With all the chatter about cybersecurity, it’s worth asking: Are associations listening to those concerns when it comes to member communities?

A recent blog post from Pedalo notes that roughly half of all membership sites analyzed in one of the company’s recent studies did not use https to ensure secure browsing, something it says “is likely driving away potential new members, as users are becoming increasingly aware of online security threats.”

While https is commonly used on transaction pages involving credit cards, the U.K. web design and research company says consumers are expecting such security on every page—and that includes in your online community.

“Today it is easier than ever to implement secure browsing and it is recommended to use https throughout the site (and not just during the registration process, as this leaves the site and your users open to potential attacks),” the company notes. “Including icons on your site that indicate to your users that you are giving them a safe browsing experience will foster trust.”

Check out more details on this issue at the Pedalo blog.

One Tough Number

We've got some stats about online communities and they're good newshttps://t.co/1dC4Abzh9O #assnchat #assnprofs #CMGR #community pic.twitter.com/3BQCn0MZOk

— rasa.io (@rasa_io) January 10, 2017

Rasa.io’s recent piece on engagement numbers regarding branded communities are mostly positive (as highlighted by the headline of the piece), but one number in particular stands out to us—and it’s not positive: According to Rasa’s Christian Britto, 70 percent of online communities fail, something Britto says is due to a failure to nurture those communities.

“The real determinant of your community’s success or failure is how much you invest in the management of it,” Britto writes. “You can’t just set up your community, then walk away as if the work’s all done.”

Check out his post for more thoughts—including a few slightly more optimistic numbers.

Other Links of Note

Big enterprise deal worth watching: Atlassian, the major enterprise software company, acquired the popular task-management app Trello for a cool $425 million. The companies say no changes are planned to either the software or the team that makes it.

Could artificial intelligence change the way we manage content? At CMSWire, Boris Kraft of Magnolia International says that there is a lot of potential for AI to help.

If you’re just focusing on opens and clicks, you’re not getting the full picture. At the Informz blog, Alex Mastrianni highlights a list of metrics you should be keeping a close eye on—including how much email you’re sending your end users.

(Unsplash/Pixabay)