18 ways to engage your online community

I've just finished reading "18 Ways to Engage Users Online: A Guide for Community Managers," a short eBook (eight pages) from GOLO.com managing editor Angela Connor.

It's a quick and easy read -- and a good one. Whether you're a longtime community manager or a newcomer to the profession, you're sure to come away with some practical recommendations that will apply to your own community.

Here are a few suggestions from Angela that stood out to me:

Encourage communication between members
Just like the host of a good party, a community manager works to connect members with similar interests to each other.

For example: If Kevin posts about his plans to attend a NASCAR race in Miami this weekend and Kathy is asking on a separate forum how she might score tickets to the event, a plugged-in community manager will spot the link and introduce Kathy to Kevin.

Acknowledge good work publicly
From Angela:

When you come across a great blog, interesting comment or great photo, send your compliments to the author, and do it publicly on their profile page or directly on the content. Remember, you’re the community leader and your opinion matters a great deal. So don’t be stingy with it. Positive reinforcement goes a long way, and it will make that member feel valued and vested

Get to know the community
On the surface, your members may be coming together around a product or service from a brand, but what really keeps them coming back again and again is the strength of the personal connections they make within the community.

As a community manager, you can help build those relationships by learning -- and then talking about -- just what makes your members tick. Is it their kids? Their job? Their church? Their pets? Dig into the topics that really matter to your community, and the members will stick around.

To read Angela's daily insights into community management, follow her on Twitter (@CommunityGirl) and on her Online Community Strategist blog.