For about 10 years I’ve been involved in various communities virtually. In 1999, I found Memespace (no longer alive) which was created by Chris Abraham. I think it was 2001 when I discovered Howard Rheingold, his sense of community, and joined another community that he created. While a member of Memespace, I hosted and moderated (lightly) the Life Stories conference. At Howard’s community, I was a host to many conferences over the years but also played the role of editor of the community newsletter.
I eventually found a new community in social media via Twitter and Second Life. Currently I follow various communities on web 2.0 which has created my own personal community.
What I’ve learned in this time is that communities are made up of a host of people that you value, who give something to your life and inspire you. That’s why I’ve created the Daily Vibe here on the Vibemetrix blog. I want to give to you things that I think will be helpful for you. So today we honor community by linking to people who’ve had something interesting to say on the subject lately.
- The best damn podcast on communities. The Community Divas sit down with remarkable people who have build remarkable communities and talk with them. They’re just getting started but doing a remarkable job.
- One of the key things for building a community is giving a lot. Sharing, promoting others and then getting out to meet them are all great ways to build the relationship before you ask for something of the community.
- One of the best ways to give is to help a broader community than your own. Beth Kanter is constantly trying to improve the global community by fund raising for non-profits (among many other amazing things). She’s recently set up a campaign against hunger on The Point. What’s cool about The Point is the organizer pledges to achieve a goal while you pledge to donate only if they reach that goal.
As with any community there are norms, rules and sometimes unspoken ones. To have a real community there must be trust involved. As we saw with CNN’s iReport and Steve Jobs, that doesn’t always work out so well. When those things go wrong, who owns the community? Important question to answer. The rules are often unspoken leaving people to guess. If you aren’t sure that taking an action is a good idea or a bad one, then ask someone in your community for advice.
Most of the time we get communities and trust right. Sometimes we all need a little help understanding the norms. Together I bet we can figure it out.
What’s your best advice and practices regarding your community? How did you get involved?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow Chel!
Glad you like Community Divas. Connie and I are blushing to be in such great company here.
As for our podcast, we’re still learning and we never would have made it this far (or at all) if it weren’t for the overwhelming support we’ve received from the podcasting community.
The way I got involved was by listening to podcasts and attending events like Podcamps and PAB. Not only did I learn about podcasting but I learned so much more about this warm and encouraging community.
It’s also important to give back, so last year I joined the PodCamp Toronto organizing team and volunteered to lead a couple sessions. A couple weeks ago, the first PodCamp Montreal took place. Several of us from Toronto drove to Montreal to show are support and lead a couple sessions.
Connie and I led a session about starting a new podcast. We still have a lot to learn but there are always people out there who want to learn from the experience of others.
You’ve done a great job with the start and I’m proud of your efforts. By focusing the spotlight on the community and it’s organizers, you’ve reinforced that the best communities are the ones that talk about what everyone else is doing.