We try to help our clients understand that there is no magic number or ratio, instead the focus needs to be set on the value the community will provide. By using a gimic like this ratio, you set false expectations. If your ratio is too low, you focus on driving it higher to be in line. If your ratio is above it, you pat yourself on the back. But the key is the focus on the value the members are providing and that you are providing them. Audience, culture, content quality, platform, registration requirements, etc. all come into play when discussing activity levels within a community. Because the variables are so wide, there cannot be a true industry benchmark.

That’s why we instead have our clients focus upon three large buckets for determining success:

1. Traffic – Answers “Are we attracting the correct audience and enough of them?”
2. Behavior – Answers “Once the audience member finds us, what are they doing and is it beneficial to the community?”
3. Value – Answers “Does the activity within the community provide an economic value back to us? What value is provided back to the member? Is there a balance or are we out of synch?”

Because to us, it’s the value not the ratio that is important.

We’ll be discussing this a bit more in the context of B2B Social Media at InternetWorld in London April 27th at 1:00 pm in the Social Media Theatre. Please stop by and say hello!

Regards,
Mike

It all depends what you want to use this “rule” for.. in my piece I use it to help manage peoples expectations that not everyone that enrols will be proactive.. but the fact that they read is a low level of interaction – one way. many seem to think that will communities the adage “build it and they will come” stands – the 90-9-1 is a great metaphor for describing the reality they may expect

The 90-9-1 ‘rule’ is entirely irrelevant for online communities and is an observation gleaned from audiences and platforms like Wikipedia.