communities

Communities - what does it take?

We’re in the midst of creating a great symbiotic network of content sites and in the process of doing that I’ve been able to meet some amazing people. More about the network at a later time but for now let’s talk about communities.

What does it take to help them grow?

Unlike the old days of getting people to come in based on free stuff, locked in networks and in some cases cash ala Digg competitor Jason Calacanis’ ill fated brainwave.

Today, it’s about authentic content, real value and real people talking to … well, other real people. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it?

It’s about real people talking to other well, real people!

So here’s a couple of things to bear in mind when building, caring for and expanding communities:

Communities are a collection of individuals

As paradoxical as that is, the collective whole (that’s all of those individuals with their various different wants, ideals, dreams, hopes and demands) requires care and attention. Much like a network of close friends, a community insists that you listen to it. Understand, or try to understand, it’s needs. Identify and empower individuals who can help you refine, guide and in turn empower sections of the community. Much like a latice, the various networks/ platforms/ groups within your community will in turn strengthen each other and keep it growing.

The strongest communities are by the people, for the people

They’re democracy in action. So get out of the way. Set it up for your users, readers, customers or what have you. Then shut up and get out of their way.

Trust your community

So you’re building a community. It’s vibrant, active and vocal. Expect people to disagree. If you’re writing a post someone is going to contradict you. Chances are however that if you’ve built the community right, you won’t get the chance to correct them - someone else will jump in there and do it for you. Communities are about conversations, and much like conversations, they need to be self governing. So shut up and let the community speak out.

Flexibility isn’t just for yoga class

Communities are about people. That means that while you get their passion, excitement, experience and all the other goodness that you like - you also get their passion, excitement, experience and all the other bits and bytes that don’t quite gel at times. Be flexible. This isn’t the army and you have to deal with each member of the community as an individual. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any rules out there, but you’ll quickly find that a little flexibility will result in the community self- governing itself. Much less work and hassle. Much more happiness.

We’re only human

That includes you. As companies rush to build communities online, they sometimes forget that they’re going to screw up. When that happens, don’t make excuses. Don’t waste time trying to justify what happened. As Seth Godin put it - just get up there and say “You’re right. I messed up. I’m sorry.” Worry about fixing it and finding fault/ cause later.

Comment or don’t - it doesn’t matter

Readers of your posting or members of a community don’t always respond well to calls to action. They may love your posts. They may read your forums. They may participate - silently. So they don’t feel comfortable commenting on something - there are other ways to get them engaged. From forums to polls - it doesn’t have to be complicated. Get creative - or ask the community itself for help. You might just surprise yourself.

So what other tips do you have for building great communities? What communities do you think are embracing and extending the values above?

© 2008 Journeys Through The Line.