Managing Social Conversations

One of the biggest social media success stories of the last year, Mashable, has built a loyal community of online marketeers and technology geeks by following a very simple mantra.

Their Facebook group has 132,000 fans (how many does yours have?) who have a far higher level of engagement than the average group because Mashable provide them with both content and conversation in equal measure - almost always using one to drive the other in a virtuous upward spiral.

Here are 3 recent examples:

Content
New U.S. Military Policy Opens Up Social Media to the Troops.
A new policy released today by the Pentagon has reversed multiple bans on social media websites and tools, effective immediately.

Conversation
Do you think this is a good thing for the military, or are there risks to social media on the battlefield?

Result: over 100 responses from the community

Content
Facebook to Say Goodbye to App Notifications on March 1st
Last month, we reported that Facebook was transitioning from application notifications to e-mail notices.

Conversation
Is this a good move by Facebook? Do you think apps will grow or suffer due to the changes?

Result: over 150 responses from the community

Content
People Searching for Footage of SeaWorld Tragedy Hit with Viruses, Rickroll. If you’re searching for footage of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, be warned: You could be vulnerable to viral attack, or, at the very least, a Rickroll.

Conversation
Be honest: have you searched for the video?

Result: 80 responses from the community

Of course, it's likely that the community will eventually tire of this relatively mechanistic approach and there is already some indication of a bit of a Mashable backlash but it's a great start point for generating engagement with your target audience.