Captology Notebook: Top Web Behavior #3: Participate in community

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August 22, 2004

Top Web Behavior #3: Participate in community

The Behavior
The web can be a lonely place, but many top websites are trying to change that. There are obvious forms of community, like Yahoo! and MSN games and chat. But even Amazon.com fosters a sort of community. Users are encouraged to write reviews and share their knowledge about their interests by creating lists. And reviews can be rated, creating a notion of trust (and prestige) in the community.

What they gain (and you lose)
The main goal of community is obvious: if you're a member of a community on a site, you're more likely to come back (and to stay longer when you do). But communities are also a rich source of free content. Yahoo! could hire editors to write political commentary, just as Amazon.com could to review books. But both take advantage of their respective communities to produce fresh content free of charge. (Written by Adam Wright)

Gallery
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Amazon.com