Web Communities presentation for: GivingSpace Asilomar Meeting 91602

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Web Communities presentation forGivingSpace
Asilomar Meeting 9/16/02
Cynthia Typaldos www.typaldos.com
cynthia_at_typaldos.com 408 867-8875 office 408
828-1370 cell Confidential Material Last
Updated 9/15/02 5PM
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History of Human Communication Tools

• Speech
• Writing
• Alphabet
• Printing
• Phone/Telegraph
• Broadcast
• Internet

Reeds Law
The potential is so stupendous that a lot of the
value of the web will be realized by facilitating
its extraordinary power to form spontaneous
groups. The Economist, The World in
2001, December 2000
(n of nodes) Metcalfes Law n2 Reeds law
2n at n15 225 for
Metcalfes Law 32,768 for
Reeds Law
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What are Web Communities?
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Web Communities Landscape
Communication Tools discussion boards instant
messaging chat shared photos
Corporate Portals
Platform Applications APIs
Community Application Portals Epinions.com
(consumer product recommendations) Evite.com
(invitations) Ryze.com (business
networking) CloudMark (spam control) Everything2
(information)
Group Communication Portals Yahoo!
Groups Topica Blogs
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The 12 Principles of Civilization
Communities always form around a common purpose
Applications
Community Operating System (Platform)
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Identity and Reputation

• Sociologists have extensively studied the
  importance of
• identity and reputation in human communities
• We see it all around us
• club fees
• status symbols ("Give me enough medals, and I'll
  win any war." Napoleon)
• desire to associate and be part of a group with
  others who are recognized as experts, the
  in-crowd, sources of information and knowledge
• increases level of trust, thus can save time,
  money, frustration
• peer pressure more effective than authoritative
  pressure
• Sociologists who influenced me the most
• Robert MacIver (1882-1970) principles of
  sociology
• Robert Axelrod (1944-present) tit-for-tat,
  prisoners dilemma, theory of social cooperation
• Richard Dawkins (1941-present) nice guys finish
  first

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WSJ Article on Reputation Managers
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Key Benefits of Identity and Reputation

• Identity
• Allows trust to be built because members (or
  objects) are recognizable when encountered again
• Makes member a part of the community
• Reputation
• Enables members to quickly assign a value
• Can be expressed symbolically
• Once good reputation achieved, creates stickiness
• Peer pressure to achieve status, be recognized

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Identity
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Purpose Reputation (handicap)
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Purpose Reputation courses
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The Other 9 Principles
Applications
Community Operating System
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Environment Communication

• Environment
• Interactions need to have a context
• Members (and objects) develop identity and
  reputation within this context
• Communication
• All communities must have some form(s) of
  communication tools
• Selection of the tools depends on the Purpose to
  be accomplished
• Existing tools include discussion boards,
  egroups, instant messaging, email, and others
• Communication tools are like peripherals select
  the right one for the job

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Governance Groups

• Governance
• Ranging from democracy to monarchy to
  dictatorship
• Must be manageable and cost-effective
• Typically governance needs to be assignable
• Privacy and security issues are addressed
• Groups
• Ability to form sub-communities is critical (e.g.
  company departments, political states,
  committees)
• All the Principles then apply again

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Boundaries, Trust, Expression, Exchange, History
These Principles are a result of the interactions
of the community

• Boundaries Admittance and ejection
• Trust Built from multiple interactions and
  dependent on persistent identity and reliable
  reputation
• Expression Ability of the community to reveal
  what is going on to its members (and outsiders if
  desired)
• Exchange Ability of community to exchange value
  (information, items, money, music files, kudos,
  etc.)
• History Remembering and forgetting

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Examples Product/Service Sites

• Existing
• Amazon.com
• eBay
• Epinions
• CloudMark (SpamNet)
• Ryze
• Potential
• Napster
• San Jose Mercury News
• Home Depot
• Nature Conservancy

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Existing Web Communities 12 Principles
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Napster Example (1 of 5)

• Community purpose always involves exchange of
  objects of value (music file exchange is the
  current one on Napster)
• Building community relationships around this
  basic common purpose can create
• basis for membership fee
• word of mouth promotion
• peer pressure for others to sign-up
• powerful reasons for members to continue to pay
  the fee
• There are many community applications that could
  be powerful on Napster
• Identity and Reputation are the place to start

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Napster Example (2 of 5)

• Membership Fee based on Identity Reputation
  Simple
• ALL members have uploaddownload reputation
• Music files develop a reputation (feedback from
  those who downloaded them)
• only paid members see the file reputation
• only paid members can provide feedback
• paid members are ranked and highlighted on site
  based on quality of their files. Status icons
  are attached to their usernames and visible to
  all other paid members
• Paid members have a member profile (can have as
  many as they want based on music genre) show in
  demo
• other paid members can search member profiles
  looking for expertise
• member reputation increases based on others
  feedback

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Napster Example (3 of 5)

• During free trial, members can develop identity
  reputation, but have a newbie icon
• If they become paid members, the newbie icon is
  replaced by a member since icon
• They have all of the reputation and identity
  features as described
• If they choose not to become a paid member, their
  identity and reputation are turned off, the
  newbie icon is replaced by a freeloader icon
• They do not have any of the reputation and
  identity features as described
• If a paid member allows membership to lapse,
  he/she must start over in developing identity and
  reputation

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Napster Example (4 of 5)

• Membership Fee based on Identity Reputation
  Advanced
• Paid members can filter who can access their
  files based on the other members reputation
• Paid members can develop lists of music (provide
  expertise) that
• other paid members can review and provide
  feedback on
• top lists by genre are ranked and highlighted
  constantly (like on Amazon where authors get
  their friends to buy their books!)
• can be used to burn a CD by any other paid member
  portion of fee goes back to list owner along
  with increasing list owners reputation

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Peer pressure to subscribe
Napster Example (5 of 5)

• Subscription members X Y
• Non-subscription member A
• Member X develops a list of outstanding
  recordings of Chinese Chimes. Members Y and A
  give positive feedback. Reputation of Member X
  goes up because of Member Y feedback, but is not
  affected by Member A feedback
• Member X wants to join Group Q which requires a
  certain reputation level Member X does not have
  required level because Member A feedback didnt
  count.
• Both Members Y and A ask Member X to provide a
  different Chinese Chime recording which Member X
  has not yet rippedwho is Member X more likely to
  help?

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San Jose Mercury News Example

• Merc Sleuths
• Identity Reputation for those who provide
  suggestions, scoops, tips to reporter(s)
• Makes member a part of the newspaper
• Bus Model charge a fee to see accreditations and
  leg-work
• Member generated news
• Neighborhood news
• Opinions
• Shopping recommendations
• Bus Model charge a fee to access this area

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Home Depot Example

• Customers have a lot of knowledge (DIY
  Contractors)
• Tremendous pride in accomplishment
• Tasks (e.g. build a deck) complex and varies by
  job
• Tools list
• Materials list
• Tips
• Photos
• Feedback rating (for member AND objects)
• Contractors could be rated by members (example of
  commodity service)
• Bus Model more products sales, customers more
  successful with projects, customer-to-customer
  support

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Nature Conservancy

• Sharing of best practices
• Mentoring
• experienced? less experienced
• specialized knowledge ? field personnel
• as a tool for generation donations
• Tracking pollution, wildlife, flora databases
  built on observations from hundreds and thousands
  of people around the world (e.g. Audubon Society,
  SouthBay Birders Unlimited http//www.stanford.edu
  /kendric/birds/)
• Recruiting and managing volunteers (reputation
  incentive)

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Examples Wireless-based Communities

• Disaster and Emergency
• World Trade Center
• California earthquake
• Commuter (Hiway 17 to/from San Jose/Santa Cruz)
• GM OnStar (Telematics)
• Teen
• Sporting events
• Tracking Truck

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Integration is the Key

• User Integration
• Applications to fulfill a purpose
• Identity information from many sources
• Reputation based on actions, feedback in many
  areas
• Groups freely formed among members
• Communication using a variety of tools
• Producer Integration
• Consistent setting of business rules
• All applications controlled from one place
• Consistent management of members
• Consistent monitoring of activity

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From the 12 Principles to Software Products
Applications
Producers Workbench
Set Business Rules Configuration Management and
Operations
Platform
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Summary

• The Webs real leverage is in many-to-many
  interactions between people.
• Generalized software can be developed to enable
  these interactions.
• Some of these interactions stretch across all
  types of communities and can be built into a
  platform.
• Applications are built on top of the platform to
  enable the community to accomplish its specific
  purposes.

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Thank Youreference list follows
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Reference List (page 1 of 3)

• 12 Principles of Civilization
  http//www.mongoosetech.com/solutions/principles.h
  tml
• Fast Company interview of Typaldos, Sept. 2000,
  on the 12 Principles of Civilization
  www.fastcompany.com/online/38/ideazone.html
• Reeds Law www.reed.com
• (also in HBR 2/2001 titled The Law of the
  Pack)

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Reference List (page 2 of 3)

• WSJ article on web reputation systems by Thomas
  Weber
• interactive.wsj.com/articles/EWorldCenter.ht
  m, 7/17/00
• Customer Community book by Drew Banks and Kim
  Daus, published March, 2002
• http//www.customer-community.com/

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Reference List (page 3 of 3)

• Mentoring application http//www.mongoosetech.com
  /realcommunities/guidedtour.htm 
• Producers Workbench http//www.mongoosetech.com/r
  ealcommunities/pwtour.htm
• My web site has several recent presentations
  http//www.typaldos.com/events.htm 

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Backup Slides
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Customer Needs Met
Business Model Purposeful
Application(s)

• Drive product sales
• Customers supporting customers
• Product requirements
• Market research
• Loyalty generation
• Discover and manage influencers

• Product Recommendations, Shared Knowledge
• Q A, Experts,
• Experience Sharing/Mentoring
• Focus groups, Document Review, Seeking Out
  Innovators
• Analysis of Community Behavior
• Reputation
• Reputation

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Market Opportunity

• Products
• Licensed Software
• Platform
• Applications (general)
• Services
• Consulting to determine appropriate applications
• Support
• Special application development
• Management of Community

• Customers want wireless Devices want to
  communicate!
• Successful web businesses prove important of 12
  Principles
• Consumers now willing to pay for services (but
  not information) e.g. Yahoo Groups
• Platform product can go after many markets over
  time

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How will I do this?

• Can build team very quickly
• VP Eng, VP Marketing, VP Finance/Operations
  identified and interested
• With team in place can deliver platform in 9
  months
• Release ? 5 in 3 months, Release 1 ? 0 Beta in 6
  months
• Able to develop initial version in less time and
  more complete due to previous know-how
• Better technology now exists for some pieces
• Applications will take about 6 months
• Start 3 months after platform started
• Corporate funding will allow sequencing of
  platform first and applications second