Have you ever thought about how we have evolved from being local to global, to now the cyberspace?
I mean, sometimes I wonder even if the Valkyrie did sneak in half of the Asgardians to settle among us?
What do you think? Did you have any new neighbors recently? How cool it would be to settle with them right? Maybe, for now, that might just be a fantasy.
I mean, I would be the happiest person on the planet if the Marvel cinematic universe was real because I love them, and would love to talk about it for hours, but now lets come back to reality.
Would you agree with me when I say, human evolution did not stop when our own species appeared?
We all are well aware that physical and genetic changes have occurred within our species & will continue to occur at a basic level as new genes evolve. That’s how nature works.
Right?
But for today, I want you to think of the nomadic times in history and compare them with the digital nomadic times now… Can you notice how far we have come along?
Back then our ancestors lived in the caves, ironically we still do today, though we now call some of them Airbnb.
When we look around us, or should I rephrase and say, when we look at our phone or laptop screens, it’s impossible to miss the importance of social interactions in human society. They form the basis of our families, our governments, & even our global economy.
But here is a question for you – how did we become social in the first place? Think about it, when it was easy and better to live as couples in the warm cozy caves, why did the human race choose to progress gradually to clans or larger communities?
The answer is simple, the analysis indicates that primate society expanded in a burst, most likely because there was safety in numbers. It was about cherishing the feeling of relatedness. Humans joined a community to become more of themselves – to exist in a place where one wouldn’t have to self-edit to fit in.
What, as per results and research, started with a purpose of safety, gradually as the times changed caused the communities to evolve too.
Groups & communities are those who connect any user with any other user, according to any quality possible such as relationships, beliefs, viewpoints, goals, problems, identity, or interests started developing as well.
It is these social ties which when combined with a well-designed commitment curve, for a clearly defined purpose, leads to a powerful combination in sustaining a community. Just like the purpose evolved from personal or professional development.
With the growth of the internet, the communities slowly transitioned from geographically confined to global, 24/7 connected!
Today, there are many saying traditional communities are dying, millennials are moving away from organized religion in their packs and more. I see it the other way around though, I see myself, as well as all of us, connected!
Let me ask you something…
Lyft, Airbnb, Eventbrite, Lift, Foursquare, Soundcloud, Skillshare, Udemy, Github, Binpress, Yammer, Hootsuite, Buffer…what do they have in common? They have all invested a great deal of time and resources into building communities. Still wondering why? Let me simplify it for you…
The point is simple, when done right, your community creates a sense of belonging! Members feel like they’re part of something important and they’re proud, they feel special. Their experience with your brand then becomes so much more than just products and features. They develop strong emotions around your brand. They build relationships with other members.
I’ve seen first hand how building a strong community can create an environment where your members do in fact fall in love with your brand. This leads to a series of benefits like profits, long-term relations to brand ambassadors to deeply connected family & much more!
Do you want to enjoy those benefits as well? Here is the starting point for you –
Take a look at what it is you’re really hoping to accomplish and then think about how your community might be able to benefit from via being part of the community.
Make people happy. Make them enjoy your company, live or via social media, or other touchpoints.
That’s what it’s all about.
If you can do that with your content, your value, your product, and potentially with your community, you’re on your way.
And, if you are looking forward to taking result-driven further specific action steps, I would love to invite you to be part of my community Build Communities that Scale – with Sushmita Jain you will love it!
See you on the other side!