Community is at the centre of so much that we do, and we are constantly finding new ways to build communities around ourselves. We are now participating in multiple communities. We have our immediate neighbourhoods. Then we have our local towns or cities. In larger cities we might think of our neighbourhood as being a bigger influence than the whole city all at once.
Then we have work communities, which can be especially differentiated when we live in a different community from the one we work in.
We have social networks of friends. This can often include a broad geographic spectrum of people we’ve met and become close with over time. Colleagues from past jobs and previous homes, people we went to school with, etc.
And more broadly we have the community of people we may never have met who have gathered around us virtually in support of what we’re dong online – be it just one social media platform like instagram, a blog, or an online business presence.
When we are thinking about the community we are building for any given project it is important that we also think about how our actions impact our community layers. This means considering the opportunities within our communal layers, as well as who are project is truly for.
Why? Why does everyone keep coming back to that “who is your project, product or post for?” question? The answer is this: If you don’t know the answer – if you don’t know who you’re doing this for – how will you effectively deliver your work to the right people in order to grow your community and business?
Don’t be afraid to grow those layers… you might also think of them as mini communities within your circle, this is ultimately the key to growing your community as a whole, and also to making your community more complete.
When you think about layers and mini-communities – what are the minis to your whole? What community layers can you identify?
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