Great article. For the most part, many of my real-life social interactions aren't fully compartmentalized. I have friends from my spiritual community who I also hangout with during Tampa Bay Bucs games. I had teammates from my roller derby team who are single dads and we love to get together to talk about our kids. The more a person or community checks off multiple identity boxes (e.g. Filipino/Tampa/Spirituality/etc, the more I'll invest into the relationships. Code-switching happens in my day-to-day, real life - but it's not as black and white as it is in my online communities with clear in- and out-groups. You're on to something Laura! I'm looking forward to seeing how the lines get blurred in online communities through cross-pollinating
Just merging our conversation from LinkedIn to Substack:
Cross Pollination as been at the forefront of our development efforts since conceptualising YourKind approximately 18 months ago.
Whilst a number of great community platforms existed, discovering amazing niche communities was extremely challenging.
Accordingly, we’ve built a number of mechanisms (and are continuing to iterate), that allow individuals to find their kind of community.
For example, upon signing up, we ask users to outline their purpose (network, socialise or collaborate), and to select an initial interest (which can be changed at anytime).
The content the user sees, and the communities that the user is subsequently suggested are based on those initial selections and are updated as the user updates their suggestions.
Users on our app are not confined to being a member of a singular community. Rather they can join and actively participate in as many communities as they desire.
Whilst joining several communities is possible on the likes of Discord, there are a number of issues. One such is the ability to digest relevant content from all of your communities, in a streamlined manner.
One way in which we solve this issue pertains to events.
On YourKind community owners can create events for their community.
But if you’re in a number of communities, how do you know what events are going on in each?
Well… We’ve created a centralised calendar that pulls through all of the events occurring in all of your communities, so you can easily see everything that is upcoming.
As to your question around Mighty Networks/Convertkit.
From my experience working in the entertainment space, my strong opinion is that being a fan of one creator / community does not diminish your ability to be a fan of another creator / community.
Subsequently, having a means to easily cross-pollinate not only benefits the user and platform, but also greatly benefits the creator / community.
As you mentioned in your article, humans are not one dimentonal, they are interested in multiple things at any one time.
That’s why we believe having a centralised place that assists in cross-pollination (I.e a directory) is a great start.
But we’re working towards making it even easier for users to find their kind of people, and their kind of communities.
Big social media is like a badly designed house. It puts an emphasis on the wrong kinds of interactions, interactions that benefit the company, but not people. Laura, you have inspired me to adopt a sort of manifesto. My social media interactions, going forth, will never amplify anger, discord, disinformation, hate, or division. When I respond on social media, it will be to debate ideas, praise good work, lift up others, to entertain, to educate, or to move others to virtuous action. I think that if everyone followed an approach, like this, the algorithms would be favoring a happier, healthier Internet.
Do I think that will happen? No, not really it is a vain hope.
In the meantime, as you say, it is the time for niched communities to shine! Although, I might suggest that we drop the word niched, because they are quite simply communities. Those platforms which we think of as big social media these days, began as communities, but quickly metastasized into the toxic environment which they are today.
I love your manifesto, Todd — and agree with you wholeheartedly.
There's definitely still a place for social media, and hopefully a growing awareness of other alternatives for engaging online.
I hear you on dropping the word niche…the word "micro" doesn't always apply either. What word, in your mind, distinguishes a brand community from a community-first business model like SPI Pro, Dreamers & Doers, etc.?
Also curious to hear the Toddfather's input on the idea of cross-pollination between communities…will that be a thing? 🔮
Thanks, Laura, I appreciate the kind words. I'm afraid I don't have a good suggestion for "niched" or "micro" communities. Both sound a little ... small? And while there's nothing wrong with a small community, I feel like it might undercut the importance of what we are trying to do as community builders.
As to the topic of cross-pollination between communities, yes! For some time now, I've felt like there is a tremendous opportunity to build connections between related communities in a manner that feels natural and unforced. We are living in a period where standalone online communities are set up as little silos that have no relation to other similarly themed communities. There is another extreme such as Reddit or Facebook Groups where there are communities that live within the same platform, but none of them really relate to one another in any meaningful way. Between these extremes, I think there is a path, a way for communities with like interests can interrelate, share resources, even flow members between platforms. Think of it as strong ties between communities instead of no ties or weak ties like we have today. The upside is greater resiliency due to shared resources and the potential for even greater interaction within and between the communities that have established these relationships. What do you think?
You asked what I think...I think I want to stand up and cheer! That 👆is exactly what I sense too. Connections can give communities greater resiliency and also make them more interesting for members. (win, win) I also see potential to help founders and community managers get off the "get engagement" hamster wheel.
Perhaps it's a bit idealistic, but I do believe that we in the community sphere can play a role in helping champion empathy and an alternative to sound-bite conversations that favor incendiary posts.
I notice that the tone on social media is often negative and/or extreme, but when I'm in community the vibe is kind and understanding, making space for a variety of voices. There's something about the WAY we interact and connect that brings out the best — or the worst — in people.
For the community-first approach to win, I do believe we need to tap into what people like and enjoy about social media. (Myself included.) Cross-pollinating and building an interconnected web of communities feels like an opportunity.
Great read! I agree that cross-pollination can be a great way to inject novelty into communities, and help creators scale without relying on social media. This is something I want to prioritize in 2024.
Great article. For the most part, many of my real-life social interactions aren't fully compartmentalized. I have friends from my spiritual community who I also hangout with during Tampa Bay Bucs games. I had teammates from my roller derby team who are single dads and we love to get together to talk about our kids. The more a person or community checks off multiple identity boxes (e.g. Filipino/Tampa/Spirituality/etc, the more I'll invest into the relationships. Code-switching happens in my day-to-day, real life - but it's not as black and white as it is in my online communities with clear in- and out-groups. You're on to something Laura! I'm looking forward to seeing how the lines get blurred in online communities through cross-pollinating
I like how you linked your investment in the relationship to the depth of the "layers".
I'm definitely excited for the next level of communities. I've got my eyes on the newsletter + communities synergies that we continue to see.
Very interesting, imho!
Just merging our conversation from LinkedIn to Substack:
Cross Pollination as been at the forefront of our development efforts since conceptualising YourKind approximately 18 months ago.
Whilst a number of great community platforms existed, discovering amazing niche communities was extremely challenging.
Accordingly, we’ve built a number of mechanisms (and are continuing to iterate), that allow individuals to find their kind of community.
For example, upon signing up, we ask users to outline their purpose (network, socialise or collaborate), and to select an initial interest (which can be changed at anytime).
The content the user sees, and the communities that the user is subsequently suggested are based on those initial selections and are updated as the user updates their suggestions.
Users on our app are not confined to being a member of a singular community. Rather they can join and actively participate in as many communities as they desire.
Whilst joining several communities is possible on the likes of Discord, there are a number of issues. One such is the ability to digest relevant content from all of your communities, in a streamlined manner.
One way in which we solve this issue pertains to events.
On YourKind community owners can create events for their community.
But if you’re in a number of communities, how do you know what events are going on in each?
Well… We’ve created a centralised calendar that pulls through all of the events occurring in all of your communities, so you can easily see everything that is upcoming.
As to your question around Mighty Networks/Convertkit.
From my experience working in the entertainment space, my strong opinion is that being a fan of one creator / community does not diminish your ability to be a fan of another creator / community.
Subsequently, having a means to easily cross-pollinate not only benefits the user and platform, but also greatly benefits the creator / community.
As you mentioned in your article, humans are not one dimentonal, they are interested in multiple things at any one time.
That’s why we believe having a centralised place that assists in cross-pollination (I.e a directory) is a great start.
But we’re working towards making it even easier for users to find their kind of people, and their kind of communities.
💨🚀
Thank you so much for adding this here! I absolutely loved this part:
"my strong opinion is that being a fan of one creator / community does not diminish your ability to be a fan of another creator / community.
Subsequently, having a means to easily cross-pollinate not only benefits the user and platform, but also greatly benefits the creator / community.
As you mentioned in your article, humans are not one dimentonal, they are interested in multiple things at any one time."
So many good nuggets to ponder on here!
Big social media is like a badly designed house. It puts an emphasis on the wrong kinds of interactions, interactions that benefit the company, but not people. Laura, you have inspired me to adopt a sort of manifesto. My social media interactions, going forth, will never amplify anger, discord, disinformation, hate, or division. When I respond on social media, it will be to debate ideas, praise good work, lift up others, to entertain, to educate, or to move others to virtuous action. I think that if everyone followed an approach, like this, the algorithms would be favoring a happier, healthier Internet.
Do I think that will happen? No, not really it is a vain hope.
In the meantime, as you say, it is the time for niched communities to shine! Although, I might suggest that we drop the word niched, because they are quite simply communities. Those platforms which we think of as big social media these days, began as communities, but quickly metastasized into the toxic environment which they are today.
I love your manifesto, Todd — and agree with you wholeheartedly.
There's definitely still a place for social media, and hopefully a growing awareness of other alternatives for engaging online.
I hear you on dropping the word niche…the word "micro" doesn't always apply either. What word, in your mind, distinguishes a brand community from a community-first business model like SPI Pro, Dreamers & Doers, etc.?
Also curious to hear the Toddfather's input on the idea of cross-pollination between communities…will that be a thing? 🔮
Thanks, Laura, I appreciate the kind words. I'm afraid I don't have a good suggestion for "niched" or "micro" communities. Both sound a little ... small? And while there's nothing wrong with a small community, I feel like it might undercut the importance of what we are trying to do as community builders.
As to the topic of cross-pollination between communities, yes! For some time now, I've felt like there is a tremendous opportunity to build connections between related communities in a manner that feels natural and unforced. We are living in a period where standalone online communities are set up as little silos that have no relation to other similarly themed communities. There is another extreme such as Reddit or Facebook Groups where there are communities that live within the same platform, but none of them really relate to one another in any meaningful way. Between these extremes, I think there is a path, a way for communities with like interests can interrelate, share resources, even flow members between platforms. Think of it as strong ties between communities instead of no ties or weak ties like we have today. The upside is greater resiliency due to shared resources and the potential for even greater interaction within and between the communities that have established these relationships. What do you think?
You asked what I think...I think I want to stand up and cheer! That 👆is exactly what I sense too. Connections can give communities greater resiliency and also make them more interesting for members. (win, win) I also see potential to help founders and community managers get off the "get engagement" hamster wheel.
Perhaps it's a bit idealistic, but I do believe that we in the community sphere can play a role in helping champion empathy and an alternative to sound-bite conversations that favor incendiary posts.
I notice that the tone on social media is often negative and/or extreme, but when I'm in community the vibe is kind and understanding, making space for a variety of voices. There's something about the WAY we interact and connect that brings out the best — or the worst — in people.
For the community-first approach to win, I do believe we need to tap into what people like and enjoy about social media. (Myself included.) Cross-pollinating and building an interconnected web of communities feels like an opportunity.
Hey I'm a big fan of idealism. We need more idealistic people to imagine better futures!
Great read! I agree that cross-pollination can be a great way to inject novelty into communities, and help creators scale without relying on social media. This is something I want to prioritize in 2024.