Build it and they will come - or will they?
Issue 0
Hi, I’m Emilie, and I’m launching this newsletter, Connection Engine, to discuss reflections and lessons on community building in a digital world. If you’re a community builder or just curious on community work, you can join the fun by subscribing below!
Community means a lot of things to a lot of people. Whether it’s your local running group, a book club, your gym squad, family, or membership in an exclusive club, belonging to something is meaningful. Our identities, while obviously unique to us, are so shaped by the influence and power of community that it remains a biologically human need to have a group, to form those meaningful relationships and use communities to enrich our lives in ways isolation cannot. We need community to feel alive. Without it, we are lost.
Having always valued places where I could make connections and lasting relationships with others, it is a privilege to now be able to design communities and build spaces where people can come together and celebrate the joy that comes with belonging. I’m starting this newsletter to reflect on my journey of community building and management, but also to give others the frameworks and tools that have worked for me as we head into a new era of digital communities in a busy world. I’ll not only walk through some step by step guides for community growth, but also encourage you to test things knowing most of them will fail.
We need to be building each other up — now more than ever. Here’s to human connection, for without it we would not be.
So you want to start a community…
I’ll be real here for a sec. Community building is hard. Community builders are project managers, designers, consultants, customer support specialists, researchers, event planners, marketers, networkers, writers, recruiters, strategists. But above all, community builders are people people. They have their finger on the pulse of the group. They have empathy and patience that knows no bounds. Community builders fail. Community builders win. Community builders test things, knowing 99% of them might not work. They read people, they know people, and they’re willing to adapt to meet situations better than most can. That’s the job.
Community doesn’t sleep — you can shut off your computer after a long day but chances are someone in a different time zone will have an urgent request or question late at night. So community builders are flexible. Community builders must also set boundaries. Community builders are people people. But they are people, too.
When I first got into community management, I had no idea where to start. I couldn’t get past the theoretical fluff of community values and find resources with concrete advice. Perhaps this is because there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to community building (which is true and I’ll get into in a later issue).
I do however think there are early steps every community builder could and should take. And sorry Field of Dreams, but just because you build it doesn’t necessarily mean they will come. Build it and they maybe, possibly, might come (but only if you also work really freaking hard to prove value).
Whether you’re building a community for a brand or for a personal reason, it all starts with a clear strategy document. This initial strategy doc will be your lighthouse throughout your journey. It will definitely change over time, but watching it evolve into something backed by real experiences and not just ideas in your head is a beautiful thing to witness, and a delightful part of community building. When times get rough, refer to it. When times are good, refer to it. Use it. Change it. It’s a living memento of your journey and growth.
The strategy documentation I use is a blend of things I’ve read but influenced very much by legendary community leaders like Jono Bacon and David Spinks.
Now let’s get to the good stuff.
Here is a general outline I fill out before embarking on a new community journey. It does wonders for organizing your thoughts and helping you see gaps in your design. Take the time to review each of these thoughtfully and revisit them when necessary:
Identify your community membership & mission.
Describe your prospective member.
Draft your community tone and some ideas for rituals/traditions.
Pick a community tool & framework.
Choose five measurable goals you want to accomplish with your community over the next year.
Identity your community’s membership & mission
This is the best place to start. In two sentences, identify your community member and the value you’re bringing to them. You need to keep it simple — not just for prospective members, but for yourself. If you can’t easily explain what you’re trying to do and why you’re doing it, you can’t expect anyone else to understand.
Format: X is a community for (member description). This community will ___(list of two-three things that provide value)___.
Remember to be specific. Saying things like “improve experience” and “provide value” really mean nothing. How are you providing value? How are you improving someone’s life? Write it out. If you can’t, your first step is to find the answer to those questions.
Take a deeper dive into your prospective member types.
By member type, I mean the role(s) they’ll be playing in your community. Are they experts joining to help others? People with no experience that want to learn more? You should reflect on the below questions for each of your member type:
What motivates them?
What discourages them?
Why would they participate?
What would an onboarding journey look like?
How will you provide value to them? How will they provide value to the community?
Put yourself in their shoes and imagine you have zero context for the community you’re building. Would you take time out of your already busy life to participate? Think of communities you’re a part of and what has worked well for you (or not so well).
Draft your community’s tone and some ideas for rituals/traditions
It’s important to explore and define the vibe of your community early on before you start inviting members. Is it serious? High-energy? Productive? Motivational?
Once you have an idea of your community tone and what the membership might look like, jot down some ideas for community rituals and traditions. 80% of them probably won’t work, but at least this will warm you up to some community engagement exercises and introduce you to the test-a-lot-and-be-prepared-to-fail-a-lot mindset of community building. Welcome to the adventure!
Pick a place for your community to live.
Some community builders will say this is not important — I disagree.
As our digital identities become as important, if not more important in some cases, than our real identities, the online space you provide for your members to meet, interact, and ask questions is extremely valuable and sets the tone for your community. What you choose is up to you. Some popular platforms these days are Discord, Slack, and Circle.
Once you have a tool, sketch out what a delightful space would look like for your members. Organize your channels thoughtfully. Narrow down when you can. Start small & expand. Keep it simple. It’s better to have three engaged channels than ten inactive ones. Some key ones I like to start with: intros, general chat, and questions. As your community grows, you can always reorganize and add more as needed (and requested by the community!).
Bonus: Here are some companies building infrastructure for communities if you want to check them out (and a sneak peek into a future issue on cool community tools!).
Discover more resources for communities on startupy.
Choose five goals you want to accomplish with the community for the next year.
Follow up with measurable KPIs that include things like growth, engagement, onboarding, retention, and value. Think about the obstacles for each and the methods you’ll use to overcome them.
When I say measurable, I mean using numbers, not phrases like “improve” or “provide value.” If you can’t concretely point to how you met your goal, it’s not measurable. Better said by Jono Bacon:
“If it isn’t unambiguously measurable, it doesn’t exist.”
Be realistic, yet specific. You’ll be revisiting these goals a lot.
Tada! You just drafted a framework for your community. You’re now ready to develop an onboarding plan and recruit your first 100 members.
You’ve done the thinking, the writing, the strategizing. Now it’s time to dive in and put these ideas to work. In the next issue I’ll discuss why your first 100 members are key and how to design a delightful onboarding journey for your community by doing things that don’t scale.
Until then, thanks for reading!
About me
I’m Emilie Kormienko, community designer at startupy. Why am I doing this? To share my learnings on community work, to learn more myself, and to make new internet frens :)
Want to read more? Follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my newsletter here.
Have a community question for a future issue or just want to chat? Email me at ekormienko@gmail.com.