You are competing with dozens of distractions when it comes to capturing the hearts and minds of your customers, and engagement is in everyone's thoughts because it's one way to get attention in this plugged-in world. Engaging audiences, especially through online communities, can help get your message across in a noisy environment full of people with short attention spans.

Finding the right partner is essential to any undertaking, whether it be personal or professional. However, while many people understand how important it is to select the right employer, business partner, or significant other, they often fail to put the same weight into finding an online community software vendor.

When you host a golf tournament for different skill levels it's important for you include activities that fit everyone in attendance. If you don't, long-time golfers will grow bored from lack of a challenge. However, if you cater only to those with advanced skills, you likely frustrate those who are less experienced. It's a fine line to ensure everyone is comfortable and accommodated.

Culture is to recruiting as product is to marketing. - Dharmesh Shah, cofounder of HubSpot.

Company culture is a big selling point when it comes to hiring and branding. People like to do business with brands they know, like, and trust. A talked about (and envied) culture is one that draws people in, whether it's customers or employees.

Congratulations! You're now in charge of an online community. Assuming you have already introduced yourself to your community and filled out your new profile, including uploading some cute pictures of the important people in your life and/or the places you've traveled, what's next?

In the past, organizational innovation came from the spark of an idea applied to a well-funded research and development panel. The organization hatched the idea, grew it, and presented it all on its own timeline. This is no longer the case. Growth, engagement, and even the creation of ideas themselves is now fueled by faster processes and the closer interactions between companies and their customers, partners, and professional associations.

One of the great difficulties in finding a top-notch community manager is the employer-held belief that anyone can do it. It takes a very specific skill set and if you've not employed an online community manager before, or if you are just starting your online community, you may be unaware of the demands of the role and skills required.

In the end, keeping your members coming back to your community comes down to more than just making participation into a game, or training your members to login every day. Without engaging content, none of that really matters.

American politician, Frank A. Clark, once said, “A habit is something you can do without thinking, which is why most of us have so many of them.†Nowhere is that more obvious than on the Internet. Most people visit the same sites, do the same things, almost without realizing it. When we can't follow our Internet habit, because of site maintenance or some other uncontrollable cause, we feel an almost pent up anxiety.

Have you ever noticed the verb used with online communities is always "build?" You build an online community. You build community. Rarely will people, even vendors, talk about buying an online community, because even though you purchase online community software, that is only the foundation. You still need to build your online community. The task isn't complete immediately after you purchase a platform.