How does your community resemble you and your ability? This is all about us effectivily creating a community that knows who we are and what we are about. It’s not just about creating a general community or supporters. It’s about creating your community.
Why create new communities when you change?
We can create communities centered around us, our voice, our vision, our purpose, and not necessarily just our blog. When doing something different we should not have to worry about building a completely brand new community.
If you created a community that’s centered around your presence the whole table turns.
Remember a community is when we have one person behind us. I’m going to go through the types of communities we create and why creating your personal community is beneficial.
Looking Over the Types of Communities
A Community Behind You All the Way
This is your personal community. Some may be your friends and family that always have your support in what you do, but many will be people you have personally connected with on and/or offline. These people could be apart of an alliance you have created overtime. All that matters is that these people know your core values, what you want, and your big picture of things. So, here it does not really matter what you want or build, it matters who you are.
What are ways you have created your community? For me and many others networking and helping people along the way has built me a small but very special community.
The Customer Community
Making money online is talked about all the time. One of the reasons you make money online is because you have customers. Without a customer community we would not be able to support ourselves and the other communities.
A Community from Another Community
Here is a community that supports you because you support someone else and they in return support you. If that does not make sense to you, think about it this way. Say you’ve connected with other people that already have their established community and they see that. More than likely they are going to be willing to tell you to their community. Their community then also comes to you. This is a community from another community.
We ultimately have the control over all of these communities and how they form to create our one community.
Having All These Communities
We need all of these communities to really function and can’t just have a community behind you all the way. But, what if your personal community were your customers too? Its very possible and doable. One great way is to instill some urge in your community. That urge along with you striving to stand out and be unique will be the driving force for all three communities to be one.
You define yourself. You define your community.
No urge, then you have 3 distinct communities. No uniqueness, then you have 3 distinct communities. No you, well the pattern continues. It might seem harder to form these 3 types of communities into one, but really its up to you and your community your creating.
Making Sure You Have Your Community
Now, what if you don’t have your own community.
Your own community being ones that just don’t visit your blog from other sites, more than one time customers, and people that will be with you because they believe in your vision and purpose.
If you don’t have your own community you will experience short-term rewards in all areas I’ve just mentioned. And what if you decide to do another thing or slowly go away from what you’ve been doing? Well, you’ll want a community that supports and follows YOU for if you decide to change things up or make a smart expansion most of them will join you there too.
WARNING: Don’t misuse this ability to do anything at anytime and think they will go along with you. A community only follows you because they know you.
Benefits of Having Your Personal Community
- They will back you up if anyone not currently apart of your community says something wrong about you
- They’ll provide you excellent and beneficial advice
- You come out with something, more than likely they will support it
- They’ll tell people about you in good name
No need to create new communities anymore if you be yourself
You should feel proud to have your very own community. You can even give them a very special name to show your appreciation for them.
Sure there are many types of communities that we can create, but if we create one solid community that believes in us and our purpose that’s just one step to greatness. The other steps are up to you, your passion, and you over-delivering all the time.
Do you feel you have your own community or are you in the process still? Be truthful.
The Discussion
Leave a Comment Read Again?Hi,
I agree. Having Communities and being part of communities is a great advantage online.
I think blog commenting and guest posting also creates a great community. I can see familiar commentators and guest posts authors on the blogs that I visit, and this increases the community in the blogs.
Kindest,
Nabeel
PS: Typo’s in post:
“Some way (may) be your friends and family that always have your support in what you do”
“More thank (than) likely they are going to be willing to tell you to their community”
Nabeel,
Thanks for pointing out the typo’s. It’s been a long night. They are fixed now.
Best,
Derek
My favorite community is the customer community, LOL.
Paul, I hope you care about the others.
Hi Derek,
Being involved with a community or having your own seems to have no disadvantage at all. Since the more you interact with people that can relate to your purpose/vision is the more you are getting your steps closer to those goals.
By the way, I don’t know if I’m just reading this wrong or it’s a typo, you’ve used the word “apart” twice, though the usage of the word seems to contradict the message of the sentence.
Regards,
Jason
Hey Jason,
It’s prolly a typo since I’ve been very busy lately
Thanks for your comment.
Best, Derek
I think that one of the most important thing, when trying to build a community with your blog, is to share personal information and personal thoughts in your blog. This is why the blog is different from the site. If you write about something in a site, you give the facts, but if you write it in a blog, you give the fact and most importantly you thoughts about it. This way people that think the same have no choice but to like you at least a little (since you think like them). And the more direct and strong thoughts you give in your blog, the more the people that think like you will like you.
Just my two cents
Dave,
You make a good point about the distinction between a blog and a site for personal thoughts vs. just facts. But, do you feel sites (not talking about Wikipedia, etc.) should be turned into a blog?
Best,
Derek
Well, it depends on many things. Maybe the most important the purpose of the site. But not all sites must be blogs. If a user want to get the news he will not be much interested of the reporter’s opinion. So there must be sites and there must be blogs
.
Dave,
I do believe sites like Wikipedia where people are just looking for more information should not need any opinion. But, it seems more and more news sites are turning into news blogs like The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, and Mashable to just name a few.
It’s amazing how someone’s personal voice and opinion can create so much attraction.
Best, Derek
Probably this is because blogs are more interesting and more personal. It is normal to be more visited too. I guess the Internet is evolving
Awesome insight Derek. I believe personal community is built around your enthusiasm for what you are doing and the people you are helping. Their perception of your value and what you expect in return will define your personal community. If pieces are missing, you are right – you get stuck with a limited type of community.
I think the customer community is more of just traffic in the buying mindset. I don’t believe traffic from another community is going to come to you in a buying mindset, but to convert them from skeptical readers, to trusted customers, to raging loyal fans creates community from another community. What I like to call trafficking traffic
Keep up the valuable sharing man!
Brandon,
I appreciate the kind words. But, I do still believe you can make anyone your customer without them being apart of the “customer community”. This I will believe just takes time.
Best, Derek
Wow! Really great post neatly outlined,
You’re absolutely right. Nowadays, many people are not creating communities based on their purpose but are just following the crowd. The best communities are built around a purpose.
Thanks a lot for the nice comment,
-Onibalusi
I really do see people following the crowd or strictly just focusing on relying on other people’s communities in the blogging about blogging niche.
Best,
Derek
Having a community can help you a lot as a blogger, I agree with you premise, and you wrtoe a very good article about it. Congrats!
Thanks Marty! How’s your blog/site coming along.. along with your community?
Best,
Derek
Hey Derek,
Another great post dude. Creating community is the most important part.
I think Guest Posting is the best way to build great community.
Anyways, Thanks for sharing this great Post as usual.
~Dev
Dev,
There are surely many great ways of building your personal community and I’m actually seeing that doing live streams with either LiveStream or USTREAM do help since they see you and are entertaining for their friends to talk about you.
Best,
Derek
From the very beginning it’s been about community for me; all kinds.
I’m proud to say, i definitely have a “core” and it will only grow.
Dennis,
I’m very glad you have taken community to heart from the beginning. What advice would you give?
Best,
Derek
It is very important to always treasure your community. From time to time, you can ask them what they wish to know about, and provide them with exclusive content. In addition, you yourself should join the communities of other individuals.
Julius,
That’s true that you should support each individual by giving back to their own community. How’s your community?
Best, Derek
Great Idea very interesting Post Darek Rocks
Haha thanks! I try to keep them interesting.
I just want to create a blogger community with my friends as the members, but it’s hard to find a blogger in my country.
Reza,
Get a hold of Twitter and start making conversations with people related to blogging. Be sure to be yourself and make your vision/purpose stand out.
Best, Derek
I really Like this blog, just bought your themes
Good blog, it’s interesting and usefull for me, thanks.
Hey Derek,
this is a great article, and great tips though. I also think, that in the beginning of creating such a community, first you have to find the perfect target, that fits your knowledge.
Best regards,
Angel Evtimov
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