Some online community predictions for 2012

2 January 2012 by Greg Lexiphanic | 2 Comments

Since we’re now officially in 2012, I thought I might drop some quick prediction bombs for the year. They’re not based on science but they are based on my observations of how things have been developing over the past year. So, let’s begin…

1. We’re going to see some very complicated but useless new online community tools
   They’ll exist to help you build a community but, frankly, they won’t be very good. They won’t be very good because, like most new community tools, they focus too much on the individual and not enough on the community.
2. Social commerce will be all the buzz in 2012
   People help other people buy things. Expect a lot more focus on this in 2012. Amazon’s been doing it for years and Facebook will make an impact on it this year.
3. 2012 will be the Year of the Online Community Manager
   Unfortunately, that also means it will be the year where every social media guru changes their title without changing their tune. That aside, expect to hear a lot of stories about new community sites that succeed because they listened to their online community manager instead of their marketing or IT managers.
4. We’ll understand what community is a bit better
   Right now, people use the word ‘community’ to refer to Facebook users, Twitter users, the recipients of broadcast-only email marketing and just about anything else. By the end of 2012, I think we’ll start to better understand that your Facebook fans, your Twitter followers and your eDM recipients aren’t communities at all.
5. More attention for niche communities
   Small, highly-specific communities are often the most successful ones. This has been the case for years but they’ve not received much attention. If you have a very specific interest, there’s a chance an online place exists for it. Expect to see more businesses attempt to create these in 2012 with varying degrees of success.
6. CCO: Chief Community Officer
   I’d like to think this will become a new executive position but it’s probably more of a 2015 thing. ;)

What do you think? Am I completely wrong? Did I miss anything? Share your thoughts in the comments.