Community

(these posts copied from http://www.feverbee.com)

Most Community Halls Are Empty Tonight

There is a gap in the market for genuine sense of community.

Churches no longer unite us. We don't find that sense of community in our lives much these days. Community participation has been dropping since the second world war. Most community halls are empty tonight.

Organizations can step up and provide these community experiences. (Note, that's experiences folks, not products. There are enough products in the world). Genuine communities are rare.

Companies already attract people with a similarities. It's not a huge leap to give them a platform to talk, things to talk about and experiences they can share. It's simple, even. However, if you're trying to promote a product on the cheap, go elsewhere.

If you're genuinely trying to be that new place for a community of people to gather, then be genuine. Don't disservice members by persuading them to join then trying to promote products or guide the conversation. Don't make any demands. Just be that place they go to. Be genuine.

We are social beasts, we still need a community. We spend a lot of time searching for them online. Right now, on the internet, it's clear the more you genuine you are, the more you will stand out.

Churches and Communities

For centuries churches were the pillar of communities.

It wasn’t an accident. People didn't stroll by and decide to pop in. Churches worked hard to build their communities. They organized events for most nights of the week. Dances, games, prayer, social meetings, singing, music lessons, book clubs. They provided advice for people with problems. My nan used to go to church 5 nights a week. She met my granddad and her best friends there.

Churches also had dedicated community managers (priests). These priests built relationships with regulars. He know them and their families. If someone went missing, he came to find out why and bring them back. He worked hard.

It's the most obvious secret to developing a successful community; working hard. But too many organizations ignore this bit. They don't allocate the time or resources for hard work. They don't work out what events they're going to be hosting for their community, nor have someone actively reaching out to individual people at a time to bring them into a community. They don't actively pursue missing members and bring them back.

It worked for churches for centuries. In many churches it still does. Copy their work ethic, their community strategies and their simple tactics.