Membership Has Its Privileges

Part of the foundation of Viridus is our belief that the most valuable discussion happens between experts in their fields. This is why Viridus is a members-only community and why we go through all the trouble to screen applicants so that you get the benefits of experts helping experts with green issues at work.

Anyone who's visited a public message board on stocks and investments knows the pitfalls of open communities. Would a doctor visit WebMD for advice on treating bladder cancer? Probably not. But they would visit Sermo, a 65,000-strong doctors-only community. Both have information on the topic, but clearly Sermo is a stronger, more trusted resource. Other members-only sites that deliver really valuable tips and advice to users include TheFunded, a site of over 7500 startup CEOs, InMobile, a community for executives in the wireless industry and TheLadders, a site for $100K+ jobs. TheFunded is a good example of how excluding certain interests (namely of venture capitalists) allows members to have real and candid conversations as opposed to merely exchanging platitudes for fear an investor might overhear). InMobile is a good example of bringing together professionals that otherwise find it difficult to connect with each other.

What's the main difference between public and members-only communities? I think the biggest difference is that public sites value quantity whereas members-only sites value quality. Think about Alexa, Compete and Google Analytics and what they measure. The standard metrics of audience (monthly uniques, page views, CPM, etc.) just don't mean anything in private sites. Instead, metrics around quality are important (we'll blog more on this later). And most importantly, to users of the sites, the experience on a members-only site is helpful, enriching and timely.

So who are members of Viridus? Viridites are business professionals for whom sustainability is all or part of their responsibility and their primary focus is on their own organization. What does that mean? Well, in short, that means no press, no vendors, no regulators and no NGOs. But then like most things in life, screening applicants is easier said than done. We have spent a lot of time developing tools to enforce our membership rules. What exactly are they? Well, I guess I have to say that's part of our special sauce, but I plan to blog more on this topic in the future. In the meantime, feel free to comment or drop me a line.