A lot has been said so far on this blog about communication and interaction. It is in our blood to try and talk to other human beings. Well, it is in most people’s blood anyway, extreme introverts and loners are rather uncommon, in my opinion. Now, we not only have languages based, as some argue, on a universal grammar – a view I seem to share to a large degree, but we also have an ever-growing number of channels to transmit our messages through. This is yet another opportunity for humans to experiment and find new creative ways of utilizing the available communication tools.
In this post I am not, however, going to embark on a philosophical or linguistic diatribe. I will try to keep things down to earth and business-related. One great way for website owners to facilitate communication with and between their users is a social live chat. Its main purpose – to be able to talk to other people in real time – should be pretty obvious to most people.
However, those of you who have been using a chat system for some time, might be looking for new ways to utilize such software. Very well then, here are 5 creative applications of a social live chat.
Community-oriented websites
If you are running, for example, a speed dating or a certain minority-related website, adding a chat platform will be an excellent move towards facilitating real-time communication. After all, the whole point is to get your community engaged and talk and get to know each other as much as possible. Make your website a friendly place for them to come to and build.
Online trading
A live chat may serve as a tool for initiating online transactions or running auctions. To increase security, you can require the participants to have registered accounts and remind them that all chat sessions are safely stored in a cloud. People can offer chat or website member exclusives and time limited offers. This is also a model that can be utilized by organizations auctioning items for charity purposes.
Online counseling via live chat
Another great way to use a social live chat, that guarantees to drive traffic to your site, is by providing live online counseling, for example on legal, financial or health matters. This can either be your main line of business or a free side service, that you provide as a perk or an incentive to your potential clients.
Whichever of the two it is, remember you are also doing another important thing – you are positioning yourself as an expert in your field and encourage people to come back to your website in the future.
Live Q&A and AMA session
Reddit, the self-proclaimed “front page of the Internet”, has a very popular section called AMA, which stands for Ask Me Anything. Both, Joe Blows and various celebrities have been participating in these very entertaining sessions, answering a plethora of questions.
You might want to consider inviting an interesting guest or, if you have managed to build your own personal brand, answering some questions yourself during a live session. Just make sure to announce it in advance in a newsletter or in social media and have some moderators ready to roll just in case.
Gaming communities
Games are by design one of the most social activities out there. The emotions they evoke usually lead to a lot of interaction between their participants. They have started as outdoor events but have made their way into the virtual world as well.
People playing fast-paced shooter and other action games online usually talk to one another using headsets, but I am pretty convinced that people who enjoy games with a little less flair, like chess or many of the card-type games, would also appreciate the opportunity to communicate with other players, for instance via a live chat. From trash talking to congratulating – it is all a part of the game!
Conclusions
And there you have it, 5 creative ideas for using a social live chat. While you will be pondering ways of enhancing the experience of your online community, please take a look at what we have to offer. Chatwee is a chat system you can try for free with no hidden fees or strings attached, that will allow you to implement any and all of the ideas introduced in this post.
The examples above are just a little food for your thought and I am sure there are more ways to stir up and engage communities centered around websites. Care to share your experiences?
