Being a part of a community is one thing - but what about building one? Once the technology has done its thing, how do you go about fostering and building the actual community and get people coming back?

Hey madmadmummy, you might wanna have a look at these site I've come across thru my research:

Creating Passionate Users - Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events, Kathy doesn't write (on that blog) anymore, but it is still a great resource.

O'Reilly Network

The Messaging Times

I have come across a couple of those - will have to check out the messaging times though...

what about you though dek - what are your "strategies" for keeping people coming back to Tangler? (other than being your charming self of course!! )

It's pretty much the same as what they say in those links I posted. To me it's about fostering relationships, helping others to find like-minded people, and doing all of this through what Tangler is about - discussion

The rules are incredibly similar online as they would be in the real world: members will return to a community if they see value in it.

Of course, how that value is generated varies from community to community. If it weren't for dekrazee1 I would have given up on Tangler entirely. But because of her engaging style, I refused to delete the Tangler app from my dock and forget about it. Instead, it's been sitting there waiting for me to come back.

For other online communities, it will be different. But ultimately it's all about creating value for people.