I’m day seven into an online community of people I’ve never met. I don’t even know their real names. But I really like them and the sense of camaraderie and support that has developed so quickly. What gives?
People from companies are always asking me about online communities. “What makes them successful? Why to people participate? Can strangers really become ‘a community’ without any face to face contact?”
I always say people have to have a reason they want to come together, and there needs to be some sort of activity to involve people, and communities don’t have to last a long time to be deemed “successful.” But it’s difficult to really “get” communities until you’ve been part of one. Especially a good one.
So this community I’m enjoying so much is a group of people who receive a writing prompt each morning, then write for 12 minutes. You can share your story on the community blog, or not. You can tell people what you like about their stories, or not. You can reveal your name, or go by a pseudonym.
As with all communities, there wasn’t a whole lot going on in the first few days. I mean, who are these people, I thought. Then gradually people began posting some of their stories, and people began writing about what they liked about the stories. Yesterday, day 6, there were 17 posts, while there were only three posts on day 3. At the same time Josh, our sherpa guide and prompt man, gently nudges and encourages people every day when he emails us the writing prompt.
Dear Artists of the Most High,
We are moving along so well. So love how everyone is showing up and sharing and being so supportive. That kind of approach is so key – as that allows an open space for all to share. That is a priceless gift – and it something that we are all co creating here. Thank you.
This community only lasts 27 days, then there’s an event in LA where folks can meet and share. That’s it. By then the community will have done its job.
What I’ve learned from this experience about successful communities:
- Communities need a concrete purpose.
- If you ask members to do something, they are likely show up and do it. Be specific. And make it easy and a minimal time investment.
- The community facilitator needs to really care and be involved.
- It takes a while for trust and behaviors to form. You can’t rush that. But you can gently encourage.
- Success isn’t number of people or how long the community runs; it’s whether it achieved its purpose and whether members feel it was a satisfying experience.
- There’s a value of exclusivity; once the group started no one else was allowed in, helping us to get to know one another and establish a beat to our group. The trust builds with this exclusivity.
- Get people hooked and they’ll pay. The first seven days of this journey were free; then people are asked to pay $27. When people experience value, they’re willing to pay for it. A community’s purpose should be to provide value not to a company or organizer, but to the members. If that happens, the company or organizer will benefit too.