Update to the 1% Rule

I've talked about the 1% Rule before. This rule tells us roughly that in online communities:

• 90% will read-only
• 9% will make limited contributions (comment)
• 1% will actively contribute content

In 1% Rule - Can You Fight It?, I contended that if we changed the dynamic of contribution to make it less effort, then there would be greater contribution.

A recent Forrester research report (cited) that looks at the numbers from a different perspective and it tells us a slightly different story. It tells us that:

• 52% - don't participate in social media

Of the 48% who do participate, you can find them at varying levels participating in social media. They categorize them into:

• Creators (publish web pages, have a blog, upload video)
• Critics (comment on blogs, post ratings and reviews)
• Collectors (use RSS, tag web pages)
• Joiners (use social networking sites)
• Spectators (read blogs, watch videos, listen to podcasts)

The percentages reported are much higher than the 1% rule, but they are looking at the question differently - across all possible sites for interaction - not looking at a single site.

The categories are interesting to think about.