Joitske Hulsebosch summarizes a Howard Rheingold video, about the skills you need to survive and thrive in the online world. Howard states that the online skills, the 21st century skills are no longer nice to have, but are essential survival skills. More at 5 Essential online survival skills by Howard Rheingold

David DeWald offers some contrary advice to those who say to build a community on the social media sites. I know the current mind set it to “go where they are”, but the reality is they are most likely there for reasons beyond engaging with you. More at Build Your Own Community – David Historian […]

The MarketingCharts staff share the results from research done by TailoredMail and StrongMail about email open rates on mobile devices. Looking solely at data from August and September of this year, the study reveals that while 33.8% of opens occurred on a mobile device, those devices accounted for just 10.9% of clicks. More at Mobile Email Opens and […]

Douglas Atkin shares some insights and tips on how to get new members into, and involved in your online community. At Meetup, we found that Member Profiles were one of the most highly trafficked places on the site. More at “ARE THEY LIKE ME?” “WILL THEY LIKE ME?” – The Glue Project

Deirdre Reid vents about trying to use her smartphone to view web sites. Have you ever pulled up a website on your phone and been frustrated by the tiny text and tabs? More at Think Responsive for Your Association Website « Reid All About It

Brad Orego summarizes and extends  Hampton Catlin's “6 Rules of Mobile Design” from the UXMad conference of 2012. Simplicity is a requirement. More at A Loose Heuristic for Mobile Design – UX Booth | UX Booth

Steve Radick reviews the recent Fast Company article about Pinterest, and how they started out with role models, not necessarily those with the highest social media influence. Silbermann's tactic of starting his community with role models isn't new. This is a tactic that I've used when building online communities behind corporate firewalls. More at Start […]

Leanne Chase points out that a school is not a business, but they still need to manage expectations amongst all the changes going on in their community. Effective communication = comfort and trust. More at Lessons on Community Management From an Elementary School

mik0ton succinctly sums up the importance of this document, for a successful online community. The Community Charter clarifies for its members the general framework necessary for a successful launch, cultivation, and growth of the group. More at Community Charter « Stop, Collaborate and Listen

Jeff Hurt reviews some thoughts from Professor Jeff Grabill’s research, Revisualizing Composition: Mapping the Writing Lives of First-Year College Students. Did you know that texting is the number one form of writing today among Millennials? More at Millennials Favor Texting, Do Not Value Email