Full Circle Associates

I have been doing a bit of tracking to see what is buzzing about the March of Dimes Share Your Story online community. I came across a couple that made me smile. I love that the community is being recognized. Here is one I wanted to share and comment upon.

From Niall Cook of Hill & Knowlton, UK: Marketing Technology : The benefits of blogging communities for charities

I just heard about a blogging community that has been set up by the March of Dimes charity in the US (roughly equivalent to Tommy's here in the UK).

Called Share Your Story, it invites people affected by premature births to create a blog on the website to... share their stories.

Forget character blogs, a-list bloggers or even corporate blogging communities - this takes some beating. You only have to read some of the posts to see how powerful collective blogging can be as a medium for both amplifying a message and bringing a cause to life. Both are things that charities need in abundance, and I still find it hard to believe that causes and even brands in the UK are not falling over themselves to be the first to do this over here. I'd be more than happy to help a good cause get something similar up and running.

It has all the benefits of a blogging community that I outlined well before we decided to create our own, and is by far the best example I have seen (including anything from the commercial sector) in terms of both design and execution. RSS feeds, comments and permalinks are all present, as are some 'tips and suggestions for being a good blogger'...

Well done to everyone involved. You should be really proud of what you have achieved. If I only have one criticism, is that I had to go to your main site to give you a donation."

First, Nial, thank you for noticing! The community is proud. The team is beaming, even as we squash bugs and figure out those little things that make a big difference both in terms of technology and the social design of the community. What I think is essential to share is that this community serves a real need in families' lives: support and knowing you are not alone while going through the scary experience of having a baby in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

What is so amazing about this community is that the members value it so much, they get through some of the rough patches in online community life that deter others or lead to flame wars. People have negotiated through misunderstandings, often with no intervention from me or the moderation team. They dig up resources for each other. They tell me when something needs tending to with the "host tools."

As we began the redesign last January, we talked to new and old community members to find out what they wanted. We tested our ideas with them. We took their feedback as our directive. When we launched the new look and features, they were our bug sleuths as we ironed out the wrinkles.

It is about the community. When there is a powerful need, there is a powerful response. (The March of Dimes is also launching a F2F support mechanism by deploying NICU support staff in NICUs across the country, with the first 13 already in place.)

When we enabled anyone to start a blog on July 26th, we again had a powerful response. Something like 50 new blogs since then, and many of them active. Look at the comments. No one goes unheard in Share. Everyone gets a response -- from the community, not from me the helper (I can barely call myself the community manager. They don't need a manager. Just a helper.)

What is working is the culture of community on Share. We, the design and support team (which includes Lee LeFever of CommonCraft and I supporting the design talents of Susan Lyons at the March of Dimes, the leadership of Patty Goldman, also at the MoD, and Michael Landis of WebCrossing) follow the lead of the community. That is the magic.

Lee and I are working up a more extensive case study on the community to share, but I just had to blog today. Can't help myself. Share does that to you! So thanks to all of you blogging about Share.

marchofdimes, shareyourstory, community_indicators nptech