In search of online community
It’s a confusing world out there in the ever-newer and changing social media land, but one thing seems to be clear: people are looking online to feel part of a community. In Public Broadcasting’s “This Emotional Life” series that aired earlier this month, the overarching conclusion was that our connections to other people are the source of our greatest and deepest opportunity for happiness.
Online communities are succeeding by communicating authenticity and real value in those connections, defined by University of Nevada business professor and prolific blogger Dr. Bret Simmons in his personal branding blog as “what you do uniquely to help others address an opportunity or solve a problem that matters to them.”
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aren’t alone in this endeavor; more websites are interactively fostering communities around diverse interests. A few examples:
In a recent public social media forum organized by Dr. Simmons at the University of Nevada, panelist Carmel Papworth-Barnum discussed her women’s running website’s focus on offering information important to women runners, whether just beginning or serious competitors. Her site resonates with women because it is about women, she said, not just about champions. She said, “I want to be inclusive.” Papworth-Barnum views her community as a way to encourage and promote women running and women runners. She’s authentically addressing the opportunity to encourage more women to have confidence in their ability to become fit and find joy through running.
A community doesn’t necessarily need to save the world – some just make it tastier. Kristy Crabtree, Reno web designer, strategist and passionate outdoorswoman, recently launched a unique Nevada Foodies site. Subtitled “A collection of big game recipes,” the site uses attractive blog formating for intriguing recipes and enticing food photos that Crabtree takes using her Canon Eos or iPhone. She also includes interesting shots from Nevada wilderness hunts. Her elk sausage and carmelized root vegetables recipe begins, “Food is like a song to me… it’s always a memory of a time or a place. And in most cases, it’s a good memory.” Hunters and their families who are looking for new game recipes – as well as some inspiration – are sure to find value in this community.
Sites with commercial aspects also can be authentically supportive of community. An educator, author, speaker and coach, Meggin McIntosh, PhD, is a former college professor whose trademark as The Ph.D. of Productivity™ is well earned. Her Emphasis on Excellence website brims with free downloadable posters and postings such as “8 Signs to Remind you How to Say No,” and “15 ideas to implement immediately to overcome reading overwhelm.” Visitors may order products and services such software, timers and webinars, but the site provides plenty of no-cost solutions to the productivity barriers that can stop all of us in our tracks – as well as opportunity to join a like-minded community of people who are “seeking ways to become peacefully (and predictably) productive.”
As we blog or simply go about our business in the world, we could all be guided by purposefully communicating what we do to “uniquely help others address an opportunity or solve a problem that matters to them.” What’s your purpose — and how are you communicating it today?
