Do you know the biggest killer for an online community? Yep, that’s right. It’s boorrrriinnnggg. So how do you keep a community alive? Good discussions. Here are five fail safe discussion threads to keep the fire burning. These are some of the most popular discussion topics on GovLoop, an online community of 53,650 members, boasting 5,769 total discussion topics to date since the community’s inception in summer of 2008.

5 Discussion Topics to Keep Your Community Alive:

1. A Question Everyone Can Answer

Example: “Introduce Yourself”

Total comments to date = 2,745.

Why it Works: this thread was created on June 15, 2008 and had activity as recently as January 19, 2012. That’s pretty impressive. Why is this topic so sticky? It’s a question everyone can answer, and it makes it super easy for a new member to contribute in a non-threatening way. They can dip their toe into the conversation of the community, get confidence, and begin contributing in more comprehensive ways later.

2. A Timeless Topic

Example: “Favorite Quotes?”

Total comments to date = 520.

Why it Works: this is a timeless topic that doesn’t go out of style or relevance. It’s also another easy “dip toe in the water” topic for a new member to contribute their voice without having to express too much until they get comfortable.

3. Something Competitive

Example: “Vote on $25,000 GovLoop Scholarship”

Total comments to date = 389.

Why it Works: there is real money on the table with this discussion, and people get to vote. People can express themselves through their voting, and feel like they are part of making something happen. Same reason we vote for anything.

4. A Creative Challenge

Example: “In 7 Words or Less, Explain What You Do”

Total comments to date = 378.

Why it Works: it’s creative, and makes people think. They get to read what other people describe in 7 words or less, and try a spin on their own. It’s also another way of expressing themselves in a way that makes them feel part of the larger community, and they can connect with others based on what they do. It’s not political, or opinionated, just lets people be themselves.

5. Something That Personally Affects a Huge Population in Your Community

Example: “Sound Off – Your Thoughts on the Federal Discretionary & Pay Freeze”

Total comments to date = 177.

Why it Works: this topic affects a huge population in the GovLoop community, and possibly for the negative. Plus, it’s a potentially really strong negative – it’s their livelihood. It hits on a major nerve, and generates a ton of energy. For those who are not directly affected through their livelihood, it’s a super controversial topic that gets blood flowing.

Starting February 7, the General Services Administration will be piloting a 12-week course centering on social media in government. The course “aims to help new and aspiring social media practitioners understand the strategy and tools that will help them succeed in their roles” as described by Gadi Ben-Yehuda, who will be leading the charge. Each of the 12-week sessions will be 90 min in duration and divided into three parts: 1) a class discussion of an assigned reading; 2) a presentation by a guest lecturer; and 3) hands-on training on some type of social media tool or practice. You can download the full syllabus here.

What will you walk away with at the end of 12 weeks? You’ll learn how to:

• Evaluate the capabilities and limitations of social media generally and within government specifically
• Access and articulate the value of social media to leadership
• Determine the best social media channels for your organization based on goals and objectives
• Create, engage, and manage online communities

As participants begin to grasp new ways of thinking and begin to brew ideas for new initiatives in their own agencies, they can socialize their thinking in the GovLoop community and get real-time responses, support, and a sense of whether something might really float in the real-world.

You can get caught up the first six cool social media stats, tool, and books here. I searched high and low, near and far to bring you the next set. Enjoy!

Cool Find #7: 15 Commandments for Government Agencies on Twitter Guide. Shameless plug for my amazing GovLoop co-workers, but this guide “Thou Shalt Tweet” is super helpful for anyone working on social media initiatives in a government agency.

Cool Find #8: Embedding Tweets. Yesterday I was in a roundtable discussion with Adam Sharp, the Government/Politics lead for Twitter. He reviewed everything that is coming down the pike with the new Twitter. To sum up his review: I am ecstatic. But perhaps one of my favorite (albeit simple) features of the new Twitter is the capability to embed tweets. Yup, just like you can grab the embed code of images on Pinterest or videos on YouTube, soon (in the next couple of weeks), you’ll be able to embed tweets on any third-party website. Here’s the full scoop.

Cool Find #9: Ergoarchive. Does this sound familiar? You read a great article, watch a great video, and then a few days later you start racking your brain thinking: “where did I see that great stat, infographic, etc?” If it does, this tool called Ergoarchive might prove helpful. As described by the company: it keeps track of all your web stuff! It saves every web page, every update in your social streams to help you organize, archive and search your browsing history. It’s in the beta stage right now, but you can try it early by requesting an invite.

Cool Find #10: Copywriter’s Handbook. Ah, yes. I thought it was super important to include this book because while I’d love to recommend tons of other books on social media, perhaps we should first learn how to write, and edit. Otherwise, all the social media initiatives in the world won’t help us. At first I thought I’d recommend The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, a book that’s been on my desk since 8th grade, but this one is geared more for the web.

(Image source)

Cool Find #11: If This Then That. Or IFTTT. Here’s a really simplistic description by tech geek Scott Hanselman “IfThisThenThat lets all your online stuff work together to do way more interesting stuff.” Or, here’s the more technical description: “IFTTT is a cloud-based open-ended web workflow creator building on existing social APIs to create more sophisticated distributed aggregated tasks.” Basically, it allow you to create more efficient workflows. Here’s an example:

(Image source)

I know, I know, it sounds philosophical and a bit vague. But if this peaks your interest, read more about it, and you’ll see why this is super neat.

Cool Find #12: Tip for Government Agencies: Before writing the press release, at least agree on the first 140 characters. For my last cool find, I wanted to share not a tool, stat, or book with you, but a thought. And this one is specifically geared at agencies or anyone directly in the public eye. Yesterday, when I was in my roundtable with Adam Sharp, he was describing the pace at which Twitter moves. “Faster than earthquakes” he said, as we were all recalling how thousands along the east coast on August 23, 2011 heard about the earthquake on Twitter before they actually felt the tremors. So, if it’s true Twitter moves faster than earthquakes, what does that say about the PR office of a government agency waiting hours and hours to put out a press release on a particular subject? If news travels that fast, waiting for copy to get approved, WAY after an event happens is probably not good for the agency. Why? The agency most will be entering the conversation long after the news is on the wire. Adam’s recommendation? Before the press release, try to at least tweet the 140 characters you can agree on.

Want to rise up? Have a healthy, long, fulfilling career? Be a good communicator. All the brains, money, and effort isn’t enough if you can’t represent yourself well over your life.

I just read this wonderful article on the Top 10 Best and Worst Communicators of 2011 and from it distilled 16 communication tips to live by. What do you think? What else should be on the list?

(Image source)

DO’s:

1. Be consistent

2. Be energetic

3. Trumpet a direction

4. Speak from the heart

5. Know when to keep your mouth shut

6. Be multidimensionally creative and create unique experiences

7. Be graceful

8. Be different

DON’Ts:

9. Don’t deceive

10. Don’t NOT communicate

11. Don’t be erratic

12. Don’t not know basic stuff

13. Don’t talk with marbles in your mouth

14. Don’t be meek

15. Don’t be arrogant

16. Don’t try to please everyone

To continue the ongoing holiday theme of 12 -  I thought it would be helpful to share my favorite 12 social media stats, tools, and books that I’ve come across this week. You know – - instead of french hens or ladies dancing. Although french hens would definitely be neat. But I digress.

Here are 12 cool social media stats, tools, and books for your enjoyment. Note: I decided to break this post up into 2 parts. Why? Because (here’s a bonus stat), as mentioned at the recent conference #Tech11, on the average web page, users read at most only 28% of the words? [Source] Only 28%? Sad. So, in the spirit of keeping things brief, I’ll give you 1-6 today, and 7-12 tomorrow.

Cool Find #1: Digital Half-life. Drugs have a half-life. Radioactive nuclides have a half-life. [Nerd alert!] But did you know that you Facebook posts also have a half-life? Yes they do! According to this Facebook study by Visibli, Facebook posts receive 50% of their Likes within the first 1 hour 20 minutes of being published, 80% within the first 7 hours, and 95% within the first 22 hours.

(Image Source, Visibli)

Takeaways:

• 50% of your likes come within 80 min.
• 95% of your likes come within 22 hours.
  
• As the article points out, to avoid cannibalizing Likes from earlier posts, Facebook page owners may delay future posts until they have maximized engagement on previous ones.

Cool Find #2: How Users Actually View Your Facebook Page (Literally). In media, we’ve talked about the number of “eyeballs” on this and that for years. Well, this study conducted by EyeTrackShop, literally tracks eyeballs. Check out this article by Mashable for best practices on Facebook (and other sites such as LinkedIn, too).

(Image Source, Mashable)

Takeaways:

• Profile pictures matter. The site feature that attracted most attention on Klout, Facebook and StumbleUpon was the profile photo.
• Job title garnered more attention than profile photo on LinkedIn. In fact, it got more attention than anything else on the page.
• Who you know gets noticed. Even if for no better reason than their placement on the page, people do look at those little thumbnails of friends that appear on many social profiles.
• Content on top wins. The further something is down a page, the fewer number of people look at it.

Cool Find #3: New Twitter (#letsfly). Over the next few weeks (or now, if you download the new app on your iPhone or Android), Twitter will be rolling out a major redesign. There’s a great summary of all the changes in this Mashable article, and here’s a quick snapshot of what’s different:

Takeaway? Get the entire scoop here, but essentially Twitter hopes by adding three new buttons to its homepage, Home, @Connect and #Discover, it will simplify the user experience.

Cool Find #4: Federal Social Media Index. Do you work at a federal agency and want to know how your social media stacks up to others on a weekly basis? This index created by Expert Labs ranks agencies on their engagement levels.

Takeaway? The site is powered by ThinkUp and is updated weekly without intervention from humans, providing an unbiased snap-shot of which federal agencies are leading the charge with social media engagement.

Cool Find #5: The World of Social Media 2011.  I am always on the lookout for the latest stats on social media. Stats are powerful in conversation, presentations, and when trying to demonstrate the value to those still sitting on the “questionable fence.” Here’s an easy to follow video with the latest stats. Did you know that Facebook surpassed Google in the #1 most visited site on the web? Did you also know that 11% of the WORLD POPULATION has a Facebook account?

Takeaway? We live in a social media world. And it’s only increasing. Know the facts, and drive powerful conversations.

Cool Find #6: Book on importance of “Humanizing.” This book highlights why humanizing your organization is essential to flourishing in the digital age.

Takeaway? Pick-up a book this year that will give you some actionable accounts of moving towards a more human organization.

One of simplest strategies online community managers use to keep the community fire burning bright is to ignite conversations throughout the community. However, there are methods to ignite this discussion that will increase the chances that it will survive versus peter out in a few minutes.

Take a look at the very successful discussion below created by Paul from GovLoop and see if you can immediately spot the 4 successful things this discussion does. If you can’t spot them immediately, read on…

1. Formulate a discussion title that is interesting/catchy/negative, preferably in a question format (helps people know what to do – questions are easier to answer than a general comment).

2. Answer your own discussion question in a concrete, easily digestible way with enough context that a potential member could generate an answer for himself. Notice how Paul starts off with “Mine was a forward from my mother who had received an email…” To turn this around and show you what NOT to do…don’t leave the body of your discussion empty…you need to start the conversation off yourself…once you take the first dive into the pool others will be able to follow much more easily. Monkey see, monkey do…

3. If possible, add some substantiated data that contributes to why your question is important, and/or throw in a little piece of education in the discussion (double win for the reader). See how at the end of Paul’s post he cites a fact about sending emails from a documented source – the David Shipley book SEND: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do it Better.

4. Repeat the discussion question in the body of your post and put it in bold. Like leaving your phone # at the beginning and end of a voice mail, this makes it easier for the potential contributor to remember exactly what you are asking.

INNOVATION AT ITS BEST: CHALLENGE.GOV.

Government has made a ton of progress in innovation over the last few years. And many will find it hard to disagree that some of the most innovative citizen creations have been catalyzed and precipitated with the launch of Challenge.gov.

What is it? Challenge.gov is simply a place where the public and government can solve problems together. It is built on a platform that allows government to post challenges, drive citizens to bust some brain cells, submit solutions and vote, share the challenges with their friends, and win recognition. Just 14 months old, government agencies have posted over 100 challenges and been the spur of cool new apps and awareness to important issues.

LEARN MORE! CONVERSATION with CHALLENGE.GOV THIS THURSDAY, 11/10, 12:30pm EST:

Here’s some news just coming down the pike. This Thursday, November 10 at 12:30 EST, Karen Trebon, Deputy Program Manager, and Tammi Marcoullier, Program Manager, will be sitting down with Joseph Porcelli of GovDelivery to talk about how Challenge.gov got started, top lessons learned from federal agencies that have submitted challenges, and what they wish everyone knew about the platform. This live streamed discussion will be hosted on GovLoop.com. To join in, simply go to GovLoop’s homepage. If you have any questions or challenges, please contact lauren@govloop.com or reach out on Twitter @exilauren.

Follow live tweets at #Hi5Gov.

HOT OFF THE PRESS CHALLENGE.GOV CONTEST RESULTS:

At DCWeek today, members of government such as Aneesh Chopra celebrated the 5 winners of EPA’s Apps for the Environment contest that pulled in 38 total apps, 100+ ideas, and 2000+ votes. The winner of the best overall app is called “Light Bulb Finder” — an “app that makes it easy to switch from incandescent to energy-efficient light bulbs. It empowers users to make informed decisions based on their lighting needs and the financial and environmental impact of their choices. Using the app, the typical American home can cut their annual electricity bill by over $120 and environmental impact by 1,360 lbs. CO2″

GOVERNMENT CHALLENGE FUN FACTS:

While crowd-sourcing might be a term we think of as new to our current age of Twitter, IdeaScale, and Quora, government challenges actually have a VERY long history. As cited in a Washington Post article in January of this year, “in 1714, the British government offered 20,000 pounds to anyone who could devise a reliable way of measuring longitude at sea, a problem neither Newton nor Galileo could solve. (Clockmaker John Harrison won in 1773.) Napoleon offered a prize for innovations in food preservation for his army, leading to the development of modern canning. And the $25,000 Orteig Prize spurred Charles Lindbergh to make his transatlantic flight.” Too cool!

By Lauren Modeen, Manager of Digital Strategy, GovDelivery/GovLoop

Facebook Page Insights are now available to page owners. This is a significant improvement from the previous insights capability with lots of opportunity to dive into more granular data, learn more about what your audience wants, host better conversations, and reach more fans.

Here’s a fantastic guide for users just getting started. The guide covers 4 primary areas:

1. Understand the Overall Performance of Your Page
2. Optimize How You Publish to Your Audience
3. Learn More About Your Audience
4. Focus on Engaging Your Audience

NOTE: the new Page Insights is initially launching as a preview. To access it during the preview period, visit your Page, click “View Insights” on the right-hand side of the page, and then follow the instructions at the top of the Insights page.

On a related note, if you are interested in cost-effective digital communications, don’t miss a unique opportunity to hear David Kirkpatrick speak, author of The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That is Connecting the World. This complimentary breakfast will be held in Washington DC on Wednesday, October 19. Sign up today to secure your spot!

By Lauren Modeen, Manager of Online Strategy, GovLoop

A Community Manager has to be many things at once (hence the brain image). Here is my list of top 11 ingredients that make up the best community managers.

1. Listener: this person should be above all, a good listener. Hiring someone who only likes to hear him/herself speak won’t get you very far.

2. Reliable Gardener: often, the best community managers are outgoing, a little quirky, edgy, nerdy, or all of the above. These are good traits, but make sure they are also extremely reliable and conscientious. A community is a living, breathing entity, and needs a steady gardener and caretaker.

3. Passionate: find someone who gets fired up (in a positive way). When you interview or talk to a potential Community Manager, look for a twinkle in their eye when talking about the subject, increased pace of speaking, hands moving, etc. Community Management is hard, and often energy-draining (often you feel like you are constantly giving, policing without getting many direct positive affirmations in return), so you need someone who has a full tank of gas and can generate their own enthusiasms.

4. Serving: the community is for the community, not the Community Manager. He/she will facilitate conversations, be a concierge, gardener, knowledge-sharer, shepherd, and leader.

5. Curious: since a growing community must cater to more and more people, with more and more needs/desires/interests, it is important the Community Manager has a wide variety of interests/tastes so he/she can be highly curious about new topics, absorb knowledge, propose new ideas, and drive new relationships within the community.

6. Connector: every connection and interaction that happens within the community, no matter how big or small, drives to fuel the growth and overall health of the community. The Community Manager should be a natural connector, suggesting a particular member reaches out to another for XYZ reason, etc. This person should be part master-networker, part match-maker.

7. Policer: spam, negative and attacking content is bad news for a community. The Community Manager has to play the role of Policeman/woman and be a spam killing Daniel-san.

8. Round-the-Clock: community management is not a 9-5 job. People engage all day, every day of the week, and expect feedback when they are there. Try to find someone who loves community management enough that they do a fair amount of it in their spare time as well.

9. Relatable: if the Community Manager is unapproachable or patronizing, people will be reluctant to contribute. Find someone who is down-to-earth and makes people feel comfortable and want to take a seat at the table.

10. Experimenter: there is no 100% success road-map for any starting community. The Community Manager should be a fearless experimenter, idea-generator, and spaghetti thrower.

11. Instigator: find someone with a “just do it” attitude. He/she should instigate little conversation-fires everywhere, respond to as many member posts/questions as possible, and generally be “everywhere.”

(Image source = Get Satisfaction)