How to Build Successful

Communities of Practice

Communities:Be there to learn, network and share

A community is a centralized repository for all of the

information and experts that someone could ever want

about a particular project or subject.

Successful communities are supported by passionate leaders

who dedicate their time and expertise to community members

by regularly sharing and promoting knowledge.

I won’t share…

• I’m too busy

• I’ll get in

trouble

• Playing with

social media

isn’t “real”

work

• I don’t know

how

Barriers to

collaboration

CommunityLeaders

Sponsor

The Community Sponsor has ownership for the community. For

instance, this cat might be the sponsor or owner for our

“Community of Fish,” because, for whatever reason, he wants to

bring fish together in a centralized place...

Knowledge

Manager

Sponsor The Knowledge Manager

has eyes like a hawk for

how your communities

should work and acts as a

consultant to oversee your

strategy at a high level by

identifying the business

priority for your

community.

Welcome to the

community!

The Moderator is the manager of the community and is responsible for

keeping content fresh, developing relationships with members,

promoting the community and providing metrics about its health.

Community Tools

• Your primary communication tool in a

community

• A place to share your news and updates

• Like a newsletter, but allows for two-way

conversations and comments

Update your blog at least once a month

Blogs

Microblogs

• Use a microblog to share your community’s

news, updates or questions within a limited

number of characters

• Promote discussion, events and ask

questions to find experts and information

Post to your microblog at least once a

week

Wiki

• Share broad information that can be developed on many

levels of pages, like a mini web site

• The web site Wikipedia is an example of a wiki

• Attach documents

The number of wiki posts will depend on

the nature of the information

Events

Give your community members a chance to put a face to an

online identity, or even to chat in real-time. A best practice is to

hold events every other month. Make your events interesting by

inviting guest speakers and thought leaders.

Frequency vs. Effort

High Frequency

I. Microblog (once

a week)

II. Blog (once a

month)

III. Events (bi-

monthly)

High Effort

I. Events

II. Blogs

III. MicroblogsVS.

Community Support

Peer support is really important when you’re running a community.

After all, a community is about collaboration, so you need to reach

out and share insights with your fellow community managers to get

ideas about how to make your community a success for members.

Communities in the Future

Help us evolve!

Continue promoting

collaboration, content

contribution and knowledge-

sharing across the business,

aligning with your

organization’s priorities and

strategies.

Good luck in your community

adventures!

Community Questions?

Thank you!