What is an Online Community Forum?
The concept of an online community forum has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, especially as offering excellent customer experience (CX) has become a key goal for many businesses. In fact, improving customer experience is one of the top company objectives for 2019, and an online community is one of the most efficient methods to accomplish it.
For individuals who haven’t used an online community before, the phrase “online community” might be a little confusing. I used to have a rudimentary understanding of what this phrase meant, but it turns out there’s a lot more to what an online community is, what it can do, and why it succeeds.
With that in mind, you’ll find all you need to know about online communities on this site. This blog will be separated into three pieces to ensure that all bases are covered
Defined: An Online Community Forum
Because it’s a phrase that gets tossed about a lot to describe any circumstance where people assemble around similar interests, there’s a good degree of ambiguity or confusion surrounding the term “community.”
In a nutshell, I suppose that’s what “community” is: a collection of individuals who share common interests, goals, or perspectives.
However, while this definition is correct by all definitions, the term’s misunderstanding stems from its usage by marketing teams, sales teams, and company executives who have no idea what it means or even have an online community of their own.
The fact is that a common interest is only one element of the puzzle. The rest of the pie is made up of social ties formed around a common interest and strengthened by the bonds formed among community members. A community is defined by social interaction and connections formed around a shared interest. It is via these connections that a community may thrive.
An online community forum is an online area provided by a company or a brand where members, consumers, and fans may come together to ask questions, receive peer-to-peer help, discuss brand interests, and form social connections.
In general, there are two sorts of community platforms:
- Platform for creating branded communities
- Platform for social media
A community forum platform with a branded look and feel
A branded community forum platform is basically a community that is hosted by the company or brand. This indicates that the online community forum is generally found in one of the following locations:
In a folder, such as domain.com/forum, which may be found in the URL slug.
forum.domain.com is an example of a sub-domain.
In any case, because it contains the domain name, a branded community is an extension of the website. Black hat world , for example, is a company that develops software for branded communities.
A platform for social media
A community formed on a social media platform refers to a group or brand’s presence on a platform such as Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.
Because a community on a social media platform isn’t an extension of their website, they have far less control. If a community is hosted on Facebook, for example, the operations of the community are limited to what Facebook permits. This comprises features such as privacy, engagement (gamification, ideation, and so on), and analysis.
The variety of regularly used community platforms is determined by the level of control the organisation has. On a corporate website, you have the most control, whereas on a social networking platform, you have the least power. A branded community is right in the centre of it all!
Is it Right for You to Join an Online Community Forum?
The million-dollar question now. You’re familiar with the ins and outs of community and the numerous advantages it provides. Is it suitable for you? Is it anything that your company requires?
Without a doubt.
While we may be biassed, being aware of the enormous benefits that a community can offer to an organisation will!
While the size of your firm and client base may influence the sort of platform you choose for your community, there are a number of other things to consider as well.
All of these issues boil down to one question: how much control do you desire over your neighbourhood?
Essentially, as described in the last section, the more control you have over your community, the more likely it is to grow and serve its goal. There is an inherent lack of control over a number of different issues when choosing a social media platform for your community, including:
- Culture
- Design
- Privacy
- Authenticity
Social media communities only allow for a limited amount of customisation, and they don’t provide you with the tools you’ll need to turn your community into an extension of your brand’s personality. Most businesses are concerned about this since their brand personality is what first draws people in.
Now that you understand the value of an online community, it’s up to you to figure out which platform is perfect for you.
Website Link – https://blackhatworld.community/
