All communities whether offline or online go through a cycle of participation that will see the network activity peak, slow down, rise again, peak again, slow down again – on and on.

New members who join an online group will go through the same initiation process as a person who walks into an established offline group – they will be expected to go through a period of getting to know the members, contributing to discussions and adding to the community before they will be fully accepted.

This is why advertising a business as a new member of a network really doesn’t work. Yes, virtual communities offer a fantastic opportunity to promote what you do and earn a living but not when you join an established community and immediately begin to advertise what you do in a form of “look at me” behaviour.

Giving is paramount in any situation and it is no different online. Giving to receiving, providing value first, sharing what you know – as a participant of an online forum or network this is essential if you want to make a difference and create an impact.

Participation will also be dictated by the facilities available – a blog on it’s own can provide a primary means of connecting with users and giving them a space to air their opinions. A blog with a forum attached now opens up the possibility for members to contribute by adding their own content (commonly known as user generated content) and a blog with a social network provides a safe space for those who want to read and lurk (all communities have their lurkers who do not want to participate actively but enjoying reading) as well as upload more personal items such as video and photos.

Different types of member participation – a life cycle view

In 2000 Amy Jo Kim proposed a life cycle for members of virtual communities. In this cycle it states that

• Members may start off as visitors/lurkers, people who want to take a look at what the community is about.
• Once comfortable they will join and are now new members of the community or novices and begin participating in community life.
• After a sustained period of contributions they become regulars and if they continue to maintain their current level of participation they become leaders.
• Leaders who continue to take an active part in the community move on to become elders.

This life cycle can be applied to any virtual community and it is very common for regulars and leaders to stop contributing for a while before returning – sometimes to their past status and sometimes not.

Another model that highlights the life cycle of a virtual community can be taken from the works of Lave and Wenger who suggest that there are five different model types when it comes to member participation

Peripheral (i.e. Lurker) – This person remains outside the group and is anonymous
Inbound (i.e. Novice) – A new member who has joined and is looking at becoming active in the community
Insider (i.e. Regular) – A regular contributor to a virtual community who will add and take part in discussions as well as join groups.
Boundary (i.e. Leader) – Maintains membership participation, monitors interaction between members and is critical especially at the beginning of a new social network to ensure the virtual snowball effect takes place.
Outbound (i.e. Elder) – A member who has contributed to the group for many years and who will always remain an important member.

There are also members who are ready to move on because the group dynamics have changed, maybe the community has moved in a new direction or has changed the way it operates.

Joining & Non Participation

It is very common for new people to join a network and not take advantage of the services on offer. For some there may be barriers to participating in a social network that makes it difficult for them to join in or time constraints, meaning they join but never get round to coming back and actively taking part.

If you have a small group and the large majority of members find participation difficult this will obviously stunt the growth of your network, and learning aids like video tutorials can make a huge difference.

If participation is an important part of the value system of your organisation then you will want to spend time discovering what causes the lack of participation from each member. The only way to overcome this issue will be to contact each member individually to discover what you can do to help.