{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "What’s in a Name? “Communities” in the Public and Private Sectors |Digital.gov",
    "description": "What’s in a Name? “Communities” in the Public and Private Sectors",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/15/whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"What\u0026#8217;s in a Name? \u0026#8220;Communities\u0026#8221; in the Public and Private Sectors","summary" : "Many of you are part of a government community. We lead a few of them here, and new ones are forming all the time. In fact, as I was writing this article, I stumbled upon a community for government Drupal users. A co-worker recently asked me for research on communities because she is trying to","date" : "2015-07-15T10:00:21-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"ktrebon" : "Karen Trebon"},"topics" : {
        
            "analytics" : "Analytics",
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "professional-development" : "Professional development",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-07-15-whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/07/2015-07-15-whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/07/2015-07-15-whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/07/2015-07-15-whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors.md","slug" : "whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/15/whats-in-a-name-communities-in-the-public-and-private-sectors/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eMany of you are part of a government community. \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/\"\u003eWe lead a few of them here\u003c/a\u003e, and new ones are forming all the time. In fact, as I was writing this article, I stumbled upon a \u003ca href=\"https://www.drupalgovcon.org/drupal-govcon-2015/community\"\u003ecommunity for government Drupal users\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/07/600-x-400-Different-teams-cogal-iStock-Thinkstock-123211708.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Different teams of stick figures in brightly colored circles\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003ecogal, iStock, Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eA co-worker recently asked me for research on communities because she is trying to increase the sense of community among her program’s customers. Her question made me realize that the public and private sectors use communities in different ways. Check out the \u003ca href=\"https://www.forrester.com/search?tmtxt=communities\u0026amp;N=10003\u0026amp;range=504001\"\u003ematerial written about private communities\u003c/a\u003e. Here’s roughly how they work:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThey are sometimes called Market Research Online Communities. For example, a company might form a community of new parents to get their opinions on baby formula. Mom and Dad may get free or discounted merchandise in exchange.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.forrester.com/kim-celestre\"\u003eForrester analyst Kim Celestre\u003c/a\u003e notes on their \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.forrester.com/kim_celestre/15-06-22-forresters_2015_social_depth_platforms_wave_sets_the_bar_for_the_next_generation_of_branded_communiti\"\u003eblog\u003c/a\u003e that some branded communities use social depth platforms, so that customers can write blogs and reviews, give ratings, and ask questions in online forums. This seems to be the dominant model these days. Celestre points out that the brand MUST \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.forrester.com/kim_celestre/13-02-22-you_get_out_of_your_community_what_you_put_into_it\"\u003estay engaged with and nurture the community\u003c/a\u003e, and be careful to \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.forrester.com/kim_celestre/12-11-28-jump_start_your_online_community\"\u003ehave a strategy before selecting tools and technology\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSome private sector communities have less of a profit motive. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/analytics\"\u003eGoogle Analytics users\u003c/a\u003e can go to a forum and ask questions of each other. This is good for Google, because it \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.forrester.com/zachary_reiss_davis/13-02-14-the_roi_of_owner_communities\"\u003elowers costs\u003c/a\u003e in terms of the amount of customer service they have to provide. Some users \u003cem\u003eprefer\u003c/em\u003e forums over getting service from a company.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are a few ways that government and private communities are alike. Check out this \u003ca href=\"http://info.dnnsoftware.com/rs/dotnetnuke/images/21-Valuable-Ways-Marketers-Use-Communities.pdf?utm_source=Early9\u0026amp;utm_medium=email\u0026amp;utm_campaign=core_nurture\u0026amp;mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonu6rJde%2FhmjTEU5z16uwsWKC%2FgJ541El3fuXBP2XqjvpVQcRnMLvYDBceEJhqyQJxPr3CKdgNwNtuRhDiAQ%3D%3D\"\u003einfographic on how to utilize communities\u003c/a\u003e, and you’ll see that there are many things both sectors can do:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoth can co-create through communities. What better way to improve or create a product or service than to ask current or potential users? For example, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/web-content-managers/\"\u003eWeb Content Managers\u003c/a\u003e frequently reach out to other community members to test the new version of a website. Showing that you are open to feedback goes a long way.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoth can share information. Private sector communities can blog and ask questions, and so can we. Many of you have written articles for \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/\"\u003eDigitalGov,\u003c/a\u003e or asked a question on one of our community listservs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeing too self serving is one \u003cem\u003edon’t\u003c/em\u003e in both public and private communities. If members get the impression that they are being used for sales purposes or to increase numbers, they will leave. As \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/06/the-content-corner-creating-good-content-is-hard/\"\u003eTy Manuel wrote\u003c/a\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003egood content is key\u003c/strong\u003e because it gets shared, builds relationships and establishes trust.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting more involved in a community is a great way for federal employees to do their jobs better and grow their careers. Here are some ways you can get started:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/about/contribute/\"\u003eShare your knowledge by writing articles for DigitalGov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJoin \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/07/wont-you-help-your-neighbor-communities-theme-month-on-digitalgov/\"\u003ecommunities, so you can learn from everyone\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncrease your skills by trying out online tools for communities. For example, GSA employees use Salesforce Chatter, and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/dap/\"\u003eDigital Analytics Program customers collaborate on Yammer\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave a skill you don’t get to use everyday at work? Federal agencies post tasks they need done through the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/open-opportunities/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities Program\u003c/a\u003e. From there, you can create a profile on the \u003ca href=\"https://openopps.digitalgov.gov/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities site\u003c/a\u003e and join their LinkedIn group.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTake advantage of \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/digitalgov-university/\"\u003eevents where you can network with communities\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave you taken part in a government or private sector community? Write us, and let us know how it was beneficial.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}