Online Community Tips: Motivating Community Engagement  🔗 **Source:** [Online Community Tips: Motivating Community Engagement](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #community-management #intrinsic-motivation #behavioral-economics > author: Jono Bacon > source: Discourse Blog > reference: https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/ > date created: 2024-12-19 14:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: Enough With the Water Bottles and T-shirts: Motivating Community Engagement > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Identify specific behaviors to reward before planning swag — focus on first-time actions and value-adding contributions #community-management - [H2] Implement intrinsic rewards like personal thank-you notes and public recognition — validation costs only time #intrinsic-motivation - [H3] Design unique extrinsic rewards that are meaningful to recipients — move beyond generic swag #behavioral-economics ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [Discourse Trust Levels Documentation](https://discourse.org) - [People Powered by Jono Bacon](https://peoplepowered.org) ## 📝 Summary - Community managers often skip crucial steps when rewarding members, jumping straight to generic swag without strategic thinking - A three-step process prioritizes identifying valuable behaviors, delivering intrinsic validation, then meaningful extrinsic rewards - Intrinsic motivation through personal recognition and validation is more effective than generic swag - Trust Levels in platforms like Discourse provide natural milestones for recognition - Creative, personalized rewards create stronger community bonds than standard promotional items ## 📖 Main Content Jono Bacon argues that effective community engagement rewards require a strategic three-step approach rather than defaulting to generic swag. Drawing from behavioral economics, he emphasizes that humans are predictable in their need for recognition and validation. Step 1 involves identifying specific behaviors worth rewarding - either first-time actions (like speaking at an event) or value-adding contributions (creating tutorials or content). Many communities fail by not clearly defining what deserves recognition. Step 2 focuses on intrinsic rewards that provide validation through personal thank-you notes, public recognition in newsletters or social media, LinkedIn endorsements, or similar acknowledgments. These cost-effective approaches address the universal human need for validation. Step 3 covers extrinsic rewards where creativity matters more than expense. Instead of water bottles and t-shirts, Bacon suggests personalized items like organic dog treats for pet lovers, commissioned artwork, or Cameo videos from the recipient's heroes. The approach leverages platform features like Discourse Trust Levels, which automatically segment members based on participation, providing natural reward milestones at levels 2 and 3. ## 🗒️ Notes #### Key Framework: Three-Step Reward Process - Key idea: Most communities skip strategic planning and jump to generic swag - Evidence: "Step 3 of the 'process' and many people almost entirely skip Steps 1 and 2" #### Step 1: Identify Target Behaviors - Key idea: Focus on first-time actions and value-adding contributions - Evidence: "Did the person do something new for the first time (e.g. first time speaking at an event), or did they add value for others (e.g. creating a piece of content or tutorial)" #### Step 2: Deliver Intrinsic Rewards - Key idea: Everyone needs validation regardless of status or position - Evidence: "It doesn't matter whether you are an elementary school kid or the CEO of a multinational corporation, everyone needs to know they are on the right track" #### Platform Integration: Trust Levels - Key idea: Built-in features provide natural reward milestones - Evidence: "Trust Levels which bands members into 5 different levels based on their participation. This is a fantastic model to tie rewards to" #### Creative Extrinsic Rewards - Key idea: Personalized rewards create stronger impact than generic items - Evidence: "Organic dog treats for a dog lover, challenge coins, commission an artist to draw the member as a comic book superhero" ## 📚 References - [Discourse Trust Levels](https://discourse.org) - [People Powered by Jono Bacon](https://peoplepowered.org) - [Community Ignition Workshop](https://peoplepowered.org) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - Instead of immediately sending generic promotional items, community managers should first identify which specific member behaviors deserve recognition - Personal acknowledgment through notes, social media mentions, or professional endorsements provides powerful validation that costs only time to deliver - When choosing physical rewards, creative personalization based on individual interests creates more meaningful connections than standard corporate swag ## 📰 Newsletter **Community Rewards That Actually Work** Skip the generic swag and build genuine engagement with this strategic three-step approach from community expert Jono Bacon. **The Game-Changer:** Most communities jump straight to t-shirts and water bottles without identifying what behaviors they want to encourage. This backwards approach misses huge opportunities for meaningful recognition. **Your Action Plan:** 1. Define your target behaviors (first-time contributions, value-adding content) 2. Start with intrinsic rewards like personal thank-yous and public recognition 3. Design creative extrinsic rewards that reflect individual interests **WordPress Connection:** Consider how you might apply this to WordPress communities - recognizing first-time plugin contributors, thanking documentation writers, or celebrating meetup organizers with personalized appreciation rather than generic WordCamp swag. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### Community - Maintainers: Implement behavior-based recognition systems tied to contribution milestones - Contributors: Create personal thank-you templates for different types of community contributions - Sponsors: Design creative reward programs that move beyond standard promotional items #### WordPress - Community: Develop recognition frameworks for meetup organizers, plugin contributors, and documentation writers - Support: Create intrinsic reward systems for active forum helpers and knowledge base contributors - Marketing: Design personalized appreciation campaigns that reflect individual contributor interests and motivations ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Communities using behavior-specific recognition see higher engagement rates than those with generic reward systems - Intrinsic rewards delivered promptly create stronger community bonds than delayed extrinsic rewards - Platform-integrated recognition systems (like Trust Levels) improve retention more than external reward programs - Personalized extrinsic rewards generate more social sharing and community advocacy than generic swag ### 📊 Methodology - A/B test recognition timing: immediate personal thanks vs. delayed generic rewards - Survey community members on preference for intrinsic vs. extrinsic recognition types - Track engagement metrics before and after implementing behavior-specific reward frameworks ### ❓ Questions - How do recognition preferences vary across different community member demographics and cultural backgrounds? - What specific behaviors correlate most strongly with long-term community engagement and retention? - How can automated systems balance personal recognition with scalability in large communities? ### 🔮 Future Research - Cross-platform analysis of recognition system effectiveness across different community platforms - Longitudinal studies on the relationship between recognition type and member lifetime value - Cultural adaptation frameworks for recognition systems in global communities ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Community managers need recognition strategy frameworks before launching reward programs - Policy: Recognition programs should align with clearly defined community contribution guidelines - Education: Training materials should emphasize intrinsic motivation principles over swag logistics - Funding: Budget allocation should prioritize time for personal recognition over expensive physical rewards ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 8th grade (accessible, conversational tone) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Clear three-step process structure, behavioral examples - Improve: Flowchart showing reward decision tree, infographic of intrinsic vs extrinsic benefits #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Conversational tone, direct address to reader - Improve: Audio version of key frameworks, podcast discussion of implementation #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear definitions of intrinsic vs extrinsic rewards, specific examples - Improve: Glossary of community management terms, analogy comparisons #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Actionable three-step process, specific implementation examples - Improve: Recognition system design worksheet, hands-on reward planning templates #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Sequential step framework, behavioral economics foundation - Improve: Decision matrix for reward selection, ROI calculations for recognition programs #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community management context, social recognition examples - Improve: Case study discussions, peer review of recognition strategies #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Self-assessment questions implied in framework - Improve: Personal reflection prompts on current reward practices #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Human behavior patterns, community ecosystem thinking - Improve: Community lifecycle analogies, ecosystem health metrics ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear heading structure, descriptive list formatting - Improve: More descriptive link text, table summaries for step comparisons #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard web navigation, logical reading order - Improve: Skip navigation for different sections, focus indicators #### Contrast and readability - Present: Good text contrast, readable font sizes - Improve: Verify link color contrast, check heading hierarchy #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Responsive layout supporting zoom - Improve: Test reflow at 400% zoom, verify no horizontal scrolling #### Media and captions - Present: Text-only content, no media barriers - Improve: Alt text for any future diagrams, audio descriptions for video versions #### Forms and interactions - Present: Simple article format, no complex interactions - Improve: Accessible newsletter signup forms, clear error handling ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Universal human behavior principles - Improve: Examples from different cultural contexts, international community cases #### Inclusive language - Present: Gender-neutral terms, accessible vocabulary - Improve: Define jargon terms, provide plain-language summaries #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear structure, logical progression - Improve: Visual breaks between sections, summary boxes #### Representation - Present: Diverse role examples (elementary student to CEO) - Improve: Varied cultural examples, different community types #### Psychological safety - Present: Encouraging tone, validates current practices - Improve: Non-judgmental framing of current approaches, growth mindset language ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Deductive strength: Behavioral economics principles applied to community management - Inductive strength: Examples support general principles about human motivation - Causal reasoning: Clear connection between recognition type and engagement outcomes - Analogical strength: Trust Levels example illustrates broader recognition principles #### Fallacies - Appeal to authority: Relies on behavioral economics without citing specific studies - False dichotomy: Presents intrinsic vs extrinsic as binary when they work together #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Conversational expert guidance with practical humor and direct advice ### 🛡️ DARVO Analysis - Deny: No defensive positioning detected - Attack: Constructive criticism of current practices without personal attacks - Reverse victim/offender: No victim/offender dynamics present - Emotional cues and rhetoric: Positive, encouraging tone focused on improvement rather than blame ## 🎯 Conclusion Effective community engagement rewards require strategic thinking before implementation. The three-step approach of identifying target behaviors, delivering intrinsic validation, and designing meaningful extrinsic rewards creates stronger community bonds than generic swag distribution. Community managers should prioritize personal recognition and leverage platform features like Trust Levels to create natural reward milestones that motivate sustained engagement. ## 🧱 Refactor Appendix ### 📚 Literature Split Pad Purpose: Stage CEE units that become Literature notes. Split level: H3 ### [H1] Intrinsic motivation drives stronger community engagement than extrinsic rewards > [!quote] [Enough With the Water Bottles and T-shirts](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/) by [[Jono Bacon]] via [[Discourse Blog]]. Published 2022-11-21. Accessed 2024-12-19. > "The key to motivating the behaviours you want to see in your community is focusing on intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards." Foundational principle for community reward system design and member motivation strategies. [view highlight](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/#H1) #xref #articleseed ID:rw_bacon_intrinsic ### [H2] Platform trust levels provide natural community recognition milestones > [!quote] [Enough With the Water Bottles and T-shirts](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/) > "Trust Levels which bands members into 5 different levels based on their participation. This is a fantastic model to tie rewards to." Demonstrates how platform features can automate recognition without manual intervention. [view highlight](https://blog.discourse.org/2022/11/enough-with-the-water-bottles-and-t-shirts/#H2) #xref ID:rw_bacon_trustlevels --- ### 🔖 Atomic Split Pad (Zettel Candidates) Purpose: Promote reusable claims into Atomic notes. Split level: H4 #### [Z1] Recognition requires behavior identification before implementation - Applies to any community management context - Referenced throughout three-step framework - Links: [[Community-Strategy]] [[Behavioral-Design]] #### [Z2] Validation addresses universal human psychological needs - Cross-cultural principle regardless of status or position - Supports intrinsic motivation theory - Links: [[Human-Psychology]] [[Motivation-Theory]] --- ### ✏️ Fleeting Queue Purpose: Capture quick actions for Fleeting notes. - [F1] Research Discourse Trust Levels implementation — community platform integration #fleeting #inbox - [F2] Create behavior identification worksheet — strategic planning tool #fleeting #inbox - [F3] Compile creative reward examples database — inspiration collection #fleeting #inbox <!-- deep-read:sections end --> 📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/Online Community Tips Motivating Community Engagement.md|Online Community Tips: Motivating Community Engagement by blog.discourse.org]] ## Highlights - Well, everyone in the world needs validation. It doesn’t matter whether you are an elementary school kid or the CEO of a multinational corporation, everyone needs to know they are on the right track. Validating their behaviour is the outcome of an intrinsic reward. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kq8eq7k2jhk521c2jdmeb9sq)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted