-campaign%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0pLHjU_R2B9gNYgaqSNu8kAhvZg


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Listen first. Social media marketing is cocktail

party dialogue. When you enter a new group, you

listen politely first.Talk on your prospects' terms. Back to

thecocktail party analogy. Incoming freshman were

talking about their fearof being properly prepared

for dorm life. Wal-mart said, Let's talkstyle!

Target said, Let's talk survival.Understand the value you bring. There are a lot

ofpeople who hate Wal-mart. This doesn't preclude

Wal-mart fromparticipating in social media, but

they ignore this truth repeatedlyand get slammed

for it. They don't understand the value they

bring.Target, on the other hand, doesn't have that

baggage, and played theirwe're the place you can

get cool, functional stuff pretty cheap

cardbeautifully.

Social media campaigns can cost a fair

amount.Target budgeted $500,000 for their

campaign. Facebook's media kit talksabout



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minimum investments of $50,000 per month.

People think of socialmedia as free and it can be.

But you've still got to budget for time,at aminimum, and if you want to buy you're way onto a

media platformlike Facebook or MySpace, you still

need a budget of some kind.

ROI measurements are different, and not

very evolved.Target had 7,176 members of theirgroup by September 31. That's great,right. If you

calculate a CPM (cost per thousand) relative to

members,the CPM is over $69,000. Of course, CPM

is more traditionally appliedto impressions which

were no doubt hire. But the point is, the valueof

over 7,000 people engaging with your brand in a

positive way is much, much hire than 7,000 people

being exposed to an ad. The ROI calculations,

however, are still being fleshed out.

Kudos to Target for getting it. That will pay

dividends now and in the future.



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Oh, and their campaign started July. I guess they

don't owe us royalties Dang



29/30


Reference

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Vol9:1:38-49

2. Evan Cook, Adding Value with Online Community: Listen to Webcast

On-Demand, Social Media Today, December 21, 2009

3.Communities For Innovation - Presentation @ Unisyshttp :// www .slideshare .net /nimmypal/communities -for -innovation -

presentation -unisys

4.Eric L. Lesser, Michael A. Fontaine, Jason A. Slusher, Knowledge AndCommunities, Business & Economics, chapter 6 p Pages 85-95, 13 Sep

2000

5. KickApps Team, 9 Steps to A Successful Online Community,

kickapps.com : KickApps 2008

6.Alicia Iriberri, Gondy Leroy, A Life-Cycle Perspective on OnlineCommunity Success, ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 41, No. 2, Article

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http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQhttp://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slideshare.net%2Fnimmypal%2Fcommunities-for-innovation-presentation-unisys&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEoo9KjAgZtYqtvQyKDMYcD484oTQ


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8.Matt Rhodes, Future Lab, So How Do You Measure ROI of OnlineCommunities?, August 2008,

http://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-

innovation/2008/08/so_how_do_you_measure_roi_of_o.html
http://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/08/so_how_do_you_measure_roi_of_o.htmlhttp://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/08/so_how_do_you_measure_roi_of_o.htmlhttp://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/08/so_how_do_you_measure_roi_of_o.htmlhttp://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/08/so_how_do_you_measure_roi_of_o.html

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