Community Profile: Tools to Life
Today I’m going to profile a site I recently stumbled. I liked what I saw so much that I thought it deserved special attention and would serve as a great example of community done right.
Tools To Life is self help combined with Web 2.0. Think of it as user generated support groups. Membership is free and once you’ve joined, you can browse a wealth of life-enhancing tips, create “challenges” and invite other members to join in or join “challenges” created by other users, cheer each other on, and get useful feedback from peers.
The site re-launched itself as “Beta 2.0″ today and added several new features focused on helping its members succeed in reaching their goals. I spent a few hours on Tools to Life today getting a feel for how well they’ve incorporated the concept of community into the new features and the overall site. Here are some of the key elements they got right:
- Simple and inviting user interface - Their site is easy to navigate even for the first time browser. Short video segments auto-play on each page telling you what the page is about and how to proceed. It appears they’ve gone out of their way to make it easy and enticing for first time visitors to see the benefits of signing up and have provided a…
- Low barrier to joining - The Tools to Life site is completely free, and they make a big point of making sure prospective users understand that. Joining is as simple as picking a username and supplying a couple of other bits of data. Once you’re in the door, you can optionally fill out the…
- Fully customizable user profile - This allows TTL users to choose exactly what they want to share. Skeptics and wallflowers are drawn out with bright colors, big text, and a list of 20 questions to tell other members about themselves.
- Relationships are encouraged - Once you’ve joined, you can invite other people you know to join, create circles of friends & coaches, create and/or join support groups, and share as much or as little personal information about yourself and your goals as you like.
- Participation is as simple as a single click - Digg style voting allows users to cheer each other’s achievements and breakthroughs. A little positive feedback can go a long way in brightening someone’s day, and for those who get a lot of positive feedback…
- Top cheers are recognized on the home page - Users getting the most votes on their breakthroughs and achievements are mentioned on the home page. This works on multiple levels: 1) potential site members see the lists first thing and want to “be there” so they join and start participating, 2) current members’ achievements are celebrated by the group, so they’re encouraged to keep participating, and 3) current members are constantly exposed to new challenges they can explore and join.
These are just a few of the reasons I think TTL is set up for some great success in the Web 2.0 world.
If you have a suggestion for another site profile or you’d like me to take a look at your community to give you feedback on what you’re doing right and what you could improve, please leave a comment or Twitter me and I’ll be happy to take a look!
