When it comes to buzzwords, it’s usually healthy to keep a skeptical mindset. Nonetheless, gamification, the introduction of elements typically found in gaming is a tool that works and deserves a bit of extra attention.
There are no definite rules as everybody is still experimenting. The success stories abound however and we can learn a lot from them.
This list of specific techniques is far from complete, but it should give you a valuable insight on how these mechanisms work.
Method 1: Badges
On 9th of May 2005, a new media platform, called Huffington Post was launched. In a relatively short time it reached prominence, making Arianna Huffington, the founder, even richer. Many have pointed out that the success of this news outlet is due to the heavyweights that joined the editorial board, but this doesn’t explain the high degree of implication from its audience in promoting the site and commenting.
For an explanation we must look somewhere else. Huffington Post was one of the very first to implement a gimmick called “badges”. There are 3 types in use: networker, superuser and moderator with 2 levels for each. They can be achieved through gathering fans and friends, posting comments and sharing stories on social media platforms and of course through reporting abusive comments. It’s worth mentioning that in order to achieve the superior type of badge for networker and superuser, one must link their Facebook or Twitter profiles to their account.
This is how the badge system is implemented. Now in order to understand why it works so well (a typical story has at least a few hundred comments), we must understand the basic human psychology in terms of rewards and incentives. Huffington Post has a rather unique position on the market. It has a well defined editorial policy and bias as well as a huge following. Achieving these badges thus becomes a way to get noticed, to get higher recognition. This is why badges only work when a membership site reaches a critical mass. You need to make your audience long for a higher degree of recognition and that can only happen if it’s exceedingly easy to “lose” your voice among the surrounding noise.
Method 2: Achievements
At a first glance, achievements might seem to be in the same boat with the badges. They’re not. The amount of flexibility you have with them is simply much greater and this is why they can be used at an earlier stage in a site’s life cycle.
The most unorthodox use is that of correcting “poor” behavior. Let’s say someone logs in frequently, but never contributes to the discussion. Give him a “Lurker” achievement and you will make him or her smile, even better he or she will now feel compelled to contribute. At the other end of the spectrum, take someone who hasn’t logged in for a long time. Give him a “Long lost sheep” achievement when he finally logs back and he’ll feel more compelled to become active in the community.
The basic idea is that achievements give you a much more effective tool of influencing the behavior of your community. More than that, you can set the general tone for the conversation by choosing the type of language and graphics they contain. If you operate a high-end membership site, you will opt for a more serious tone, while a casual community will be better off with a humorous approch.
Of course, there are more proactive measures to ensure this type of engagement from your user base, but we’ll talk about these in the next article in this series.
This is a Guest post by Neil Jones, who Specializes in launching ecommerce sites, he is currently plying his trade as head of marketing for eMobileScan. With 18 websites based all around Europe they are on course to be one of Europe’s largest online retailers of Industrial handheld computers like the Motorola MC9090 or Motorola MC75. Neil has been an online marketer for the past 6 years and in that time he has owned and run a range of sites all built around the ecommerce platform.
