Choosing the Right Format for Video Game VKontakte (VK) Communities

Choosing the Right VKontakte (VK) Community Type for Video Game Publics

During the initial stages of creating a VK community, it is crucial to determine the desired community type and the intended message. While the “Business” community type may be less suitable for game developers, other community types can effectively meet their needs:

1. Associations, Groups of People: This community type is well-suited for follower communication, with a prominent “Discussions” section and the option for users to post on the feed (unless restricted by the administrator). Such communities serve as interest groups and platforms for discussions on common topics.

For instance, the CS:GO COMMUNITY group is specifically designed for finding teams and players to play together. With over 92,000 followers, this group witnesses dozens of daily posts on its community wall. These types of communities are typically developed through targeted advertisements and user invitations to friends who are also seeking teams. VKontakte groups have the advantage of offering this functionality.

2. Fan Communities: A great example is the GTA 5 fan community on VKontakte, which follows a similar development pattern. With over 100,000 followers, this community serves as a hub for players seeking teams, sharing screenshots and streams, discussing weapons, locations, seeking help from experienced players, and more.

By carefully selecting the appropriate community type and leveraging the unique features of VKontakte, game developers can effectively build and nurture engaging communities for their video games.

If your goal is to communicate specific and relevant information to your followers rather than creating a platform for general discussions, you have the option to create a public page. The available community types for this purpose include ‘Thematic Community,’ ‘Public Page,’ or ‘Brand and Company,’ all of which offer similar functionality (at least for now).

In contrast to groups, these public pages have minimal user-generated content (UGC). It’s important to note a significant distinction: while you can invite friends to join a group, inviting friends to a public page is not possible. However, gamers actively engage in discussions about various topics directly under the posts on public pages.

An excellent example of a well-established public page for gamers is VK Dota 2, which boasts approximately 1.2 million followers. This public page effectively serves as a hub for sharing information and fostering discussions among the gaming community.

By selecting the appropriate community type, game developers can effectively communicate relevant information to their followers on VKontakte, encouraging engagement and interaction.

To effectively organize and promote a game event, it is recommended to select the ‘Event’ community type. With an Event, you can invite other users and utilize internal ads to promote it. It’s important to note that Events cannot be transformed into groups or public pages, and vice versa.

One of the significant advantages of Events is that information about them is prominently displayed on the user’s main page one day before and on the day of the event, alongside friends’ birthday reminders. This visibility can help attract more attendees and increase engagement.

When creating a community, it’s advisable to carefully consider and choose the most suitable community type from the beginning. The options to change the community type after creation are limited. While transitioning a public page to a group is relatively straightforward for its content, it can only be done once every 30 days. However, reversing the transition may result in partial loss of information. Therefore, it is crucial to weigh the pros and cons and make an informed decision based on your specific goals and requirements.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Community Type

1. Access to Information:
   • Group: It can be open, closed, or private. In an open group, anyone interested can join, and all information is available to the public. In a closed group, users require an invite or administrator approval to join, and information is accessible to group members only. A private group can only be joined by invitation and is not searchable on VKontakte.
   • Public Page: Public pages and their information are accessible to any web user. Users can choose to follow the page, and public pages are open to everyone.
2. Inviting Options:
   • Group: You can invite friends to join a group, even if you are not a manager.
   • Public Page: Public pages do not offer a way to invite friends.
   • Event: You have the option to invite friends to an event.

Considering these factors, it is recommended to create a group initially if you want to invite friends. This allows you to gather your first followers, which can be particularly beneficial if your friends are part of your target audience for a product or project.

By carefully evaluating access to information and inviting options, you can make an informed decision on the most suitable community type for your specific needs on VKontakte.

Community Wall: Key Element for Content Sharing

The community wall plays a crucial role as it serves as the primary platform for posting content.

Group

In a group, the wall’s configuration can be customized:

• Open: Any group member can leave messages and comment on posts.
• Limited: Posts can be published for a specific section of the group, and members can only leave comments.
• Restricted: Only the group itself can create posts, and commenting is disabled.

Additionally, in open or limited walls, the option to disable commenting for specific posts or all posts is available.

Furthermore, all group members, and sometimes even non-members, can like and repost content. However, in closed groups, commenting is limited to community followers only, and sharing posts with friends is not possible.

Public Page

On a public page, only the community can post on the wall. However, users have the option to suggest their posts using a designated button at the top of the wall. These suggested posts undergo pre-moderation by page administrators and can be published on the wall later on behalf of the community. The author’s name can be displayed if desired.

Similar to groups, comments can be optionally disabled on public pages.

Event

The event wall shares the same functionality as a group wall.

The community wall serves as a central hub for content sharing in all community types, whether it’s a group, public page, or event. Understanding the specific features and options of each community type allows for effective utilization of the wall for engagement and communication.

Community Followers:

Group

In a group, you have the ability to remove any user from the group.

Public Page

Users cannot be removed from a public page.

Event

Similar to groups, you can remove users from an event.

‘Following’ Section

VK users have a ‘Following’ section on their profile pages, located under the ‘Friends’ section. This section displays the most visited public pages and recently followed pages. Up to five communities can be showcased in this section.

Being featured in the ‘Following’ section provides a free way to promote a community. Visitors to a user’s profile can see these top five communities, find them interesting, and potentially visit or follow them.

Groups do not appear in this section as they are shown in the ‘Personal information’ section, which is hidden under the ‘Show full information’ option. Additionally, users have the ability to hide the list of groups they belong to through their profile privacy settings.

Promotion

The promotion methods for all three community types are generally similar, with the exception of the ‘Following’ section for public pages and the option to invite users to groups and events.

Interest or Brand?

Now we face the intriguing question: what should be the focus of our community? Should we center it solely around our game or expand it to encompass discussions about the game and the genre in general? Which type of community will be easier to promote?

The answer is simple: if your game and brand are already well-known, it’s better to use its name as the group’s name and build communication around your intellectual property. On the other hand, if your game is still gaining recognition, it’s advisable to create an interest-based community. This allows you to understand what users like about the genre, what they are searching for, and gather ideas for improving or even creating a new game. This approach is particularly suitable for products in the development stage, where establishing a brand community might be premature. However, for existing products, we recommend dedicating the group’s name and communication to the game itself and in-game discussions.

If you are looking to create a community on VKontakte but unsure of where to start, consult the experts at QB Games marketing agency. We will assist you in forming an active Russian-speaking community around your game.