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18 Comments

Why don't people want to join your community?

Hey community builders!

I'm currently collecting the "Do's and Don'ts" in running a successful community. It's been a while since we dived into the new normal. Keen to know your pain points and see how we can help each other.

Particularly:

  • Why people don't want to join your community (& virtual community)
  • Your tips for keeping your community engaged
  • What it really takes to foster a startup community

Your feedback will be repurposed into a newsletter about virtual events, communities, and resources.

Let me know if you wish to be quoted :D

on June 27, 2020
  1. 3

    it takes time and intention. and there isn't any growth hack. building real relationships is hard but it's the real unlock for a community that becomes exceptionally-meaningful and valuable to all.

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      Echo that @8bit - no growth hack. Relationship building is super important!

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          me too, and hi on a new platform :)

  2. 2

    Hi Felix12777,

    Some quick answers:

    1. Probably because it doesn't provide them value. The way I like to think about it is why I myself don't join some online communities while I engage in others. I dont join some because it's not what I'm looking for (or it's low quality or a ghost town). For some I relaly engage in because I'm interested in the content and the people are pretty responsive.
    2. Creating content they want.
    3. Not sure, still working on this one :)

    Hope this helps, Bill

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      Hey @billatberlocks

      Thanks for your insights. 1000% on your first time. Value is the key. Seems like you're very into the community journey. Shall we extend the conversation on Twitter?

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      lol. answer. :)

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        Lol it’s not the complete list actually. I wrote it before my research. Now I did a series of psy research. The list is crazy

  3. 1

    Hey Felix! You'll find a ton of great dos and don'ts here--

    https://www.digitalcampfires.co/recaps

    This is specific, tactical advice on community-building from the people actually doing it. Several of my past guests have given advice on these questions.

    Check it out and if you want to use anything feel free to just credit the Digital Campfire Download and the source of the quote.

    You can also sign up for future content like this here if you wish:

    https://www.digitalcampfires.co/jointhenext

    TX and hope this is helpful :)

  4. 1

    Because most communities are just platforms/pages without the interactions people crave for when they join a circle. Communities should be about sharing, inputs, support and it works even with just 10 people, but it starts to fall apart when the number rises.

  5. 1

    Devrelate.io is a service that helps you build a community if I understand correctly. I'm in a founders group with the owner of that company and he says that building a community is a lot more difficult than people realize. It might be a service that you find some value in, maybe it's worth looking into.

    I built a community for financial startups and it has a decent number of people right now but I don't have the time or energy to maintain it and admittedly, it's falling apart because I'm not managing it well. so there are a few different types of communities. I know it's important to define roles and delegate.

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      Hey @716green thanks for sharing and being transparent. Mind if I ask why you don't have time and energy for the community?

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        @felix12777 I owned a collection agency for a decade. I sold it last November and now I'm building a debt collection platform. The community I started up was to help people who were starting agencies. I was getting a lot of severely under-financed and under-motivated people. I was devoting too much time and energy to helping people who ultimately made no progress and it was very demoralizing.

        As soon as I get more involved, the flood gates open up and everybody needs me for everything. I can't find a good balance or attract other experienced agency owners who are willing to help. It's not a very 'community motivated' industry.

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          Good point @716green community might or might not fit all industry. Would you be keen to extend this conversation on Twitter?

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            Sure thing. My handle is the same as it is here. Feel free to contact me there.