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Perks of Being a (Community) Wall Flower: Why Users Lurk

September 14, 2016 By Georgina Cannie

By Georgina Cannie, Community Manager at The Community Roundtable

“Cuz’ the Lurkers gonna lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk, lurk…”

lurk

Amazing body painting by Cecilia Paredes.

Maybe I would write the rest of this T Swift parody song if I wasn’t so busy finding ways to engage the lurkers in my community (and if there were more words that rhymed with “lurkers”). But why do Lurkers lurk, and what can you do about it as a community manager? Hint: writing a cover song won’t help.

Here are my top five observations and work-arounds for Lurking behavior.

1.) Newbies Lurk to Adjust

Brand new community members tend to lurk quietly while they learn the cultural codes of the community. They will often refuse to participate until they have gathered a base of ‘social capital’. What to do about it: Don’t stress too much about it. 1 to 2 weeks of this behavior is perfectly acceptable. To support newbie lurkers, be sure that you have community champions who regularly model ideal participation behavior. Also be sure to make your Community Guidelines easily available – these “rules of the road” are an easy way for lurkers to understand cultural codes.

2.) Lack of Support = Prime Lurking

If members continue lurking a month or more into membership, it can be a sign that they have not been supported in their community socialization. Sometimes they feel lost, left behind or ‘locked out’ of a clique. What to do about it: Everyone wants to sit at the cool kids table – offer them a spot. If you have the bandwidth, make at least two touch points with lurkers in the first month and personally invite them to join events or discussions. Alternatively, mention them directly in discussions – Ex: “Thanks for asking this question, I bet (insert Lurker name here) would know the answer”.

3.) Stage Fright + the Lurker

Everyone always says there are no stupid questions but let’s get real – there are and no one wants to ask them in front of a community crowd. A high percent of Lurkers report feeling as if they are not smart enough to add value to discussions along with anxiety of being judged for their contributions. What to do about it: Create low pressure spaces for lurkers to join in. For example, create an off-topic discussion on a Friday asking what members are doing over the weekend. No one is unqualified to discuss their own plans. This tactic allows members to practice posting in a low impact context. Need proof? Burke, Kraut, and Joyce found in a 2010 study that coaxing a member to de-lurk even once, increases their likelihood of future participation by 38%.

4.) Lack of Investment

It’s called a community for a reason – Just like in geographical communities, folks join in due to a feeling of duty and connection to other members. However if members do not feel these bonds or dependencies, they are much more likely to lurk. What to do about it: Pair Lurkers with a specific question that suits their experience. Ex: “So and So asked a question that I think you are uniquely suited to answer, can you take a look? So and so really needs your help!” Channel your inner-Mom and lay on a thin layer of subtle guilt.

5.) Fear of Rejection

…or worse, being ignored entirely. In our digital age, failing to receive comments or likes on a post is a palpable form of social rejection. If a lurker takes the plunge and posts a discussion or comment, which then goes unacknowledged, chances are they won’t take the risk again. What to do about it: Acknowledge it for goodness sake! Ideally, backchannel with other members to find a relevant responder (see example in section 4). At a minimum, respond to the post as an administrator thanking the Lurker for their contribution.

How do you combat the silent and stealthy lurker in your community? Have you found any easy ways to encourage people to step away from the community “wall” and get involved?

How can I get lurkers to participate?

September 4, 2014 By Jim Storer

By Shannon DiGregorio Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

No matter how much strategy building and content planning you do there are still going to be lurkers hanging out in your community, not contributing. The big question is: how do I convert those lurkers into engaged community participants? While there are no silver bullets for community engagement, the SOCM 2014 did uncover a number of strategies for increasing engagement and reducing the percentage of lurkers.

For example: we found that community advocacy and leadership programs had one of the most significant positive correlations with community engagement in this research– lurker rates for communities with multi-tiered leadership programs were 54%, compared to the survey average of 63%. Of course developing, launching and maintaining an advocacy program is a serious (though very worthwhile) undertaking.

For a more immediate impact try hosting a regular events series – online or offline. We found communities that host offline events have a lurker rate of 56%, and communities that host regular online events have a lurker rate of 57%. Not only did both types improve on the survey average of 63%, but regular events also boost active participation, increase networking and contribute to an overall feeling of goodwill in the community. You might start small with a regular chat, happy hour, new member meet-and-greet or a program more specifically tailored to your community. It’s not the type of events you pick that matter, as long as you’re picking the types of events that make sense for your community.

Do you currently run regularly scheduled online or offline events? We’d love to hear what works for you!

community lurkers

 

You can review more findings related to community maturity in the State of Community Management 2014. This post is part of a series highlighting some of the most thought-provoking data from the SOCM 2014 – brought to you via a fun poster – perfect for sharing on Twitter, hanging at your desk, or printing out and waving around your next community strategy meeting.

Want even more community facts? Check out the full SOCM 2014 here:

The State of Community Management 2014 from The Community Roundtable

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#SXSWLurkers – My Experience on a Panel at SXSW

March 18, 2011 By Jim Storer


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the opportunity to present at South-by-Southwest Interactive this year for the first time. I shared the stage with three friends and former colleagues for “Lurkers: Your Most Valuable Community Members.” We offered up this description:

Your lurkers are a vital and necessary part of your community and they often make up a majority of your membership but are dismissed as valueless members of the community. Treating your lurkers as if they have no value could be a fatal mistake in managing your community. Many community managers discount the value of lurkers when in fact, they are usually the cornerstone of your community. The panelists will help you understand the measurements you need to use to both understand the value of your community lurkers and how to translate that value back to the business. We will also share ideas on how to keep lurkers engaged and coming back to the community and how they can turn from lurkers into contributors. In this panel, you will learn why your community lurkers are valuable and how to measure their value by understanding how they are contributing to your community, what they are learning from your community, and how they are providing value back to the business. This will be a moderator-lead discussion with plenty of time for Q&A. Learn from a panel with a combined 32 years of community building and management experience.

To say it was an excellent experience is an understatement. From the moment we were accepted, Mike, Mark, Heather ** and I took our obligation to the audience seriously. We met every other week for an hour, starting in early January. We also utilized a private Facebook group to share links, debate ideas and follow up with one another on action items. I think we were all a bit terrified of falling short of the audience’s expectations.

We were conflicted when we found out we were speaking at the Hyatt at 5pm on Saturday. Late afternoon is typically a better slot than the morning, but being out of the flow of the “main tent” in the Austin Convention Center meant people might not make the extra effort to take in our session. Saturday afternoon is certainly better than Tuesday afternoon. As the schedule of parties started to hit, I became even more pessimistic since a lot of them were scheduled to start at 5pm. The thought of having to circle 10-20 chairs in the rooms and holding an informal q&a crossed my mind.

As I walked over to the Hyatt on Saturday afternoon I was surprised to see all the activity in and around the hotel. It was supposed to be the hub for the “Social Graph” track and it seemed to have a great group of people sticking around to take in sessions. My enthusiasm balloon was punctured when we went to the green room and found we were speaking against Drew Olanoff and another panel called “Zombies Must Eat: How Genre Communities Make Money.” Sandwiched between the guy that started the #BlameDrewsCancer meme and Zombies… damn, that’s some tough competition.

In the end we didn’t have to circle the chairs. We didn’t cancel the session because no one showed up. Instead we had fun, shared some stories and (I think) proved that lurkers are a really important part of every community. The room was close to capacity (100+) and we had a lot of interaction and questions from the audience. I had more than a couple people come up to me later in the week to tell me it was the best panel they’d attended so far. That feels pretty good.

My takeaways on my first SXSW panel experience?

  1. Your preparation doesn’t end when you submit your panel proposal. Sure the panel submission process is pretty thorough, but it’s just the beginning. The panels that fell flat for me seemed like a bunch of individuals who didn’t really know each other and what they brought to the panel. You may be brilliant, but if you’re on a panel you owe it to the audience to get to know your fellow panelists. Getting together the night before for dinner *might* work, but I *know* connecting with your panelists multiple times beforehand will help you hit it out of the park.
  2. Respect your audience and the other panelists. I was thrilled to see all the people in the seats when we got started. I must have thanked them five times for choosing us vs. a short nap or early party. Even though you’ll probably have the opportunity (SXSW parties are all day long), don’t drink alcohol ahead of your panel. Sure you can wing it, but you’re not as sharp if you do. Support your fellow panelists and don’t dominate the microphone. Following #1 will help you build a relationship with them in advance and make this a lot easier.
  3. Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. I hope this one pretty much speaks for itself.

I hope you get chosen to do a session/panel at SXSW next year. I’m sure you’ll kill it!

What have you learned in speaking at SXSW (or any other conference)? What would your top tips be for new presenters? The comments are yours.

* PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Peplau. See the entire slideshow from our session here.

** Three of the best friends and fellow panelists a guy could ask for. Thanks guys!

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