The iPhone is a great example of what I call REV™ which stands for reciprocating, exponential value. The phone drew adherents, which attracted people to create applications for it, which attracted still more users, which prompted Apple to develop an even better version, which attracted more adherents, which fostered more developers….

You get the idea. Today, there are over 75,000 applications for this groundbreaking product, and Verizon is reduced to derivative mimicry with an ad that says, "There's a 'map' for that." (The next closest phone has about ten percent of the apps of the iPhone.)

Self-perpetuating communities

I've created a similar REV with my various communities of entrepreneurs and professional service providers around the world. I have a mentor program, private Forum, public blog, newsletters, Monday Morning Memo´™, Million Dollar Club, Society for Advancement of Consulting, workshop groups, mastermind groups, and so on. Some people remain in one community, but most travel amongst them and join many.

As the quality of people I attract grows, so do the numbers of people, which attracts still more people who want to be part of a global, dynamic learning endeavor. Early next year we'll launch Alan & The Gang, which will substantially open these communities to people with just-in-time learning.

All of you reading this have communities, but most are by default and are ignored or misunderstood. Trade and professional associations which do not foster this kind of community mentality will probably continue to decline and disappear. People no longer want to pay memberships and receive magazines and appeals to attend a yearly convention. They want interaction with peers, the chance to form subgroups, and the ability to customize their learning and development. In this technological age, there is no reason not to provide that, except lack of understanding of customers' and members' needs.

The smarter major organizations have encouraged online communities where criticism is welcome, since they would rather know about it and be able to respond to it, rather than allow "rogue" communities to exist undermining their brands and names. Most bloggers welcome commentary that isn't obscene or demeaning as a way of stimulating debate and becoming centers of interest and attraction.

Are you exploiting REV?

The first think you should do is recognize the communities to which you belong and/or lead at the moment. The second is to decide what additional communities should be created. The third is to plan and generate value for every community. And the fourth is to exploit those opportunities.

When people are brought together by you and begin interacting and helping each other, you do not necessarily have to be participating in all of those transactions. Yet you still derive the credit for having created the opportunity and ongoing platform. When I began AlansForums.com, a private chat room, a few years ago, I commented on or created 90 percent of the posts. Today, we have over 50,000 posts and 600 members, but I need to intercede only about 10% of the time. Nonetheless, it is my site, my brand, and my credit for creating the dynamic.

And it is a simple way to have others market in your behalf. As people cross communities and groups, they are "sold" on additional value and commensurate investments by peers whom they trust in these new communities and groups. There is no cost of acquisition, no resistance to fee. Indeed, there is often a tropism toward full participation in everything available.

Evolving REV

Some communities will duly expire with age or success, others will spring up, some will be timeless. There is obviously great REV in social media platforms, because people are investing huge amounts of time there. You should be creating your own platforms (not relying on those very generic and universal ones) that focus the REV on your value, products, services, and relationships. You don't want the "noise" of someone else's or a vast, undifferentiated public community.

I think that REV is the growth factor of the future. On the iPhone, I can find a good restaurant, check my flights, take photos, assess currency translations, and so on, as well as play games and recreate. Within my community, you can learn, publish, form your own groups, improve your business, select travel and development opportunities, and so on.

What are you creating to REV people up?

© Alan Weiss 2009 All rights reserved.

Alan Weiss, Ph.D. probably has the strongest independent consulting brand in the country, and maybe beyond. He is the author of 35 books appearing in 9 languages. His newest is The Talent Advantage (with Nancy MacKay) from Wiley. He runs the unique Million Dollar Consulting® College three times a year. He has won dozens of writing and consulting awards and is a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame.® Contact him at http:www.summitconsulting.com, or his blog, http://www.contrarianconsulting.com.