Ho hum. Capitalizing on the popularity of its hit TV show "The Office," NBC has created an online community to deepen ties with viewers. Fans of the show can enter the Dunder Mifflin Infinity site, sign up for virtual jobs at the fictional paper company where the show is set, perform weekly tasks similar to those from each week's TV episode, get promotions, and earn ShruteBucks for both online work and contributing to the site (e.g., by creating profiles, adding photos, posting comments, or rating other content).

The site includes most of the latest social networking features, and, perhaps not surprisingly, has become a bit hit in its own right. Since launching last month, the site has attracted more than 800,000 unique visitors, with more than 100,000 registering for positions at the virtual company. Regional branches create local connections for participants; the branch in Long Beach, California is currently at the top of the heap with 3108 "employees." Participant-posted video, such as footage of the Denton, Texas, launch party, add to the rich media flavor.

At first glance, the initiative may seem like standard fare for these Web 2.0-crazed times. Company wants to strengthen relationships with its audience; company builds online community to let people talk with each other and generate useful content for the sponsor; everyone wins. It's no wonder that companies from autos to zoo supplies are rushing to launch similar networks and communities.

The challenge, of course, is generating enough interest in your site to inspire people to actually pay attention and spend precious time and energy actively participating. We've all seen commuities and forums with a lonely list of "discussion starters" but no additional comments. The reality is that online commuinty success is largely not about the features of the site; it's about a strong prior connection to the company, program, or idea. As Gartner analyst Andrew Frank notes, "You need an existing affinity around a property, and NBC definitely had that with 'The Office.'"

The lesson here is not to avoid entering the social networking fray unless you have a megahit TV show. Rather, it is to concentrate most on building the very tangible connections to your "viewers" (i.e., customers, partners, employees, etc.) that come with meaningful professional or personal contributions to their daily lives. In the world of the real office, actual ties support virtual ones, not the other way around.