Should the Door to Your Community be Open or Closed?

Online communities are places for people to gather in a digital space to talk through ideas, connect with one another, and find answers to common problems. Well executed communities create a sense of belonging that can’t be replicated in any other online space and can help to create a connection to the organization that may not have existed otherwise. But should that connection be reserved only for members?Most associations have a target segment that they cater to. They build their products and services around those segments and innovate on their behalf based on their needs. And online community fits nicely into that equation because it provides an opportunity to obtain insight into what members want/need, right-in-time developments in a specific area or topic, and ways to communicate with the market when feedback is needed quickly. All of these are valuable and important, but should you only be hearing from your members? Let’s look at the case for open versus closed communities*, and whether there’s a happy medium.*For the purposes of this post, open and closed communities refer to whether or not paid membership is required to access the community and participate.Leave the door open!Open communities allow anyone to join. All that would be required is a login to access the content and features of the site and members are off to the races. They can create their own blogs, contribute to conversations and content that matters to them, and make connections that benefit them in the long run. This is a great way for an association to have a broad reach to those with a particular interest or in a specific industry.The hiccup here is that it doesn’t necessarily help you serve your target market. Yes, you’re gaining valuable insights right from ground zero, but how do you filter out what’s relevant to your segments and then guide them back to the association to consume the products and services you’ve created? It’s like casting your net into the ocean hoping to catch a specific kind of fish without knowing whether that’s where they swim. You’ve heard the saying that you can’t be everything to everyone, and I believe that the same goes for online communities.This is not to say that there’s no value to associations with open online communities. Healthcare associations can provide tremendous value by serving those with medical conditions who are looking for a place to talk or for people who can understand what they’re experiencing. When evaluating whether your community should be open, be mindful of its purpose and plan accordingly.Close the door (and get off my lawn)!Closed communities are generally off limits to anyone who doesn’t have a membership with the association. It’s like an invitation to an exclusive party. Everyone there knows all about your association, they’re heavily invested in your mission and believe in the work that you do. They know who your founders are, advocate on your behalf without prompting, and will pay their dues religiously year after year. It’s an association utopia.What’s missing is an objective viewpoint. All the people who are contributing to your community have already drank the proverbial association Kool-Aid and are on board. And yes, they may push back if they feel you’re making a decision that’s not in the best interest of the membership, but that’s the only point of view you’re getting. You could possibly be missing out on what’s new in the market because the content and conversations that your community members are providing strongly align with your association’s direction and overall strategy unless your supplementing that with some other form of outreach or touch point.Case in point, the association I work for had a previous community of practice model that was only open to our members. The content the CoPs produced could only align with our standards and certifications and the CoP councils (volunteers appointed to run those CoPs) were mainly happy to do it because they believed that strongly in our mission. Fast forward to our current community model and, early on, our members questioned content by other contributors asking, “does this align with the standard?” and “this is not what’s in the exam content outline so why is it being published?” It took a bit of time, but we’re no longer seeing those types of comments. More on that later.Don’t get me wrong, closed communities can be great opportunities for associations to test new products and obtain feedback from their membership in an environment where information won’t be leaked to the rest of the world prematurely. These members have a history with you, are invested your cause, and are interested the association’s growth. A closed online community can serve as a great incubator for creating valuable products and services that you will know, without any doubt, they want. That said, unless your sole purpose is to create a space for your members to interact as a part of the overall member benefit (see exclusive party reference above), you run the risk of cutting off other lines of thought, innovation, and experience that can help your association broaden it’s reach and grow. You also risk stifling the growth of your community.You can come in, but you need a pass to go backstageWe’ve talked about open communities and closed communities, but we haven’t talked about whether there’s a happy medium. And I believe there is.As I stated before, the association I work for had closed communities for a long time. Our members told us they needed more, and we listened. Our current community model has hybrid access. Anyone can register on our site and participate in the community. They can contribute to discussion posts, read articles and blogs, and even download certain content. They can get value out of the community, even if they don’t have a membership with the association. However, for those who have made the commitment to paying member dues, there are perks. Members can join the community and access premium content like live/on-demand webinars, member-only day long virtual conferences, and premium templates to help them do their jobs better.The mix of people within the community gives those within the profession that we serve a place to have conversations about successes and challenges and allows them to consume content that will help them be more successful. It nurtures conversations that holistically address challenges from an industry standpoint and not just from the lens of those who have chosen to pay membership dues. It exposes non-members to the benefits of membership without a hard sell and gives them the opportunity to join if they see the value in it.From an association standpoint, it gives insight into what’s going on in the market, what direction the profession is heading in, and what practitioners have a need for (not just our members) which, in turn, helps strengthen our standards and thought leadership. Oh, and by the way, it creates a trust that we are, in fact, here to serve them as professionals, regardless of membership status. That’s hugely important.When all is said and done, you have to evaluate the purpose of your community and align it with your organization’s strategy. Trying to figure all of this out without greater insight can compromise the value of your community, not only to your association, but to those that join the community. The community experience can’t feel disjointed. Build your community so that it feels like home to those you serve, whether you choose to leave the door open or closed.Is your community open, closed, or a mix of both? Is that working for your association? Why or why not?