Online communities that rely on users, especially those that rely on the crowd for content or constant updates, are increasingly successful. For people wanting to mimic that success the initial question today isn’t “how can I get eyeballs to my site,” but rather “how can I get people engaged.”

Considering the vast majority of people participate for free, we have to assume they’re not motivated by money. As Mark Davis has pointed out, Google’s answer service, which paid experts to answer questions, failed, whereas Yahoo’s service, in which participants earn points, is succeeding gloriously.

Yossi Vardi, one of the original founders of ICQ, the first instant messaging service, posits four factors that inspire folks to participate:

self expression
communication
sharing
collaboration

Vardi’s description resonates nicely with the Attention Company’s findings. They profile folks who contribute online as more likely to aspire to fame, to desire the good opinion of others, and to seek openness in communication. In short, motivation to participate online seems to be grounded in the temperament of the individual.

But there may be another factor, too: Dopamine, the feel-good chemical approximated by cocaine. Dopamine is released when huger is sated, thirst slaked, orgasm achieved … and when people connect socially. (cf., Dr. Louise Brizendine’s new book, The Female Brain, and Robin Sharp’s post on computer programmers.) Needless to say, it’s a powerful drug. As early as 2003, Yossi Vardi hypothesized that one of the reasons for the success of social software is the rush of pleasure participants receive when they make a connection with someone else. Take a look at what the Attention Company found to be some of the other common characteristics of online communicators: They want more challenge in their jobs; they seek risk; they believe winning is everything. Folks who are engaged online are junkies: they’re looking for a rush.

Mainly, the internal motivation model would seem to be good news for organizations seeking to build online communities. Simply provide lots of opportunities for users to solve problems, express themselves, interact, and be publicly organized. Appeal to their vanity, their ambition, and their desire to be part of a group. Don’t even pay people — just feed their addiction!

Yet, traditional, for-profit businesses might be wise to be concerned. The tone of the Attention Company’s findings is instructive — it suggests that people who are inclined to participate online pose a threat. After all, internal motivation falls outside the accepted economic system, which is predicated on the idea that the more money is offered, the more likely people will perform or deliver. If money can’t be used as a stick or a carrot, what happens to the free market? Suddenly, it’s not the institution of the Fed that’s in charge, but thrill-seeking individuals with a lot of friends.

Kelly Nuxoll is a consulting editor for the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools. She has a MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia University and currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand, where she is the local Vice-Chair for
Democrats Abroad.