Tobs2008 Online communities are proliferating as companies look to harness the collective wisdom and ideas of their employees, customers, and other constituents in order to innovate faster, reduce costs, and create the relationships that will grow their businesses and bolster their bottom lines.

Beeline Labs, Deloitte and the Society of New Communications Research have produced “2008 Tribalization of Business Study“, the first study of its kind to learn from the early experiences of more than 140 organizations on how they’re managing communities, measuring success, and deriving business benefits. The survey and interviews examined online community initiatives at a mix of business-to-business and business-to-consumer companies, as well as non-profits, with communities ranging from fewer than 100 members to more than 10,000 members.

The Wall Street Journal published recently a reaction on the report, entitled “Why most online communities fail”:

“Thirty-five percent of the online communities studied have less than 100 members; less than 25% have more than 1,000 members – despite the fact that close to 60% of these businesses have spent over $1 million on their community projects.”

(via FreshNetworks and FutureLab)