Community isn't built - it's grown

Just found another good marketing blog, POELog. This post is relevant on a number of fronts, and is certainly interesting in the context of the k-log conversation that’s been ongoing:

MarketingProfs.com: Design for Community: An Interview with Derek M. Powazek – Some great nuggets of wisdom about community, web design and core truths about developing and running a web-based business. Here’s a few of the highlights:

Web communities happen when users are given tools to use their voice in a public and immediate way, forming intimate relationships over time.

The biggest misconception is that community can be built at all. It can’t. What you can do is build an environment that is conducive to social interaction. If people adopt it and make it their home, they’ll call it a community for you. Community isn’t built—it’s grown.

The clear winners [in building online communities] are places like Amazon and eBay. Now, these aren’t the community ideals. Let’s face it, they’re both about buying and selling at their core. But where other web stores failed, they succeed. In both cases, it’s because they designed their sites around the strengths of the Internet: social connections.

The thing to remember is, the Internet is a big place, and there is indeed a community out there for everyone. But your community doesn’t have to include everyone. The idea is to find the people who care about your product, service, or niche, and make a place just for them.
(via Net Marketing). [POELog]