Today, Forbes.com published an article I wrote about the current status of brand communities. I wrote it because I think it’s time for a review of how well or how badly they were being built, and how well or badly they’re using the new technologies that can now enable community-creation.

I wrote a book about cults and cult-like brands (Apple, Harley etc) a few years ago, in which I suggested the next big thing in business was going to be community. Little did I know how big and how fast that would happen. Nor did I foresee Facebook, Twitter and all the other social platforms that are now being used by business to create and enable communities.

Since I left the world of brands and have spent time at Meetup, talked to some of the founders of social networking technologies, and to hundreds of community leaders, I thought it would be especially interesting to calibrate brands’ attempts against the timeless and universal standards of real, successful community-making.

The article is relatively short, and the subject is large. So I can only give it an overview. And I suggest some community-building strategies that brands can take in this new world. But I’ll be coming back to cover this subject in more depth on this blog.

Here’s some of the key issues I take a look at in the article (and that demand more examination):

1. There’s confusion in the brand world about

• a) What a community is.
• b) What the goals are.
• c) how to measure a community’s strength.
• d) Whether it translates to sales.

2.   Some people think they’re creating community, when in fact they’re enabling fandom and   followers (not the same thing).

3.  There are some interesting things being done, especially by those brands for which cult-followings are tough to create because their products are utilitarian (a pen, a mutual fund, a car part for example).

4.  The smartest brand community-makers are:

• Enabling existing communities to connect more easily
• Supporting and nurturing existing communities of interests (like entrepreneurs, Moms, dog lovers) that are aligned with the brand’s goals.
• Being useful. Meaning they are adding value in terms of content, money, insight, infrastructure.
• Being authentic. Not pretending there’s passionate brand lovers when there aren’t. Being realistic about the brand’s role in community-making.