What is Community Building?
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I recently spent some time in Arizona for Podcamp. I was down there to talk specifically about ‘community’, and to facilitate discussion about communities. Both of my discussions went very well. One of the people I met there was Lon, who is working on writing a book. He’s asked me several questions that I will answer in a private interview. But I thought I would answer them in a general way for all of you, my community.
- What is ‘community building’, exactly? – I would define it as the act of creating some kind of rally point on the Internet. You then feed it not only people, but with various tools to allow people to collaborate together. It’s much like planting a garden. You have rows of different fruits and vegetables. Each of those rows has its own flavor, but people can visit your garden and partake in the fruits of your labor. A community is much the same concept. Each row is a differrent type of experience. You have various and sundry things a user can do. Community building is much the same as gardening… you feed, you water, you nurture.
- Why is community building important? – Using the garden example again – you can’t just throw seeds at the ground and expect they will grow. Community building is important. Without the experience of fostering the development, you have basically nothing. You have to have drive and passion to really make it work. I’m seriously grateful to everyone who helps me to keep my communities running and growing. Of course, there’s Kat, my #1 gal who keeps me in line… and everyone else! There are so many others who are a part of both Lockergnome and Geeks that I couldn’t run things without. The Geeks Moderators… the IRC channel moderators… and the Lockergnome admins: You guys are awesome. Thank you for everything you do.
- How did you use community building to build your community? – For me, each time I build something new, I start from scratch. No two communities can or should be alike. Some days, I participate more than on other days. I take the approach of seeing what all of you are all about. I really wanted to find out more about everyone who has been a part of my live community. I wanted to see if we could come together, and get to know each other on another level. Therefore, I created Geeks.
- How would you recommend someone get started in building their own community? – It starts not just with a passion you might have. It starts with what you’re good at. What are you good at? Are you good at writing… sitting in front of a camera or mic… or taking pictures? What media do you excel at (or love) the most? Have a passion, choose a medium you are good at… and just go. Also remember to involve your audience (community members) as much as possible. That is the key element to making your garden grow.
- What would be the most important things someone should – and shouldn’t – do when building a community? – You remember the novel “Of Mice and Men”? You know when he loved the puppy so much he squeezed it too hard, and it died? That’s what you don’t want to do. Don’t be too overbearing. Don’t strangle your community by trying to squeeze it so tightly. Don’t limit and constrict it. Guide and shape your community, and let it grow on its own. Let the people dictate how it grows.
- Can you think of any business success stories you can share that deal with building communities? – That’s a difficult community, because everyone has a different business model. Each business and owner has a different idea as to what their community should be, and why. I’m going to use Microsoft as a prime example. I don’t know of another company that has been prolific in blogging, and encourages their employees to blog, as well. They’re so free with that information, that it creates a compelling experience.
People ask me ‘where does community exist?’. The answer to that is – community exists within you.
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