Why online communities?
 

Hello!

I am trying to get some information together on why a website my company runs should invest time and money in online community software, mainly discussion boards and blogs (e.g. vBulletin).

We are a medium sized online auto news/reviews/classifieds company looking to expand into online communities.

I am not so much looking for features as I am looking for information on how this can benefit our company, benefit our customers, etc.

In short: What have online communities done for YOUR business, have they made a difference at all? And are you aware of any good articles, books or blogs related to online communities in 2009?

Thanks!