The Virtual Gardener
The place where I explore online community cultivation, propagation and harvesting techniques.
I've been working as head of consultancy at Sift for the last four years. The business supports all organisations looking to respond to a Web 2.0 world and truly engage with their audience - and has been doing so for the past 10 years.
This blog originally started out as a comment on a conference I attended about online communities. I'm now using it as a thought-bin for related stuff. Any gaps in posting doesn't mean I've stopped thinking ...
Game mechancis + social media = the future of engagement
Amy demonstrated that the underlying structure of games maps to all social media applications:
1. Collecting (show me your stuff)
2. Points (e.g. leader boards, levels …)
3. Feedback (accelerates mastery and adds fun)
4. Exchanges (back & forth is close to conversation; implicit exchanges do not require response - e.g. comments, explicit exchanges do - e.g. add a friend)
5. Customisation (character, interface …)
How to prepare for the future:
1. Use game mechanics as appropriate - co-evolve with users and start small
2. Build content-sharing networks - make it easier for players to create, share, rate and discuss content
3. Leverage standard data formats - keep it simple
4. Design cross-platform services - meet players where they are, put your data on the network
5. Prepare for syndication - enable widgets, open API, encourage 3rd parties
