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Business Information Review
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Online customer communities

Perspectives from customers and companies

Lorraine Paterson

User Vision, lorrainepaterson{at}gmail.com

This article describes how the author investigated the business case for the operation of online customer communities, and evaluated their impact. This was achieved through analysis of opinions from members in company-sponsored and member-initiated online customer communities. The research aimed to understand the relationship between customer and company in online communities, explore the motivations of customers to participate in online customer communities, and the benefits of these communities to companies. The main findings of the research revealed that online customer communities are beneficial to both company and customer. The evaluation concludes with a set of recommendations to companies on how online customer communities might be effectively created and managed.

Key Words: knowledge exchange • managing online customer communities • online community participation • online customer service • sanctioned and unsanctioned online communities • social communities

Business Information Review, Vol. 26, No. 1, 44-50 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0266382108101307
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