Question: Our online behaviors also can satisfy needs at different levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, especially when we participate in social networks such as Facebook. Web-based companies can build loyalty if they keep these needs in mind when they design their offerings:
• We satisfy physiological needs when we use the Web to research topics such as nutrition or medical questions.
• The Web enables users to pool information and satisfy safety needs when they call attention to bad practices, flawed products, or even dangerous predators.
• Profile pages on Facebook let users define themselves as individuals.
• Online communities, blogs, and social networks provide recognition and achievement to those who cultivate a reputation for being especially helpful or expert in some subject.
• Users can seek help from others and connect with people who have similar tastes and interests.
• Access to invitation-only communities provides status.
• Spiritually based online communities can provide guidance to troubled people.
Interview people you know about their motivations to participate in social media. Ask them to provide a list of the platforms they access most, then for each probe about their reasons to visit these. What needs do these sites appear to satisfy? How might these insights help you to devise ideas for new social media products?