Online Communities

"Most communities, whether online or traditional, share a number of qualities and characteristics. For example, they’re held together by distinct operating norms, members are distinguished by their formal and informal roles, trust must be built to ensure quality interactions, and a shared sense of purpose serves as the glue that bonds the community together." Soren Kaplan (2002)

Makeup
What goes into the makeup of an online community? What motivates people to contribute and participate in one? All the resources I've read point to several possibilities and all of them revolve around self-interest. The characteristics of online communities are varied but they allow participants to network and get to know others, whether the communities are social or otherwise. So its important that we create the ability in our communities for these connections to happen.
Once 'connected' participants will feel more engaged and feel more relaxed about inputting than they would otherwise. Bebo/Facebook communities are a case in point.

Make People Feel At Home
People need to feel that they are welcome and that the community they are joining is open and that exposure to it will be fulfilling and worthwhile for them, that it wont be a drag and that their contributions will be valued by the facilitators.

Be Nice..
One of the worst aspects to some online communities is the tendency for moderators/facilitators to publicly flame participants who they think have over-stepped an imaginary line, or posted something that might not be quite accurate, thus making others more than a little reticent in sharing their views. Naturally these communities tend to become short lived our only attended by the masochistically inclined so we need to make certain we don't fall into this type of grouping!
How do we do this? By having transparent rules of engagement, by being 'nice' to participants, by encouraging input from the reluctant, by encouraging the development of personal relationships, and by making our community relevant to the needs of the participants.

Skills
The skills required to maintain a successful online community can be summarised thus:

• Have a clearly defined goal or purpose
• Make people feel at home
• Be accessible and available
• Have clear channels for access to expert assistance
• Be welcoming
• Create an environment of trust
  
• Understand the requirements of the group
  
• Have clear participation rules
• Limit the number of channels or gathering places - especially in the early stages of community formation
• Ensure that adequate resources are made available
  
• Protect the privacy of members
• Facilitate the building of personal relationships
• Be there for the long haul