World of Psychology

The Quality of Online Support Communities: People not Posts

By John M Grohol PsyD
December 29, 2006

I recently put the finishing touches on an article that examines some of the characteristics of a strong, quality online health community versus those that are weaker in group cohesiveness and sense of community togetherness. The upshot is that when it comes to online support, you should look for communities that:

  • Emphasize and reinforce internal rewards (not external rewards)
  • Have community ground rules that are enforced by a transparent team of impartial, fair moderators
  • Emphasize quality over quantity
  • Emphasize personal experiences and sharing over information re-publication (and duplicate posts)
  • Foster personal growth, learning and support through expert guides and editors

You can read the full article here:
The Quality of Online Support Communities: People not Posts


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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 29 Dec 2006

 


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