Creating communities in fields such as health, food and fashion is one of the elements that make social media work. At the Social Media Week, a discussion was held on these diverse communities and the manner in which they operate.
Anupam Behara, an analyst and founder of the Bangalore Foodies club and diehard foodie, Shalini Chopra, beauty blogger at Stylish by Nature and Dr. Gladson Jackson, founder of Attitude Prime participated in the discussion.
Talking about how these communities began, Anupam says, “I am an admin at the Bangalore Foodies Club and Bangalore Thirst Club. I started these groups since I like good food and drink.” Similar passions drove Shalini Chopra and Gladson Jackson to set up communities dedicated to fashion and health respectively.
On the communities powering social media, Anupam says, “I would say that it works both ways. It gives likeminded people an opportunity to meet and mingle with each other. It helps one pick up new styles and learn more about specific issues related to a common topic of interest.”
Fashion was always in her mind and Shalini is relived that social media gave her an opportunity to showcase her skills and network. “I do not know what I would have been doing, if it was not for the blog and social media. It helps me interact with people and bring in more networking that draws attention to some of the work I do.”
Gladson Jackson contends that online communities help spread the message and ensure that smaller brands and companies get noticed. “I have seen that some of the products we sell are lapped up by people from abroad who have heard good things about our products from communities online.”
Jackson has a piece of warning. “I have also seen that minor issues are often overplayed. A thread talking about the unfortunate death of a biker in England soon become one where people were talking about biking being a health issue. I had to step in and clarify with examples of how biking was a very normal activity and does not result in fatalities if proper care is taken.”
Anupam adds, “We have had many posts where angry customers post a bad review about a restaurant and negative publicity often gets amplified. At times, restaurants try and engage, while in some cases, things get messier. As admins of this group, we try to ensure that such escalations do not happen.”
“We do not moderate any conversations on food. It is only bad pictures and the occasional spam posts that get deleted. We try and engage with private brands in a way that lets us gain something out of the venture.”
The trio contended that it was very necessary for online groups to have a presence offline. “It is important to conduct meetups, talk about your areas of interest and have a brainstorming session once in a while. If all your interaction is online, people tend to lose interest over a period of time.” says Anupam.
“We have a runners group that meets very regularly. If those meetings did not happen, it would have faded away. Personal connect is vital in ensuring growth of such communities.” concluded Jackson.
