The most common, easiest to fix problem in an online community

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I’ve managed, participated in, and consulted on literally hundreds of online communities, and virtually every one of them has this easy-to-fix problem: Incomplete, suboptimal, or even non-existent discussion group descriptions. A discussion group without a description is akin to wearing a name badge without bothering to write your name on it.

The group name and description are your best opportunities to convert visitors into participants. They provide should context about what to expect in the group, what the topic or purpose is, who the owner, manager or moderator is, and other relevant information.

Here are some best practices for writing discussion group descriptions:

• First and foremost, have a description.
• The description should be 3-4 sentences in length.
• Link to the user profiles of group owners and managers.
• Outline the topics that are discussed in that group.
• If the group exists for a committee or other governing body, briefly describe their charge, identify the committee chair or officers, and the staff liaison.
• Link to introductory or background discussion threads, if applicable.