Maggie Fox has posted an excellent conversation with Craig Cmehil and Mark Yolton where the guys explain the origins, workings and lessons learned from their 3+ years of operating SDN. The current numbers are staggering:
- 800,000 members (open to anyone who chooses to register)
- 4,000 posts per day
- 500,000 page impressions per month
- 200 countries represented
Craig said to me that on an average working day, he spends 3-4 hours in online conversations that include 10 calls and 20 online chats. When you think about it, that’s not bad for a person who is tasked with fostering a community of this size. But what’s really important is the value delivered.
During the conversation, Mark acknowledged that measuring ROI on this activity is incredibly difficult because community is but one activity among many others involved in a sales cycle. Studies are emerging on this aspect but like Mark, I think it will take some time before we have a good understanding of the monetary value that can be attached to this type of activity.
But then I wonder whether that’s necessarily something I’d wish to advocate under a prescriptive model. Communities are emerging because people feel there is a need to remain connected with others in a constant learning process. So if I find a new and better way to do something I’d not considered – how would I ascribe value? In the past I’d have learned tips and tricks from my immediate peers but their experience is necessarily limited. Engaging with a wider community offers discovery opportunities so in that sense there is both value and cost saving potential.
PS – here’s an example that popped up in my mailbox just after I finished this post. Stuart ran a Google search that found the post. I couldn’t help directly but I was able to point him in the right direction.
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