Design to Thrive: Creating Social Networks and Online Communities that Last
"This book provides the necessary antidote to the thoughtless, random and in too many cases desperate nature of many of today's attempts to build online communities."- Carl Zetie, Strategist, IBM"Howard's theoretical stance is firmly grounded in a lifetime of practical experience which makes fascinating and sometimes very amusing reading. Have you ever wondered why some networks and communities thrive and others fail? Read this book and find out."-Dr. Jurek Kirakowski, Senior Lecturer, Human Factors Research Group, Cork, Ireland"Professionals in technical communication will find this book packed with relevant information, especially given the evolving role of communicators in new media. Writers and editors can put best practices to use in working with their employers, with clients, or within their own professional lives."--Angel Belford,Technical Communication, Volume 58, Number 1, February 2011"This important work fills a gap in the literature in its proposal of methods to fuse technology with practical community growth and sustainability. [Howard] more than knows the subject, considering the very prominent place he holds in the human computer interaction and usability communities. [Howard] very smoothly conveys his thoughts in an eloquent, easily accessible manner that any level of reader would be able to penetrate.. This surprisingly deep yet easily readable book seamlessly incorporates the research of people such as Bruce Tuckman, Leon Festinger, and Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, among others. Highly recommended. All levels of academic and professional readers, especially those who create and maintain online communities."--CHOICE