I’ll have another look and make suggestions. One way I’ve cracked the resource issue is by having volunteers do the work, but for corporations there are several valid reasons not to do that.

I fight the same battle…

The first chapter has gone well, and I’ve had some great people helping me on the journey, coaching me, and keeping the nasties at bay.

As we start the next phase, I need to crack the resource issue, and start to prove the ROI aspects in a way that supports the continued growth.

If you haven’t already, please stop in. I’d welcome your feedback, as I know you have “Reel” expertise – and those years in the trenches give weight to your opinion – I’d welcome it.

Mark

I think if at all possible, it’s best to be at arms length if you can so if it goes south, you can walk away unscathed…

The staff investment is often the difficult part of the equation – additional headcount is taboo for many companies in today’s climate.

Alternatives? Outsource to some agency? Matrix across a few employees who participate when they can? How about recruiting mods from other communities to help in yours?

To your point, “why buy when you can rent an existing space?” Well, I think there are pros and cons. Sure, you can engage under someone else’s tent, but at the end of the day, they own the content. They can shut down and dis-band and your content is gone. Unless it’s a community about something really esoteric, there are likely to be others, with shared membership. I think a company should consider these various communities as nodes in a broader human network, and plan to engage in the epicenters of influence – whether their own community or someone else’s, or a combination approach. And then there is the point about language. Few communities not sponsored by an organization will be multi-lingual, so a global company might create multiple, parallel communities based on language and ensure relevant content is cross polinated.