The #1 Way to Build a Community

Nov 4, 2008
A group of youth interacting
Image via Wikipedia

Over the weekend I attended a few sessions at Podcamp Singapore and the Digital Media Festival. The one thing that struck me the most was the idea of going where the people are.

At DM Fest, the topic came up when I was talking to someone just after a session about communities. I was asking his opinion about whether it made more sense to use your own logins if you’re trying to build a community, or to try and leverage technologies like OpenID so people can use other accounts to join. The answer was a pretty obvious one.

At Podcamp Singapore, the topic came up in both the sessions I attended. Coleman talked about choosing the right medium – text, audio or video. As you can imagine, one of the main factors discussed was about audience preference.

The other session I attended was by Amsie from Curious Foodie, who shared her journey on blogging. During the session, the discussion went on a very nice (in my opinion) tangent when the owner of fourcardflush, a poker blog, asked for advice on how to build the local online poker community – the poker community in Singapore is largely unseen online. The suggestions? To go out into the offline community, take part in the games, and build from there.

3 very different sessions, with different focuses and applications. But the common general theme is quite prevalent.

The easiest way to build a community is to go where the people are. Don’t just try to pull them to where you are. Go to where they are, join them, and build relationships first. Then do you thing, and they will follow.

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Why I’ve Joined Facebook

Jun 27, 2008

Yes, I know I said I’d never do it, but well, I’ve just joined Facebook.

Personally, I still don’t really like the privacy issues and all. But I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the whole thing, and I realized something. This whole social media thing that I’m doing – my blog, twitter, etc – it’s not just about me getting my voice heard. It’s about being part of a community, and connecting with all of you. It’s just as much about you – how you can connect to me and how I can help you – as it is about me.

And since everyone seems to be on Facebook, I figured that it’s time for me to join. I’ve had numerous people ask me to join Facebook, from people who attended the Social Media Breakfasts in Singapore, to the likes of Connie Bensen, and more. And I realize I’ve been missing out on a lot of opportunities to connect with all of you out there.

That’s why I’ve finally joined Facebook. Because this scene isn’t just about me – it’s about the community. And I want to be as accessible as possible, I want it to be as easy as possible for you to connect with me.

So, feel free to connect with me on Facebook. You’re the reason I joined.

Let Me Promote Your Work

Jun 21, 2008

I’ve just created a new page on my blog, specifically dedicated to you and your content. It’s an idea I sort of stole from Chris Brogan (Chris, hope you don’t mind).

I know there are lots of you out there smarter than me, who have better content than I do. So why not let me promote it? Not much work required on your part, just fill up the form below (or on the Your Content page), and I’ll add it to the list. You get a free link, and free syndication (if you choose).