Question

“Why do you build community?” is a question I’ve been asked A LOT lately.  And when I say A LOT, in all caps, let’s say it’s somewhere between 3-5 times per day over the course of the last two months for a variety of reasons by all sorts of people. Each time someone asks me, I genuinely think about it and always come up with the same thoughts & feelings. It’s a great question that puts everything into perspective. Why do you do what you do? Do you love it? How did you get here? Where do you want to go? Which are all questions we should ask ourselves frequently in any profession.

I could share a ton of reasons/stories on why this is the right career path for me, but ultimately loving community building comes down to four feelings:

1. Feeling joy when others are happy, satisfied, & connected.
2. Feeling a part of a group of people doing great things. It doesn’t matter what those great things are of course, but people participating in a community that’s mutually beneficial is a beautiful thing.
3. Feeling a sense of accomplishment while building things/events/features.
4. Feeling proud when a community can help a great business grow.

The rest of it is curiosity. People and technology and how they intersect are fascinating areas to me. What we can do now in the world of tech that we couldn’t do five years ago online, and how all of it will be radically different in the next five years is exciting.  The way it all changes our world in uncountable ways over time is inspiring. How technology can give us platforms that can create these pockets of people from around the world and impact their lives on a daily basis is profound. And as was discussed by multiple speakers at the CMX Summit recently, so many psychological norms that we’ve come to understand in how people interact in person, also translate into how people interact online.

So those are my reasons, but I’d love to know yours. Think about it, and let us know below, “Why do you build community?”  Whether you’re in community, support, social, or content – why do you do what you do?

Jenn Pedde

Jenn is a Co-Founder of The Community Manager and the Editor-In-Chief. She’s also an adjunct professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies. You can find her almost anywhere online, but specifically on #CmgrChat every Wednesday from 2-3pm ET.