Community Glossary
90-9-1 Rule
A commonly accepted community framework that assumes 90% of your community will be passive, 9% active, and 1% power.
Ambassadors
Dedicated individuals who represent and promote a brand or community, often serving as advocates and facilitators.
Avatar
A digital or symbolic representation of a community member, often customizable to reflect their identity.
B2B Community
A community specifically tailored for business-to-business interactions, fostering collaboration and networking among professionals.
Badges
Digital markers awarded to community members for achievements, participation, or specific contributions, enhancing recognition and status.
Brand Community Platform
The digital space or platform where the brand community members connect, share, and engage.
Brand Community
A specialized community formed around a particular brand, where members share a common interest or loyalty to the brand.
Bumping
The practice of commenting on a post to bring it back to the top of the community feed or discussion, increasing visibility.
Challenges
Community-driven activities or initiatives that encourage members to participate, collaborate, or achieve specific goals, fostering engagement.
Community
A group of individuals sharing common interests, goals, or values, and connected through interaction and collaboration.
Community as a Service
Providing community management and engagement services as a dedicated offering, allowing businesses to leverage a pre-built community infrastructure.
Community-Based Marketing
Marketing strategies that involve leveraging a brand's community to promote products or services, often relying on user-generated content and word-of-mouth.
Community-Based Product
A product designed with input, feedback, and collaboration from its user community, ensuring it aligns closely with their needs and preferences. Can also refer to cases when community is the product.
Community Lifecycle
The various stages a community goes through, from inception and growth to maturity or decline, often including phases like launch, nurturing, scaling, and potentially revitalization or closure.
Community Manager
A person responsible for fostering and managing interactions within a brand community, ensuring a positive and engaging experience.
Community Outreach
Activities and initiatives designed to connect with and involve individuals outside the immediate community.
Community Recognition
Acknowledging and celebrating the contributions and achievements of community members.
Community Strategy
A comprehensive plan outlining the goals, structure, engagement tactics, and growth initiatives for a community. It involves defining the purpose, target audience, and desired outcomes, as well as establishing guidelines for moderation, content creation, and member participation.
Community Flywheel
A concept borrowed from business strategy, it represents the self-reinforcing cycle of community growth and engagement. Positive interactions and contributions lead to more engagement, creating a continuous loop that propels community development.
DAO
(Decentralized Autonomous Organization)
A form of organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program that is transparent, controlled by organization members, and not influenced by a central government. DAOs operate on blockchain technology and often use smart contracts for decision-making and governance processes.
DAU (Daily Active Users)
The number of users who engage with a community or platform on a daily basis.
Dunbar Number
A limit on the number of close friends or relationships someone can effectively handle. It's around 150, suggesting there's a natural limit to how many meaningful connections we can maintain.
Engagement
Active participation and involvement of community members in discussions, activities, or events.
Extrinsic Motivation
Motivation driven by external rewards or recognition.
Gamification
Applying game-like elements, such as points, badges, and challenges, to encourage engagement and participation within a community.
Gating
Controlling access to certain content or features within a community, often used to incentivize membership or progression. Also used to filter in ideal members.
Inactive Members
Community participants who have stopped engaging or contributing over a period of time.
MAU (Monthly Active Users)
The number of users who engage with a community or platform within a given month.
Member Lifecycle
The different stages a community member goes through, from onboarding to becoming a regular participant or potentially disengaging.
Minimal Viable Community
The smallest version of a community that still provides value to its members.
Moderation
The practice of overseeing and managing community interactions to maintain a positive and safe environment.
Intrinsic Motivation
Motivation driven by personal satisfaction, enjoyment, or a sense of purpose.
Onboarding
The process of introducing and integrating new members into a community.
OP
Original poster; The person who started a discussion or thread within a community.
Rewards & Incentives
Incentives provided to community members to encourage specific behaviors or contributions. Usually related to swag, network, access, and perks.
Rituals
Regular and symbolic activities or traditions within a community that strengthen its culture.
ROI
Return on Investment: The measure of the profitability or success achieved compared to the resources invested.
Social Identity Cycle
Refers to the process by which individuals develop and express their sense of identity within a social context. This cycle often includes three stages: identification, participation, and validation.
Social Capital
The systems, relationships, and institutions that support community life and well-being.
Social Tokens
Digital assets or tokens representing social value or recognition within a community.
SPACES Model
Codified by CMX, this is a framework for thinking the the various business outcomes a community can serve (Support, Product, Acquisition, Content, Engagement, Success)
Stickiness Ratio
A metric measuring the effectiveness of a community in retaining and engaging its members over time. Usually measure by Monthly Active Users (MAU) or Weekly Active Users (WAU) divided by Daily Active Users (DAU)
Support Communities
Communities specifically focused on providing guidance and troubleshooting. Most often found in SaaS companies.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Content created and contributed by community members rather than the platform or brand.
