The Evolving Online Community

It was, simply, to facilitate easy and ongoing interaction among people of similar interests.

On the Internet, where the opportunities for customer loss occur at warp speed, a recent McKinsey study, ePerformance, found that 98.7% of online visitors do not become repeat customers.

Another study determined that most sites will lose 60% of their first-time customers in a six-week period. Until rather recently, many e-commerce companies were ill prepared to counter this.

The Internet as a Community Enabler
From a commercial perspective, marketers have seen the role and effect of community interaction evolve from the general store cracker barrel and sewing circles, to the telephone party line, and office water cooler and coffee break.

Innovative companies have, through promotion, electronic and print advertising, and other means, endeavored to leverage interest and action by local and special interest communities by relating to their core beliefs.

Until the Internet, and the volume of information and speed of communication it represents around the world, much of this was fairly tactical and situation-based.

Consumer Internet participation, and the content they create, continues on the upswing. From the Huba and McConnell “90-9-1” rule of several years ago - where 1% of consumers online contribute content in the form of product and service ratings, blogs, and participation in forums such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flickr, 9% comment on that content, and 90% observe what is happening – we are now seeing an estimated 70-20-10, where 10% of consumers who use the Internet, or more are actively submitting content.

E-commerce sites, and specialty portals, are leveraging the promise of online community as a viable element of b2b and b2c customer value and experience management.