I had a bit of an epiphany the other day (well, maybe not an "epiphany" - more like a random thought)...  I think I'm an online community moderator's nightmare.  Here's why.

I'm the type of person who is trolling any one of ten or so different communities or social networks at any given time.  I might be checking in on Digg.com, watching the latest tweets roll in on Twitter from my iPhone, reading through various group discussions on LinkedIN, looking at friend updates on Facebook, checking out my blog feeds through Bloglines and just generally checking-in on a variety of "niche" type networks I'm also a part of (e.g., various marketing forums, market research communities, etc...).  That doesn't even start to include any of the time I spend checking in on PluggedIN communities!

Here's the kicker though - I almost never contribute content or even actively participate in these public communities/social networks (even though I might spend a couple hours a day lurking).  I still feel part of a community (especially on sites like Digg), but I'm really not much of a contributing member.  In fact, as a moderator I'd be pretty disappointed if I had to have me as a member of one of our research communities :-)

Why don't I participate?

It made me think about why I'm like that, and how I could convince someone like myself to get off the fence and start joining the conversation, particularly in the online research communities we moderate.  

As for the why, I really think it comes down to a limited attention span and time available to find content that is really important.  I try really hard to balance work and life, and allowing for time to participate in all of the communities I watch is a luxury I don't always have.  Which leads me to the question...

How would I convince someone like me to participate?

I think there are a few ways a community or community moderator could get someone like me to quit lurking and start participating...

• Personalization and attention - I like sites that I can customize or subscribe to the content I want to see.  I need to find the content I'm looking for, quickly...
• Knowledge of who is in charge - I like sites where you know who is in charge on some personal level.  Even with Digg, you at least know some of the Digg team and can get to know them a bit (e.g., by following Kevin Rose on Twitter).  That makes me want to feel part of that community...
• New content - I need to see sites that are updated frequently, though not too much so.  Posting at least something new each day will generally get me coming back for more...
  
• Usability - Busy sites, or sites where it takes me more than a few steps to find the content I'm looking for, are a big no-no in my book.  In fact, they won't even make the cut of regular sites to troll through (much less participate in) if the usability of the site is poor.  
• A little "something" for my time :) - I'm not suggesting that I'll only participate if I'm given something directly, but a small acknowledgement that my time is valuable and the community appreciates having me as a member (even in my "lurker" capacity) would go a long way to me dropping the trolling habit and actually contributing content.  This could be in the form of inside knowledge only available to members, free products, discounts, etc...
• Feeling exclusive and "in the know" - I really liked Digg way back in the day when it felt like it was a geeky site about technology news.  It has changed quite a bit since then, and I still visit the site religiously.  However, it just doesn't have the same "exclusive" feel as it did back in the day.  The same thing happened with Second Life after it started receiving a ton of press and marketers jumped in the fray.  Sites that make me feel valued and exclusive for being a member are more likely to get my attention and contributions.   

What does this mean in a research community context?

Of course, this makes me think of a few community moderation and management tips for online research communities...

• Mix up discussions with surveys and polls - Polls are easy to participate in and help get lurkers (like myself) to take baby steps into becoming more active.  Put up an interesting poll and follow it up with a discussion around the results.  That's more likely to drive participation in discussions.
• Set reasonable expectations for time requirements - It's unlikely your research community is going to become anyone's homepage when they open their browser.  Set reasonable expectations for how much time people have to participate, and don't overburden them with activities each week.  I'm certainly not unique in having many different communities and social networks I'm a part of, and your research community members are likely to be in the same situation.
• Post personal profiles, pictures and ways of contacting moderators - As I mentioned with Digg and following Kevin Rose on Twitter, any ways that you can reach out and make the moderators seem more "human" will go a long way to building loyalty in a research community (or any online community for that matter).  Make sure you have a profile page with pictures, and try to update it from time-to-time.   

What do you think?

Would a community moderator like to have you as a participant?  How would you get someone to move from a regular lurker to a regular participant?  Comments and ideas are welcome!

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Matt