It seems odd to critique a program that just gave $5,000,000 to non-profits, but that’s exactly what I’m about to do. The Chase Community Challenge ended on Friday with some happy people and more controversy. You’re connected to the Challenge if you ever dated someone in high school who was a friend of a friend who went on to be the cousin of a guy’s college roommate who started a non-profit. Such connections earned you dozens of emails, facebook messages and tweets begging for your vote. As much as I appreciate Chase donating so much money to so many non-profits (100 were whittled down from 5,000) and as much as I don’t actually mind voting for people who ask me, there was a misfire here. The non-profits that enter these contests must be happy or things tend to go poorly. Remember: they’re more than purveyors of positive sentiment, they’re also the loudest when they feel wronged or unhappy. You have to leave them happy and moneygrabs aren’t the best way to do that.

That’s not to say these contests can’t be useful to non-profits. Those that could use both money and exposure get it. I didn’t know the “Feel Your Boobies Foundation” existed before the challenge. Not only do I now know they exist, but that they are headquartered a short drive from a family member that could benefit from their services. I tell that family member and offline action ensues. If they win money, that helps too.

The problem is that I see them becoming more and more less useful. Non-profits (and their supporters) are starting to show signs of VBCB (Vote-Base Contest Burnout). Do you know how hard it is for many of these (*generalization alert*) super nice, wouldn’t hurt a fly, non-competitive, non-profit leaders to BEG their friends, family and supporters for votes over and over again? The first time is exciting and exhilarating. The next time a little less so until finally it becomes a painstaking “I know I bug you all the time, but” email that scrapes the bottom of their social capital piggy bank. In the end, you run the risk of them not liking you very much regardless of the opportunity.

If you want to build actual brand ambassadors using this formula here’s one simple way these contests can evolve to bring all the good (and more) with less of the bad.

Don’t make it all about the money.

Only 2% of all Chase participants won money and that’s actually pretty high. Future contests need to start from the premise of “how do we bring value to the other 98%?”

You have to give people a reason to participate beyond the money. Better yet, don’t make it about the money at all. Until about a year ago I was the community manager at Ideablob – a vote-based contest platform that granted $10,000 a month, but also crowdsourced and encouraged new ideas. Actually, we were a crowdsourcing platform that used the $10,000 a month prize to encourage people to participate. A vote was great, but how about a piece of advice that could fundamentally alter the way I think about my organization or services? That’s priceless. We also worked hard to understand each participant and actively looked for ways to grow community through introductions between users or an industry expert. We wanted every user to feel like they were a part of a larger, valuable, energetic community of organizations working to improve some aspect of our world. We worked to grow their social capital, not just give them a reason to spend it. Whether they won or lost (*generalization alert*), they loved us for it.

After Chase finalist Jessica Rauch won $10,000 on Ideablob for The Generation Project she told Beth Kanter about her experience and didn’t mention the money:

“The website is such a great way to connect with entrepreneurs. We received some really great advice and encouragement and met a lot of people who want to help us develop our idea.”

That’s exactly how we wanted people to feel. Users had an intangible benefit from participating and their satisfaction meant we both benefited in the end.

So what do you think? Am I off-base here? Does VBCB exist? Please comment and let me know. Also, stay tuned for a post later this week on some things brands should keep in mind if they decide to dive into similar contests.

“All you have to do is follow three simple rules. One: never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected. Two: take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it’s absolutely necessary. And three: be nice. If somebody gets in your face and calls you a [insert insult here], I want you to be nice. Ask him to walk, be nice. If he won’t walk, walk him. But be nice. If you can’t walk him, one of the others will help you. And you’ll both be nice. I want you to remember that it’s a job. It’s nothing personal.”

When managing a community there are many times when someone will try their best to disparage your brand, organization, leadership or product. People find dozens of rational and more often irrational reasons to tell your constituents and anyone who will listen that the brand you represent is a close cousin with the devil himself. In a few minutes the accusation is shared on every single mainstream social media tool in the world, including your own community. How do you respond?  I ask myself, What Would Dalton Do?

First, don’t underestimate the person behind the vitriol – no matter how nonsensical they seem. Ignoring them might be the first step you take hoping they’ll just go away, but it might not be that simple and you shouldn’t presume it to be. You shouldn’t also make the mistake of thinking that just because their accusations are simple-minded that they aren’t capable of more complex attacks, including drafting friends and colleagues to their cause. In short, don’t knee-jerk, bring out the heavy PR firepower, but don’t simply wish it away. Chances are they aren’t going anywhere soon. So what do you do?

Take it outside. Getting into an online shouting match within your community or a social media platform is not a smart way to go. You will end up looking like a petty bully who foolishly took the bait. Many communities require personal information like email and sometimes even phone numbers. If you have the person’s phone number, give them a call, introduce yourself and ask them to elaborate more on their beef. If you can’t call them directly, email them an impossibly friendly note asking the same. Disarm them. Make sure you’re prepared to have anything you write to them thrown back in your face. If they post your email with their own snarky commentary you will look like the victim if your note was nothing more than friendly, empathetic and genuinely concerned with their issue. “But I want to tell them to go to hell!” Don’t do it.

BE NICE. Dalton picked up where Shakespeare left off in the 1590s in The Taming of the Shrew. You have to kill them with kindness. Don’t be a push over, of course. As Dalton says, feel free to walk them out of your community (give them the boot), but be nice while you do it. Remember, you are trying to foster a community. You’re the mayor, the principal, the head honcho. If you want your community to be filled with nice people you need to lead by example. The easiest way to be nice is to not take anything personally. You pour your heart and soul into fostering your community and it’s hard to hear someone openly disparage it, but you can’t take it personally. If you do, you’ll easily join them on the low road and trade immature zingers until you realize it’s gotten you nowhere (except in the blogosphere). In the end, you’ll wish you followed Dalton’s sage advice. If you do, you’ll suffer some scars here and there, but in the end you will come out stronger and wiser.

How have you successfully dealt with a troublesome user? Did you close their account and wipe your hands of the situation? Were you able to turn them around and move forward? Did you ignore them and let the problem successfully take care of itself?

SocialHerder received an email this afternoon from someone we’ve never met in person, but connected with several months ago over threaded comments at change.org. At the time, we exchanged brief, but interested conversation. Having learned about SocialHerder, they came out of the woodwork today and offered to connect us with a potential client looking for online community management. That’s a lucky break for a lot of companies. For us, it’s an important reminder that each person you meet – online or offline – is a substantive opportunity to connect, learn and grow. That understanding is a basic tenant for any online community manager.

In the busy world of online communities it can be a challenge to stop, listen and make a genuine connection. Do it every chance you get. Your community will strengthen and you never know when one of your members will pop up, surprise and connect you.   

In our offices here at SocialHerder there’s a quote on the wall that reads, “You can always tell how smart a person is by their willingness to ask questions.” We live by that philosophy, so when we started SocialHerder – a company focused on providing high-impact online community management – we started with questions: Why does SocialHerder exist? To put it another way, does the world need SocialHerder? In short, yes – and so does your organization.

In 2007, William Azaroff (head of Web Engagement & Banking at Canada’s largest credit union, Vancity) described for NetBanker.com the importance of hiring a community manager for social media projects. Azaroff dispelled the myth that an organization’s marketing department can activate various social media channels and then sit back and reap the rewards. Instead, he explains that, “If you’re going to invite the public to play, make sure you have someone who can help create the kind of community you want.” He goes on to emphasize that, “Whether or not hard dollars are spent launching a social media project, someone needs to manage the initiative and ensure that it achieves its goals.” We couldn’t agree more.

SocialHerder exists to provide organizations of any shape and size the ability to capitalize on opportunities that social media tools can offer. With backgrounds, experiences and skills in an array of industries, we’re here to help you make the most out of your initiatives and achieve your goals. In the coming days, weeks, months, and years, we plan to do just that. Think we can help you? Just shoot us an email and ask.