What's the most challenging part of community building?

TheBigK
22 replies
I wish to know from fellow members about the most challenging part of community building. I've spent over 15 years building online communities and recently developed a platform that lets you build your own community. I'll be happy to answer your questions about community building.

Replies

Daria Ofitserova
Starting from zero. It’s like being the first to dance in an empty hall— a bit embarrassing 🙂 But once the crowd starts dancing, others will join.
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TheBigK
@daria_ofitserova - spot on! For every community I built; the first few months were the most difficult. However, my patience was always rewarded. The community RoI beats everything else out there. Are you building a community, Daria?
Paul
@daria_ofitserova how and where do you guys build communities effectively? Love your analogy btw
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TheBigK
@daria_ofitserova @paul75 - I'm building a platform to build your community. If you are looking to build a community, I'd love to talk. Let me know.
The most challenging part of community building is fostering trust and a sense of belonging among community members.
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TheBigK
@qudsia_ali That's true. It's difficult to build a culture of trust and belonging.
Gurkaran Singh
Navigating through community drama is like debugging code - it requires patience, a keen eye for details, and a good sense of humor to avoid crashing!
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Robyn Kline
I find it tough to foster a sense of belonging and ownership among members to encourage long-term commitment.
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TheBigK
@robyn_kline That's a good one. A community needs to evolve with time to serve its members. How do you plan to address this?
 Nick Zack
I find it challenging to encourage peer-to-peer support and build a network of active contributors.
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TheBigK
@zack_nick - interesting .
Debra Hetrick
I often struggle with creating a structure that supports both casual interactions and deeper, meaningful discussions.
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TheBigK
@debra_hetrick - wow, this is interesting. Could you share more about your community? I might have a few ideas.
Ayaz Akram
Coordinating events and activities that appeal to a diverse group of members can be quite tough.
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TheBigK
@ayaz_akram Yep, it is. Is yours niche based community or covers wide range of topics?
Hana Salazars
I find it challenging to measure the impact and success of community-building efforts effectively.
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TheBigK
@hana_salazars - This is super important. I wish to know - how do you define community success? Are there any special metrics you follow?
Lauren Miranda
building and maintaining engagement - it requires a lot of effort, facilitation, prompting, events, etc to keep the energy up - especially early on.
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TheBigK
@lauren_miranda - spot on. Yep; it's lot of efforts but community is a RoI heaven. I'm addressing this issue through our upcoming community platform. Would love to discuss. PS: Pearl looks very promising. I'll connect with you over LinkedIn.
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Amard Sonal
Sustaining long-term engagement, especially after the initial excitement fades, is something I constantly work on.
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TheBigK
@amard_sonal It's a challenge for sure. But modern community platforms should make it easy for the community owners. Is there anything specific that's worked for you to keep users engaged?