InkPop is one of the best branded communities. It avoids the errors that sink most branded community efforts.   1) A Great Community Concept. They didn't make a community about HarperCollins, nor try to target the entire audience of people that read their books. They HarperCollins didn't brand the community as HarperCollins Connect , they gave the community a unique name and limited mentions of the brand. Too often brands neglect the advantages they inherently have and create a me-too community. Branded Online Communities MORE >>

Here are the first 1,100 words of the chapter on B2B social communities from my forthcoming book, co-authored with Eric Schwartzman, entitled Social Marketing to the Business Customer. The rest of the chapter will go into the various kinds of social communities and how to use them, with examples from the HR, food service, medical and construction industries. Does it set the stage for a deeper discussion of social communities? Spiceworks does a very good job of managing B2B communities. As the community grows, so does the value of the resource to all involved. MORE >>

Are all bloggers also community managers? Jayme Soulati , in suggesting this topic , wondered if ignorance regarding community management might explain some blog failures. Because this post began as a comments-section Q&A, we’ll continue it in the same vein: What Is Community Management? Community management is the art of creating something by allowing it to create itself, then nurturing it by creating an environment in which it nurtures itself. Are Bloggers Community Managers? Are Failed Blogs Victims of Neglectful Community Management? MORE >>

single story may present some elements through a television series or a motion picture with additional narrative threads explored in other media: Comic books, video games, or a collection of micro-sites, Twitter feeds, and online content. Heroes  on NBC is often cited as a great pop-culture example of transmedia in practice. NBC Digital Entertainment released a series of online content in 2008, including more original web content, wireless iTV interactivity, graphic novels available for mobile viewing, and webisodes. What This Means for Content Creators. MORE >>

Why do people share content? However, in trying to answering it, one can find a lot of value for his business and “target groups” in this social media and multi-channel marketing age where content plays an increasing role and content marketing is a hot topic. Content is an enormously broad concept that we use every day without really defining it. We talk about how it should be: how important relevant and share-worthy content, how crucial it is in lead nurturing, how it makes or breaks our email marketing programs and even how it has become a currency. MORE >>