E-Media Tidbits

Amy Gahran Something rarely seen at tech/media conferences: an all-female panel. Welcome to BlogHer.

I'm in Chicago this weekend attending the third annual BlogHer conference for female bloggers. Right now I'm sitting in a session called "The Life Stages of Online Community." The speakers include Jane Goldman (editor of several CNET communities, including ChowHound), former CNN anchor and entrepreneurial journalist Carol Lin (who's starting a for-profit online community for families dealing with cancer), Betsy Aoki (one of Microsoft's top community managers), and Aliza Sherman (aka CyberGrrl, founder of WebGrrls International).

A few snippets of the ongoing conversation here. Lots of people are talking, so please excuse the lack of attribution at some points:

• Aoki: "You've got to watch out for moderator burnout -- especially [dealing with contentious discussions and criticism]. I created an alter-ego profile for the Live.com community called Norbert, a fish with a top hat and a British accent. He's our 'cod of conduct' who pops up and offers gentle, funny reminders for community members to stay civil. I find when I write posts as Norbert, my mood changes."

• Ways to attract people to your online community: Interview people. Seed the community with people who are already active in other relevant communities -- kind of like a new hair salon building business by recruiting stylists who have their own loyal clients.

• Turning lurkers into contributors: In any online community, only a small fraction (1-9 percent of members) will ever post at all, even just a comment. The first time anyone new speaks up, acknowledge them, respond to them, and treat them well. Lurkers watch these interactions closely. They want to see how you treat new voices before they decide to start talking."

...More later, it's time for lunch now!