The Connector Website Model New Implications for Social ... - PRWeb

surveys, and polls. The connector may offer timely and relevant classifieds, website
links, blogs, and interviews. User interactions drive the website’s dynamics, and in the
process, further build the online community. (see Figure 1 for a diagrammatic summary
of this discussion)
Finally, online communities gradually become jointly self-regulating with the host
organization once social norms are clear and well-established. This means the users
collectively take on more responsibility for enforcing website and community values with
respect to the user-posted content. Accountability systems fueled by feedback and
reputation-building technologies (providing cues like ratings and reviews) signal
important information about a user and his or her content. 18 By implementing some kind
of accountability system a connector subtly structures online incentives in such a way to
guide user behavior. There is a cautionary note, however. Evidence exists of connectors
applying heavy-handed top-down regulation, and as result, websites have lost users. To
some degree, connectors with some self-regulation have user leaders or mavens who
volunteer to enforce the connector’s norms and values. These members function like
online neighborhood watchdogs. 19
The connector website adds substantial value to online communities when
executing two processes: discovery and coordination. 20 Connectors make discovery more
powerful and accurate through social search and trust-building applications. Joe Cothrel,
an online community expert with BTC Research, has suggested that “with these tools, a
user not only finds that someone has something they need – [he or she] also finds out
something about the quality of that product and the likelihood this party will deliver it.” 21
In terms of coordination, connectors are more efficient than other online community
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