The Community Ecosystem
There really aren’t many secrets to how things work in social media. There are skills to learn, and then there are human traits to re-learn. And yet, when people jump into this space and try to get results for their efforts, they’re sometimes surprised and frustrated. Sometimes, when we’re rushed, we forget the “nice” parts of things, and yet, in a community ecosystem, that’s what will drive your results. Some thoughts.
Contribute Where You Can
Brian Solis is an upstanding member of this new world. He’s been in it for almost 10 years with his forward thinking new-PR company, Future Works. When Brian comes to a gathering, he brings his monster camera and a great eye, and he snaps TONS of photos. But it’s what comes next that proves my point. Brian shares his photos on Flickr, and he shares them with Creative Commons permissions such that you can pretty much use his photos for anything, provided you give him credit.
You can contribute somewhere in the community ecosystem. Maybe it’s by sharing your photos. Maybe it’s by offering small business tips for new budding freelancers. Maybe it’s offering presentation advice. Wherever you can, offer up (for free and easily) stuff that YOU can bring to the community.
Communicate When You Can
The Zulu greet each other by saying “Sawubona,” translated literally to mean, “I see you.” It means, “I know that you’re there and I acknowledge you as another person.” The response back is, “Ngikhona,” which is literally, “I am here.”
Visiting people’s websites and/or just reading their RSS feed isn’t enough all the time. Make a point of commenting, of saying “I see you.” Sometimes (okay, often) I receive email from people saying that they don’t get any comments on their website and they wonder why they should bother. MANY people have the feeling they’re out in the wild doing nothing important. You might be contributing to this feeling by not commenting, even on occasion, on some of the places you visit.
So when you can, share a little “I see you” with the places where you interact. Because it will matter. It does come back to you. People do care.
Create What You Can
Participating, building, creating are all possible with these tools and with this way that people are seeing the landscape of work. We have the potential to be more connected to each other than ever before. And from this, we now have the opportunity to lighten the burden of others by creating things that others can use.
Some ways to create are to build things for people who don’t necessarily have the skills but you can see their need. Another way is to add value by contributing to an existing project. Other times, it’s as simple as organizing a gathering (either online or in the real world) of people with like interests, such that you can help catalyze the conversations and the shared experience. Create. Make. Do. And share.
The Community Ecosystem Isn’t About Money or Not
It’s not the question of free and hippies vs. money making capitalists. These things I’m mentioning work in both ways. You can do these things in the space where it’s just “nice,” and you can do these things in the space where the value comes back to the company in some other way. That’s not the point, because the skills required to contribute into this ecosystem are necessary in both places. In fact, they’re interchangeable.
So, how are YOU contributing? Where are you communicating? What are you creating? Come see us.
The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.
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Photo credit, Brian Solis, killer photographer
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Comments
I completely agree with you: “I receive email from people saying that they don’t get any comments on their website and they wonder why they should bother. MANY people have the feeling they’re out in the wild doing nothing important.” Very true. Commenting is important. I feel the lack of comments a lot. And as much as people say that the generic ‘nice post’ comments are lousy, I have to say - at least they are better than nothing. Maybe those comments are just a way of saying hello.
I like the way you brought in the Zulu greeting.
I see you, Chris :D
I just made a Subscribe Sidebar Wordpress plugin for other bloggers and podcasters to use. I’m also trying to do my part by uniting the blogging and podcasting community in and around Ohio by organizing PodCamp Ohio.
The blogging and podcasting community is blessed with its positive relationship with open source community. This post though goes beyond that. The future relies on contribution beyond just source code. Get involved, contribute your strengths to the community and watch how your efforts make a difference. I am and I’m pumped!
I appreciated your thoughtful post. It was like receiving a warm fuzzy.
I’ve had a personal blog for years and I’m often dismayed by visitors not leaving comments. I know it has nothing to do with me per se – yet wouldn’t it be nice in this New Community to connect with actual words instead of just hits on a sitemeter.
This by far is my favorite topic right now! I never really thought about creating content to support other companies, but I think it’s a great idea!
Your Social Media 100 has been an outstanding series, Chris. Well done!
Today’s post was the final catalyst to get me to do something I’ve been considering for a while: ditching my traditional Blog Roll in favor of looking for new voices, new insights to highlight on my blog instead of the expected industry leaders or so-called “A-listers” like Brian Solis (whom I love to read). But those blogs are easy to find, and something like Guy Kawasaki’s latest project, Alltop.com, puts leading voices on a single page for readers.
I’m relying less and less on reading feeds these days, so I invited Twitter followers to send me links to their blog posts. I’ve made a commitment to read and comment on as many as possible — those first few comments I got as a blogger were vitally important to me, and they came from leaders in the social media space who reached out to an unknown. They also started a dialog with the commenters, many of whom I have now met in person. They were my early encouragers and it’s high time I paid it forward.
@Connie- I think that’s a really worthwhile project. A while back, I did occasional posts called “Yellow Highlighter,” where I’d highlight someone’s website that I thought was interesting. Maybe we should all do that from time to time.
Related, but not, the Rockstars page is for ANYONE who visits this site, so there are lots of hidden gems there. (And if you’re not there, read the instructions, follow them, and then YOU will be there, too). : )
Connie has uncovered one of my favorite secret hobbies… which is to randomly find 4 or 5 new (or new to me) blogs and read through their current posts and archives, leaving a comment or two along the way. I guess it’s a quieter version of your “Yellow Highlighter” effort, Chris. It gives me a thrill to discover great writers and tell them that I like their stuff!
Great post, as usual, Chris -
As someone also starting out in the blogosphere, I can say that sometimes it feels really strange when you pour your heart out into a post and put it out there for everyone to read, and no one comments back. As you said, it creates this feeling where you wonder whether your words really count for something, and if you are truly contributing in any way at all.
I am slowly learning how to reach out to others by trying to find unique and interesting content on blogs, commenting on them, and reaching out to others through Twitter. It was by doing that, and reaching out to you, Chris, that I was able to get some attention to a post I had just written, and I must say, it felt really great.
I think I’m also going to make a point of highlighting interesting sites/blogs that I’ve come across on my blog, just so people might be better “heard” or “seen” (as you so effectively used).
I’m as old as dirt, we used to say “I hear you”. Great point in your post, Chris, “I heard that!”
One of the most amazing things about the Net is how you can connect with a Merlin Mann, a Jonathan Coulton or a Chris Brogan. The easiest way is probably through comments on their posts. Not everyone is as gracious as the three I name, but the idea is there.
In my experience, the brightest lights will shine back at you.
I’ve always found the dynamics of sites interesting, particularly ones with a fair bit of exposure. Some are truly communities, with as much, or nearly as much, participation from readers as from the person/people who publish it. Others are almost entirely one-to-many, more like being in school with the teacher talking and students quietly listening.
I’d mostly thought that it was the writer’s style, content, and general… atmosphere (?) created on a site that affected the amount of interaction that developed. But now you’ve got me wondering how much more of it relates to how much the writer intentionally interacts with the readers and with the broader online community (by topic, demographic, industry, geography…).
It’s pretty normal human behaviour for people to need to be coaxed out of their shells (even with the invisibility phenomenon of the internet), but once they have, and are engaged, not only will their presence encourage others to come forward, but their engagement is more likely to lead to passion, which, of course, leads to evangelism.
Bottom line: you want to build a community, be part of one from the beginning, even if it’s only you there at first. (Until you have readers who start engaging, you can engage outward, reading, commenting on, and posting about others’ work that engages you.)
Good stuff. :)
LinkedIn might not be a good tool for businesses to use.
http://evildoerexposer.wordpress.com/2008/03/22/linkedin-is-evil-let-me-count-the-ways/
Those Zulu greetings were cool. There is a Zulu saying that I’m really fond of: there is no such thing as truth, only stories.
You know, it’s funny that it’s called SOCIAL media, and yet people don’t want to do the work of being social! Hey folks, your audience isn’t going to just land in your lap! You have to go out and get ‘em. I have a post on this coming out this week, but your post Chris touches on the same thing, so had to chime in on this one.
The 100 posts series is part of what encouraged me to finally plunge into blogging myself.
I’ve been trying to make more of a commitment that if I take the time to read an entire post, I ‘pay’ the blogger with a comment. Something that let’s them know their time was worthwhile.
It’s amazing how the act of producing, rather than consuming really does change your perspective. Even if all you produce is a comment.
You really do get by giving in this community. The post you encouraged me to write and share (the small business tips you linked to above) has turned into our number one post of all time. It was picked up by Lifehacker and hit del.icio.us popular today. Thanks for the encouragement to share!
I see you, Chris! Awesome post. As a relative newcomer to the whole blogging thing, your posts are always insightful and helpful!
Chris,
I like what you’ve done in this post. You’ve essentially taken the Mr. Rogers approach to social media - telling everyone that they’re special, because each has a unique talent or ability. Some are proficient with videos, others with photos, other with the spoken word and yet others with the written word. We need to find our talents and use them to make others feel appreciated in our various communities.
Thanks again for all that you do to make this and many other communities so vibrant and interesting.
Thanks for writing about this topic. I’m having an “aha” light bulb moment. I had begun to wonder what I have to offer the social media world and have been driving myself nuts by thinking that only programmers really have something that matters. Your post helped me see that I do have things to offer in a community. Though it wasn’t mentioned directly in your post, I can see that I can use skills I already have. Your post helped me see that it’s important to do what I do in the real world, to introduce people I like and trust to each other. I am one of those people who generally knows which of my friends and colleagues are good at various things, and people come to me to get help with finding people to connect with to get a job done. I’m a natural people watcher, and I like to learn about things too. I can’t code my way out of a paper bag, and I see now that I don’t have to in order to make the social thing work well. I can share what I do have and can relax and enjoy getting to know the people around me, supporting them as I go.
Hey Chris, you are one of the luckiest guys in the world, I think. I guess I don’t envy your daily commute, but I do find myself a bit jealous of the audience you have - smart, talented, and creative.
I love reading you and others on the blogging scene and I frequently share your posts with colleagues and friends.
I think I have a different purpose in writing my own little piece, though. I generally just get a kick out of trying out the newest “toys”, whether it be Utterz, Minekey’s iThink, or whatever. The writing I do is out there, for the public to see (and to agree with or criticize, as appropriate), but I really just do it for me. It’s cathartic.
That’s maybe why there isn’t a theme, you can read about many musical favorites, many political favorites, my favorite foods, friends and people I admire, books I’ve read, whatever is tickling me at the moment. While I appreciate the feedback I get, and I try to acknowledge the good folks who comment, I certainly don’t get discouraged if no one is reading or commenting. The only difference I need to make with what I do is just keeping myself sane!
My way isn’t for everyone, though, and it would be a shame if we didn’t have people like you doing what you do. Keep up the great and inspirational work.
My current little contribution to my slice of the working world is http://collegelist.pbwiki.com.
No time to say more just now because I’m busy contributing to my kid’s Easter memories.
But thanks for YOUR work, and I’ll be seeing you in my RSS feed and Twitter stream.
Okay, except it’s actually http://collegelists.pbwiki.com
I just shouldn’t try to type this early in the morning!
College counselors all over the country compile “specialty” lists of colleges (colleges with observatories, colleges with summer programs in architecture, etc. etc.) and a friend of mine and I compiled a bunch of them here.
First of all, thank you for the very nice words! You’re right, it’s an ecosystem. And you my friend, are one of its greatest contributors and ambassadors for how to do things the right way.
Blogs, video, pictures, twitter, podcasts, etc., it’s all about contributing. At the end of the day, it’s about relationships. It’s the time we take to stop and observe and in turn, share what we’ve learned. It’s about giving back to community so that the community can flourish together.
Well done.
As a student, one of my biggest pet-peeves is students who talk just to hear their own voices. They make noise but don’t actually contribute anything of substance. As a relatively new inductee into social media, sometimes I feel like one of those people. I worry that a comment I may have is noise and not actually adding value to the conversation and so I refrain.
Perhaps this is just my own issue and I need to get over it. For the other newbies out there, do you ever feel this way?
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“I see you” Chris, Happy Easter! This was just what I needed to read this afternoon; mahalo for the virtual hug you always seem to give.
So easy to suggest, and yet for some reasons, many companies have a real hard time with this. Chief among my training secrets is a session lifted from Everything I need to Know in Life I learned in Kindergarten.
There’s something in the water in certain companies that makes them forget that people like to hear please and thank you, and that bloggers will often work with you if they get the sense that you’re a human being, and not just a cog.
Community is important, and it doesn’t always last. It has to be nurtured, sustained, and sometimes, culled.
Understanding this was what got me into consulting in the first place. I watched the community lifecycle of three distinct groups grow and then die, and the patterns and then actions were similar, though the subjects were not.
Great post. It is important to at say “I see you” even if you feel you have nothing to add to the conversation, as I often do. Acknowledgement is just as important.
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Chris - As one of the best “contributors” to the community ecosystem, I can’t let you squeak by without recognizing your expertise in this field. For someone with as big a network and as much influence as you’ve amassed, you are one of the most humble/helpful people I know. Rock on man!
Aaron (@astrout)