Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere in Online Communities

I often see people who misinterpret social media as a community building tool. It can be used as such, but very tough to do. (and most people who think they are doing it right are just building another distribution outlet — which is great, but different from building a community) It requires a slightly different approach than the average social strategy. Social Platforms (like X & LinkedIn) • Open networks • Content dependent • Great because people are usually spending lots of their time there • Tough to stand out since you’re competing against the algorithm, other creators, brands, and everyone else in the feed Community Platforms (like Discord, Slack, Circle) • Usually closed networks • Dependent on user engagement • Great for consolidating your core group of members • Very tough to maintain over time since you need people to come back to your specific group (even tougher if engagement is declining) Ok, so how do you use social platforms top build an online community? 1/ Define your community 2/ Share it on your social accounts, in your bio, etc. 3/ Align your content around this community and what they love 4/ When you create your content, keep this specific community in mind 5/ Share updates publicly just like you would within a Discord channel 6/ Allocate a good chunk of time per day to community management 7/ Nurture your most engaged followers by supporting their content 8/ Make introductions directly in the feed wherever possible 9/ Use your platform to elevate others in your community 10/ Introduce group language that people can use How do you know when you’re doing it right? • People will use your account to discover others with similar interests • People will use your language and phrases in their posts • People will use the comments section of your posts like a forum • People will host meetups or connect with one another IRL at events • People will often tag you in content related to your community In closing, Yes, you can use social platforms like X & LinkedIn to build an online community. But it requires much more effort than just posting content about your brand or the problem you solve. You’ve got to constantly keep the community you’re serving top of mind, put in the time to nurture your members, and be consistent over a long period of time.

It’s a tough world out there. ⚠️ And, loneliness is at an all-time high. Online communities can be part of the solution. When designed well, communities provide safe spaces for members to receive support, knowledge and friendship. I want my members to feel like they belong. Like they MATTER. Like they’re valued, just as they are. We had a conversation in The Hive about what it means to create a safe space. Here’s a sampling of what our members think: 🐝 Start with the mindset that every person is equally valuable, no matter how they show up. Demonstrate that belief in everything you do. 🐝 Foster a space where people can form true friendships – in the community, on social media and in real life. 🐝 Allow space. When someone asks a question in The Hive, I pause before answering. I’m the facilitator, not the expert, and I want everyone to have an opportunity to share their thoughts. 🐝 Thank members when they model the behaviors you want to encourage. For example, “Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough response!” and “Thank you for recommending that excellent resource!” 🐝 Acknowledge elephants in the room. When someone is upset or hurt, pause and address what happened. Just moving on when the energy in the room has shifted can prevent others from learning and connecting. 🐝 Let people know what to expect – the good, the bad and the ugly. Explain why decisions were made. 🐝 Observe rituals that build a sense of belonging. Traditions and routines are comforting. What did I miss? How else can we make our online communities safe and inclusive spaces?

The internet tricks us into thinking we’re connected. We like posts. We drop comments. We join communities. And yet… 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆. Because real connection isn’t just words on a screen. It’s seeing someone’s face, hearing their tone, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. This is something I’ve seen firsthand in the communities I run. One of them, for Hillel Fuld, doesn’t have constant activity on the feed. But what keeps people coming back? Zoom calls. 2-3 times a month, we get together - not just to talk, but to see each other, hear each other, and feel each other. And even though there’s not much chatter in the community feed, the WhatsApp chat is super active. People constantly share 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. Not because of the platform chat. Not because of the content. But 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. We forget this sometimes - especially when we’re building online communities. A WhatsApp group, a Slack channel, or a Facebook feed isn’t enough. If you want your community to feel alive, 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. That’s why live calls - on Zoom, Discord, wherever - are so powerful. They create connection that makes every interaction afterward feel more human. If I’ve heard you speak 3 or 4 times in a space where we both care about the same thing, now when I read your messages, 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬. It’s not just text. It’s your voice. That’s the difference. If you’re running a community - whether it’s for business, learning, or impact - 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝? #community #communitybuilder #connection #socialmedia