Don recently wrote about his social content site which currently is, “fully functional, with a few dozen active users and over 28,000″ posts.
You’ve got a wealth of experience and knowledge related to user-generated content & the nature of social interactions on the web, and I’m hoping that you could provide suggestions on our “next steps,” most particularly with respect to building a community of active, engaged users.
Regarding your site, how to build an active, engaged audience is, almost literally, the $64,000 question. It’s what everybody wants…the question is, how?
There’s no silver bullet that I know of. Since it sounds like you have some users, the place I would start is by making personal connection to them. Literally, call them on the phone. Ask them about why they use the service and what it means to them. Find out how it makes their life better. If they live nearby, go visit them. If you have to travel, try to meet people in other cities.
In short, the answer to finding out how to create an engaged audience is by understanding the motivations of the people who are currently engaged. Find out what is the thing about your site that is indispensable to your users.
Additionally, find ways for users to connect to each other. When personal connections between users happen…especially offline…that’s when real magic starts to happen. Then your site isn’t just an online toy…it’s something real and meaningful.
