1- Will Channelfuse turn into a money-making venture for a corporation ?

Ans – The primary purpose will be to develop the individual site (and the network in collective) into high-value online assets. The idea will be to attain self-sustainability in the shortest period of time, as well as setting up a system where the entire network works as a well-oiled machine. The burden of generating revenue will NEVER fall on the members, and ALL the forums will be free and run by volunteers and members themselves.

2- What will be the immediate tasks and role for the new administration ?

Ans- What we realized at Channelfuse is – it’s a wonderful idea only if implemented well. The major problems arise due to  – lack of communication , lack of funding, lack of technical support and delays caused due to any of these listed reasons. We hope to plug all these issues as soon as possible. Channelfuse will have it’s own back-end development center with tech support available 24/7 .  We will have 3 top designers, 3 coders, 3 marketing/SEO experts , 1 Senior Community Manager and 1 Project Manager.

The entire office is being set-up at this very moment, and we shall be fully operational from mid-March. Meanwhile, we will communicate with all the volunteer staff and members on the sites and discuss and plan on how to take the communities to the next level.

3- Will you be selling any site ?

Ans- We’re merely the custodian of these communities, not the ‘owner’. The site truly belong to the members, and not us. So, no. Selling any site is totally out of the question.

4- Will you be acquiring any site ?

Ans- Yes. Although we are yet to target any specific site for acquisition, we’ll set up a team that will help us acquire the best suited community to join our network.

5- Will Amit be involved in the network ?

Ans- Yes. Since the network was his idea, we would require his input and experience at the network’s disposal. He will act as a liaison in the initial few months, before he moves higher up into the management team.

6- What happens to the existing volunteers (admins and moderators) ?

Ans- Once we establish contact with them and initiate daily communication, we will be better placed to assist them manage the community. We have no plans to change the structure or designation of the volunteers on any site.

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( The above QnA will be updated every few hours. In case you have any query, suggestion or complaint, please feel free to email me directly at management@channelfuse.com . )

The web is one big community. People create content, comment on other people’s content and create more content, which ends up creating a “conversation.”  

Sometimes, these conversations are categorized and based solely on one topic with sub-conversations. Eventually, the conversation gets so loud and happens so quickly that those involved in the conversation need a little help in making sense of the noise.

This is where the role of an online community manager comes into play. These passionate, educated and dedicated professionals have a tough job in trying to make sense of the content mess and meet the needs of the members of their community.

However, with a slew of tools available at the fingertips, sometimes community management can get automated — stripping the community of exactly that — the community. It, in essence, becomes a big Wikipedia page filled with opinions, links and clutter. Tools can help clean the clutter, but to get the members of the community excited and engaged, the human element can’t be ignored.

You see, people drive the success and, at times, the failure of the community. It’s the community manager’s job to sense when there needs to be life pumped into the conversation or when to deviate in order to continue to spin wheels.

Managers shouldn’t take for granted that a community will understand their motivation either — especially if, for some reason, they don’t like them. The key here is absolute transparency and honesty, regardless of the situation.

At the end of the day, good online community management comes down to being able to listen, react in a timely fashion and provide top notch customer service.  What does that really mean, you might ask? Well, think about the people you’re serving. At the end of the day, it’s all about them.

Read more: http://technorati.com/blogging/article/people-come-first-in-online-community/#ixzz15nM7d3Wg

1. Passives – who seek effortless entertainment and information
2. Actives – who participate in activities and topics created by others
3. Motivators – who create topics and plans activities of interest to other members
4. Caretakers – serve as intermediaries between members and staff, and are usually seasoned motivators.

We reckon that around 85% of them would be passives, 12 % actives, 2.5% motivators and 0.5%will be caretakers. Total time spent within the community is dominated by the actives are motivators. These are the people who create the majority of the content, which attracts the 85% of passives who represent the bulk of the participants. The care and feeding of these leasers is critical to the success of the community.

An important goal of community development is to move people from passive readers to active contributors.

In the end, virtual communities, although they rely on a variety of technologies., they are about people. They represent a new kind of social institution that provides new ways for individuals with common interests to meet and interact with each other.

1. Cohesion: the sense of there being a group identity and that an individual belongs to the group
2. Effectiveness: the impact that the group has on the member’s lives and the outside world.
3. Help: the perceived ability of members to ask for and receive various kinds of assistance
4. Relationships: the likelihood of group members interacting individually, including forming friendships
5. Self-regulation: the ability of the group to police itself
6. Participation: the extent to which each member’s view are respected and involved in developing the community and the website

“ In deciding to participate, management should be certain that they have staff resources with the expertise/information that will be of interest of the community, and hat these staff members have the interactive skills to represent the organization effectively within the community.”

The interaction between the staff and member can be very valuable, but with a little risk, since we would be potentially exposed to the commentary of critics and unhappy members. How we respond, to these critiques will be carefully watched by other members of the community.  If we are not prepared to respond promptly to the queries, it could develop a reputation as an organization that does not stand behind its information.

On the other hand, through effective participation, the organization can build a base of support among community members that yields loyalty and goodwill for the organization.

We hope we can be flexible and caring enough towards our members. Since it is they who decide the future of Channelfuse. We are merely supplying the platform !!

Age, Location, Qualification ..  are no bar. All we need are enthusiasts who love to communicate. Friendly people with a special talent to be able to bond with other members, admininster the board, help it grow and be a part of this adventure.

Did we mention, there is money involved ! Email us to know more .

Amit

ChannelFuse is in the business of fostering global conversations. We have over 250 premium domains that will soon serve as avenues for like-minded individuals to communicate. More than a network of forums, we are advocates of free speech and fun exchanges.

We invite you to hop in and talk with us through our wide range of forums and discussion boards.

Over the next few months, we will launch a series of top quality forums on multiple topics. We do not bound ourselves to specific categories, and will run forums on everything from technology, sports, lifestyle, religion ,business and more…

Stay tuned !!

  ]]> http://www.channelfuse.com/channelfuse-launched/feed 0 http://www.channelfuse.com/channelfuse-launch http://www.channelfuse.com/channelfuse-launch#comments Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:02:46 +0000 Amit http://www.channelfuse.com/channelfuse-launch From cops and medics, to dog lovers and trendsetters, right up to bankers and entrepreneurs – everyone comes together at ChannelFuse. We have over a hundred high quality premium domain names that will serve as the landing pad of global communities.

We pride ourselves in having topnotch designers, coders, admins, and content providers that are dedicated to giving our communities the best online hangout. More than providing our global users with the opportunity for diverse talks and dynamic discussions, we give them the full spotlight by allowing them to take the reigns on their boards. This not only builds a more personal relationship between our members, but it ensures that our forums continue to remain dynamic, ever-changing, and never boring.

The ChannelFuse Network is not just in the business of creating forums. We are working towards a vision of bringing communities together.