Community is Community, Online and Off

According to a new study conducted by USC Annenberg, 43 percent of internet users who are members of online communities "feel as strongly" about their virtual community as their real world community. What's that mean for marketers? Treat communities like you're visiting someone's house. Don't redecorate if the family is happy with the tacky plastic covers on their furniture.

Comments

[Paul Fabretti]

Steve,

Please excuse the link, but I have had a few thoughts on the implications of real-life/online-life myself:

http://blendingthemix.com/2006/12/01/second-life-characters-in-other-games/

and can't help thinking that this is goin to be the direction we are heading...Second Life is only the start.

[getvendors]

Rightly said, no marketer can change the furniture style and I would add even the folks who provide the platform for such communities (a.k.a. the companies who own these portals) have to take a role of an enabler rather than an overseer and let the members own and lead their communities.

[Sean]

interesting... the first 'living room' i'd redecorate would by myspace... god it's aweful... but people do feel strongly about it.

[Wilder]

shouldn't surprise too many people. at intuit, we view online interaction as an enabler (don't you just love that word) for offine/real world get togethers/community activities. Most of word of mouth happens offline anyway.
So, as Paul points out. This just the beginning..
Wilder (www.quickbooksgroup.com)

[Jitendra]

Interesting study...Check out my take at http://karmaweb.wordpress.com/2006/12/05/online-community-numbers/

[mrstrisia]

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