Above you’ll find a commitment curve to a community drawn by Douglas Atkins from the glue project and Airbnb. Ultimately — this suggests that new members enter from curiosity, start contributing with low friction/simple items that can generate momentum for them in the eyes of community members.
Although this seems straightforward, the root questions to discover are: how do I build a community from scratch? Why would people want to join my community? As a creator, influencer, entrepreneur, etc., it’s our responsibility to create reasons and valuable content for people to join and be engaged in the community for long-term.
To begin — let’s understand why people join communities:
- They perceive the community as a part or extension of their true self (i.e., shared niche, hobby, creator, passion, etc. )
- They have current connections in the community and/or aim to find people similar to them.
- They seek to get recognized for their quality contributions to the community, creator, or even purpose.
Though not the complete reasons that people do. This is what we’ve received as feedback from creators who have communities and fans who contribute to them. As we begin to leave Web 2.0 behind and are on the bridge from Web 2.5 to Web 3.0, three concepts will be key — curation, niche, and community. Community is where the top fans live and engage.
If you’re a creator who believes in the power of community and niche — visit Diffusion. We’re creating a creator tool that allows you to earn by adding your perspective to your favorite web content.
Next up: How to build an organic community?
